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Thank you Captain Obvious (traffic related)

13,700 Views | 132 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by Diggity
Ferris Wheel Allstar
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AG
Stating the obvious here
quote:
Congestion in Houston increased sharply from 2013 to 2014, according to a report released Tuesday by TomTom, developer of the mapping and traffic data fed to phones and other GPS devices.
Analysts said trips in the region on average last year took 25 percent longer than they would have in free-flowing conditions, compared with 21 percent longer in 2013.This means that a hypothetical 30-minute, congestion-free trip, on average, takes about 52 minutes at peak commuting times. For an entire year, it means drivers waste 85 hours - more than 3.5 days - plodding along the highways and streets of Houston.
traffic is getting worse
The Wonderer
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well no ****, sherlock.

This is the biggest reason I still live where I do. I just can't bring myself to move ITL and have an hour commute each way every day.
aggiedent
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It will get worse every year. All these politician's who talk about building roads like the GP to alleviate congestion are talking total BS. They are built to allow for more growth, more homes, more businesses, and more everything. They may alleviate congestion in the short term, but eventually traffic ends up even worse.

I have a 5 mile commute to work that took me less than 10 minutes in the 90's and now takes me on average 30 minutes. In the far NW suburbs!!!
TheWoodsAg
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quote:
This is the biggest reason I still live where I do. I just can't bring myself to move OTL and have an hour commute each way every day.


FIFY

quote:
these politician's who talk about building roads like the GP to alleviate congestion are talking total BS. They are built to allow for more growth, more homes, more businesses, and more everything. They may alleviate congestion in the short term, but eventually traffic ends up even worse.


Well when I brought this up about a month ago and mentioned that DFW seems to have no shortage of large scope highway projects that get built in a very timely fashion compared to ours (see 114/183, 121, 35W, 161, 820, 635) I was chastised and told to take it to the Metroplex board. Say what you will, but we are way behind our North Texas brethren in major road projects, I guess they're just more concerned about major usable infrastructure and less about light-rail that nobody rides and goes nowhere and kite festivals.
Andy07
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Doesn't the metroplex have more light rail too?
TheWoodsAg
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Well I'm not sure it's "Light" but they actually have convenient usable rail that connects downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas (with stops in between), which is essentially 40 miles and longer than the distance between The Woodlands and downtown.....

drumboy
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quote:
Well I'm not sure it's "Light" but they actually have convenient usable rail that connects downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas (with stops in between), which is essentially 40 miles and longer than the distance between The Woodlands and downtown.....



Well the Woodlands is Houston's Ft Worth after all.
george07
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quote:
Well when I brought this up about a month ago and mentioned that DFW seems to have no shortage of large scope highway projects that get built in a very timely fashion compared to ours (see 114/183, 121, 35W, 161, 820, 635) I was chastised and told to take it to the Metroplex board. Say what you will, but we are way behind our North Texas brethren in major road projects, I guess they're just more concerned about major usable infrastructure and less about light-rail that nobody rides and goes nowhere and kite festivals.
I live in Fort Worth, am from Houston. I don't know what you are talking about. 35W is under construction now because it has two freakin' lanes on each side just north of downtown FW. It's a joke. It should have been redone 25 years ago from what I hear from locals. They literally just started. I use 114/183 every day. They spent the past 4.5 years rebuilding 183, without adding a single free lane. Still 3 lanes on each side, unless you want to pay $4.00-$10.00 per day each way to use the toll lanes. Traffic up here sucks balls just like Houston, trust me.
TheWoodsAg
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quote:
quote:
Well when I brought this up about a month ago and mentioned that DFW seems to have no shortage of large scope highway projects that get built in a very timely fashion compared to ours (see 114/183, 121, 35W, 161, 820, 635) I was chastised and told to take it to the Metroplex board. Say what you will, but we are way behind our North Texas brethren in major road projects, I guess they're just more concerned about major usable infrastructure and less about light-rail that nobody rides and goes nowhere and kite festivals.
I live in Fort Worth, am from Houston. I don't know what you are talking about. 35W is under construction now because it has two freakin' lanes on each side just north of downtown FW. It's a joke. It should have been redone 25 years ago from what I hear from locals. They literally just started. I use 114/183 every day. They spent the past 4.5 years rebuilding 183, without adding a single free lane. Still 3 lanes on each side, unless you want to pay $4.00-$10.00 per day each way to use the toll lanes. Traffic up here sucks balls just like Houston, trust me.
They rebuilt all existing lanes and on/off ramps and added 4 lanes while debottlenecking the major interchanges and expanding the frontage road, and it only took them 4 1/2 years. Who gives a flying F if they're toll lanes, you don't think people in Cypress would gladly pay $8 a day to cut their commute to downtown in half?

