Interesting traffic study - Nationwide Results (Seattle, Vancouver: live, car, ranking)

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

I arrived on a plane at 4pm, picked up a rental car at SeaTac, headed south on the interstate, and didn't reach highway speed till AFTER Tacoma! Ridiculous. So don't try to project the "no serious problem". I think people who are settled just consider this a "normal day". But to outsiders, "normal" is a joke.

Still, I have to admit I could go some other places that would make my experience pale. Seattle-Tacoma is hardly an exceptional case in America. And when you think of the volume of gasoline becoming emissions in these parking lots, it gives an insight into why we are so energy dependent.

The locals do try to make it a point about the bad traffic to the posters asking about Seattle-- only to have someone interject "Well, it's not as bad as DC (or whatever other city)!" On the one hand, what does it matter if another city has bad traffic when it doesn't really affect the way of life here... but I do get that they're trying to put it in relative terms.

Still, if someone is asking for a 30 minute commute, then they need to understand: Traffic is bad enough and what is technically 30 minutes away from Seattle isn't going to be so with the volume of traffic.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

The locals do try to make it a point about the bad traffic to the posters asking about Seattle-- only to have someone interject "Well, it's not as bad as DC (or whatever other city)!" On the one hand, what does it matter if another city has bad traffic when it doesn't really affect the way of life here... but I do get that they're trying to put it in relative terms.

Still, if someone is asking for a 30 minute commute, then they need to understand: Traffic is bad enough and what is technically 30 minutes away from Seattle isn't going to be so with the volume of traffic.

That's all very true. I've experienced worse traffic in NYC, Washington DC, and LA, but I don't live in those places. My work involves a lot of driving around all around the Seattle area. I bought myself a birthday present and now subscribe to satellite radio, so at least I can listen to Mozart, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Broadway showtunes, and the Grateful Dead ( I have eclectic musical taste)along the way. It does makes sitting in traffic more bearable.

[texastrigirl]

Well it was for the 1st quarter of the year that they were ranked 4th. Any city that has major construction on a major thoroughfare will experience worsening traffic. It's the patterns over a long period of time that matter more and what the commitment is to local transport, upkeep or development of roads, etc. At least we have traffic projects happening!

[evergraystate]

Excuses excuses excuses...

[VeronikaW]

Coming from CA, the traffic here seems very light, but you won't catch me on the 5 or the 405 around rush hour.

Oh, and for a year I commuted from NJ to NYC. I worked graveyard, so it didn't seem like it would be much of an issue until the day that it took me over an hour to go one block.

I'll take Seattle any day!

V. =)

[texastrigirl]

You still here evergraystate?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by VeronikaW

...the 5 or the 405

THE (fainting... even tho I have a SoCA spouse...) If it is THE Pasadena or THE Ventura ... (consist of multiple numeric combination).

Spouse mentions THE in WA, OR; they're walk'n.

Poor radio announcers from CA... they take the heat (and get switched OFF ).

the Traffic article in OP seems correct to me. Vancouver has some SERIOUS lack of options and city street continuations of freeway (tends to slow you down a bit). I do like the sky train... puts Portland's MAX to shame. (Street level mass transit is SLOW and dangerous... especially for pedestrians, bikes, cars, wheelchairs, fire trucks... all which get run over by MAX)).

[mrman78]

The problem I've noticed with traffic here is that a lot of it is caused by these constant construction and closures to major roads and intersections for long periods of time. If it wasn't for all the construction, it wouldn't be quite as bad. Obviously geography is a factor too though.

I feel the comparison of Seattle traffic to other cities does matter because if you have experience with much worse traffic elsewhere, then you are less likely to get as frustrated with the traffic here. I know when I get stuck in traffic here it doesn't bother me as much - especially if it's caused by the natural geography of the area. The construction is a little annoying, but construction is in all cities. Houston was frustrating because there never seemed to be a logical reason for the traffic being so bad. It is so sprawled out and flat with no natural barriers and there are more than enough roads to support the population and tons of back routes to take. The only thing I could come up with is that the majority of people refused to deter from their chosen route - even if it meant clogging up that route and being stuck in traffic! I feel here, it's just something that comes with living in a city surrounded by water with a growing population.

Basically, if you haven't been somewhere else worse to compare it to, then you are obviously going to think it's awful and get more frustrated with being stuck in the traffic that there is!

[Beenhere4ever]

Looked at the chart for Seattle. Sure enough, I5 southbound. Just exactly what I encountered. And the fuel waste and cost seem pretty predictable too. The fact that it ranks 32/33 means less than it might due to the fact that half or more of the higher-ranked corridors are in a small number of areas like LA. Combine all of each city into one and Seattle would shoot up the rankings. It isn't that big a city to be competing with those others. LA probably handles traffic equivalent to the population of Washington state. And geography is of no help at all in the Seattle area. Between mountains, the Sound and builtup areas, highway engineers don't have many ways through. I'd say getting cars off the road will ultimately be the only way to improve any of these statistics.

[tatania199]

Originally Posted by mrman78

The problem I've noticed with traffic here is that a lot of it is caused by these constant construction and closures to major roads and intersections for long periods of time. If it wasn't for all the construction, it wouldn't be quite as bad. Obviously geography is a factor too though.

I feel the comparison of Seattle traffic to other cities does matter because if you have experience with much worse traffic elsewhere, then you are less likely to get as frustrated with the traffic here. I know when I get stuck in traffic here it doesn't bother me as much - especially if it's caused by the natural geography of the area. The construction is a little annoying, but construction is in all cities. Houston was frustrating because there never seemed to be a logical reason for the traffic being so bad. It is so sprawled out and flat with no natural barriers and there are more than enough roads to support the population and tons of back routes to take. The only thing I could come up with is that the majority of people refused to deter from their chosen route - even if it meant clogging up that route and being stuck in traffic! I feel here, it's just something that comes with living in a city surrounded by water with a growing population.

Basically, if you haven't been somewhere else worse to compare it to, then you are obviously going to think it's awful and get more frustrated with being stuck in the traffic that there is!

That.

For me, a comparison is very valid because all I heard prior to moving to Seattle was "it rains EVERY DAY OF LIFE" and "OMG the traffic". The thing with both is that it's totally subjective, and if you have something to compare to, you can feel a little more prepared, a little less...angry about something completely outside of your control.

Having now driven enough to judge in both Seattle and Vancouver (for example, as both have been mentioned) I find myself pleasantly surprised by Seattle's "horrible" traffic because I find it, well, seldom that bad. That context makes it easier to deal with. Plus, it's unavoidable if you need to drive places so there is little point in making it worse by being miserable about it, which I find easier having done enough driving somewhere where I've consistently found traffic to be a true issue.

So, it helps having comparison and being able to look on the bright side rather than focusing on how awful it seems without context. Or, for that matter, at all.