Access Roads… …For better or for worse? (Houston, Dallas: live in, centers)

[Spade]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Out in the suburbs its not uncommon for them to be 55 to 60.. ..and its also not uncommon to find cars doing 70 on them, which is a real headache when pulling out of a strip center.

Yep seen it plenty of times once you leave a well populated area. Going up I-35, you see people flying on access roads and going just as fast as people on the highway.

[TexasHorseLady]

Those of you who dislike access roads in Texas, are you from here? I ask because I have noticed that this is one of the things that people who move here from out of state tend to want us to change to be like where they came from rather than them learning the Texas transportation laws and customs.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Opinions on them?

Another Texas pro-business idea
Complete waste of money

1. Seems like most access roads/feeder roads in Houston are 3 lanes on each side,
Basically, another Highway
Yet, most of the time those lanes are sitting empty
And then we have to hear that there’s no money for highways and that why there’s so many toll roads in Texas

2. Having access roads has caused Houston highways to be built in a way to favor access road traffic
And I’m referring to the U-Turns
Because of that, instead of having flat highways, Houston’s highways look like a roller coaster
Constantly going up and down
Making them very dangerous

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Those of you who dislike access roads in Texas, are you from here? I ask because I have noticed that this is one of the things that people who move here from out of state tend to want us to change to be like where they came from rather than them learning the Texas transportation laws and customs.

So native Texans can’t have differing opinions about their state transportation system?

Only native Texans should have the ability to formulate an opinion on their strengths and weaknesses and not any citizen (regardless of where they’re from) paying tax or tolls toward infrastructure?

I would say someone ‘not’ from Texas would have a less biased opinion of them given they are more likely to have experienced transportation across the rest of the nation.

Despite this, I was born here, although I haven’t spent my whole life here. I see strengths and weaknesses to the access roads. There are some instances where I think they do a good job. There are others where I think freeways are better off without them. TX-45 in S.Austin is quite charming because it’s one of the few freeways without them. I’ve driven all over the country and have seen similar configurations TX uses in other areas (just not as widely implemented) and would formulate similar opinions. I just don’t feel they’re needed on every single freeway. TXDOT seems to feel similarly but has their hands tied by the state.

[Nuclear Bear]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Those of you who dislike access roads in Texas, are you from here? I ask because I have noticed that this is one of the things that people who move here from out of state tend to want us to change to be like where they came from rather than them learning the Texas transportation laws and customs.

Native Texan here.

This is one of those ignorance is bliss kind of post.

There a lot of people that have never left Texas, and have no clue that there are other ways to do things.

Access Roads are ugly as chit. I've only came to this conclusions in the past 10 years as I've traveled to other places that do not utilize them to the extent we do.

Growing up in Texas I became very accustomed to them and I though they were normal.

[EDS_]

It's doesn't matter at all if some people believe access roads are ugly. Very few city roads are nice to look at IMO. What matters is TX. style access roads and turnarounds offer efficiency advantages over similar highways and whatnot without access roads. That's it.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Another Texas pro-business idea
Complete waste of money

1. Seems like most access roads/feeder roads in Houston are 3 lanes on each side,
Basically, another Highway
Yet, most of the time those lanes are sitting empty
And then we have to hear that there’s no money for highways and that why there’s so many toll roads in Texas

2. Having access roads has caused Houston highways to be built in a way to favor access road traffic
And I’m referring to the U-Turns
Because of that, instead of having flat highways, Houston’s highways look like a roller coaster
Constantly going up and down
Making them very dangerous

Can you imagine Houston rush hour traffic without access roads?

[Mr. Clutch]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Those of you who dislike access roads in Texas, are you from here? I ask because I have noticed that this is one of the things that people who move here from out of state tend to want us to change to be like where they came from rather than them learning the Texas transportation laws and customs.

Yes I grew up in Texas, but I don't see any reason for the access roads. Other states have perfectly fine traffic systems without them.

[zenith32]

We actually have a few of these frontage roads in Oklahoma (the most notable being along I-240 between I-44 and I-35) and I love them. They are functional, easy to navigate, and generally make life easier, especially if you know the area. The TX highway system is actually very near the top of the list of things I love about Texas as a whole. I'll grant that they were the weirdest thing to get used to when I first started frequenting the area from somewhere that didn't have an identical system (Colorado), but once I figured out how to use them I would love to see them elsewhere!

[Mr. Clutch]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Can you imagine Houston rush hour traffic without access roads?

It's just a function of the way the city is designed. If access roads didn't exist, neither would the businesses lining them that drive a lot of that traffic. Everywhere else, those businesses exist off of cross streets.

Take Florida - most of their highways don't have access roads and they also generally have better traffic than here. Yes, there's plenty of congestion in Miami/South Florida, but its certainly not worse than Houston and the traffic that ends up on freeways is actually longer range traffic.

Access roads don't help alleviate traffic in any way shape or form, they just induce additional drivers of traffic (businesses primarily) to the freeway ROW.