And what about the Sam Rayburn, George Bush, 114 and 635 redos? We have nothing remotely close to resembling that scope of work completed in that quick of time. Sweet Jesus it's taken 8 1/2 years to add 2 lanes to 610 between 45 and 290 and we're not done yet! That's 4.5 miles.....difference between public and private money I guess.....
george07
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quote:
They rebuilt all existing lanes and on/off ramps and added 4 lanes while debottlenecking the major interchanges and expanding the frontage road, and it only took them 4 1/2 years. Who gives a flying F if they're toll lanes, you don't think people in Cypress would gladly pay $8 a day to cut their commute to downtown in half?
First off, if they charged comparable rates in Houston all the way from Cypress to 610, it would be more like $20 each way. Sorry, but $40 each day is a lot to spend on tolls. The stretch of 183 I use is 6 miles long, and costs between $3.85 and $4.15 at rush hour. Keep in mind, this project was also 20 years later than it should be. Not to mention the fact that by increasing the flow of cars on 183 and on 121 by DFW airport, they caused a whole new bottleneck that didn't exist before, because 121 in between them has only 2 lanes on each side. It's now a parking lot every morning. Houston freeways across the board are wider and better designed, except for 290.
Ferris Wheel Allstar
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what pisses me off more than anything are the simple solutions to help traffic flow better that this city refuses to try to do. Merging is issue #1 that these yankees and foreigners cant seem to do faster than 10MPH. So why have entrance ramps without access lanes, or merge two lanes of freeway at a critical point? ie Richmond entrance to 610@59
Diggity
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quote:
Well I'm not sure it's "Light" but they actually have convenient usable rail that connects downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas (with stops in between), which is essentially 40 miles and longer than the distance between The Woodlands and downtown.....

I think he was talking about the DART system.
The Wonderer
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If drivers could learn and use the ******* zipper method of merging, sht would flow so much easier.
agracer
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quote:
quote:
They rebuilt all existing lanes and on/off ramps and added 4 lanes while debottlenecking the major interchanges and expanding the frontage road, and it only took them 4 1/2 years. Who gives a flying F if they're toll lanes, you don't think people in Cypress would gladly pay $8 a day to cut their commute to downtown in half?
First off, if they charged comparable rates in Houston all the way from Cypress to 610, it would be more like $20 each way. Sorry, but $40 each day is a lot to spend on tolls. The stretch of 183 I use is 6 miles long, and costs between $3.85 and $4.15 at rush hour. Keep in mind, this project was also 20 years later than it should be. Not to mention the fact that by increasing the flow of cars on 183 and on 121 by DFW airport, they caused a whole new bottleneck that didn't exist before, because 121 in between them has only 2 lanes on each side. It's now a parking lot every morning. Houston freeways across the board are wider and better designed, except for 290.
None of the freeways in Houston are "well designed' in any sense of the word. The camel back over passes and feeder roads are just the beginning of the stupidity that are Houston freeways.
george07
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I have no idea what a camel back overpass is, I am simply comparing Houston and Dallas area freeways. In my experience, Houston freeways have more lanes, and although the traffic is bad, they seem much more appropriately sized than their Dallas counterparts. Both cities have bad traffic, I was pointing out to that other poster that the grass is not greener in DFW.
cajunaggie08
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I believe a camel back overpass is when a freeway travels over a surface road. In other (more frozen) parts of the country, the freeway stays ground level as much as possible while the roads travel over the freeways. Think of how the mason road exit used to be in the 90s. Alot of Houston traffic starts from cars tapping their brakes while on the downward slope of one of these overpasses because they were originally following too close and causing a chain reaction of brake checking which eventually leads to a dead stop.
george07
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OK, then most of the overpasses in DFW are also camel back.
TheWoodsAg
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quote:
I have no idea what a camel back overpass is, I am simply comparing Houston and Dallas area freeways. In my experience, Houston freeways have more lanes, and although the traffic is bad, they seem much more appropriately sized than their Dallas counterparts. Both cities have bad traffic, I was pointing out to that other poster that the grass is not greener in DFW.
Wonder when was the last time you spent an afternoon on 290, 610, 45, 59 or 10.....this town has grown exponentially since you were driving the side streets to high school and we have not kept up. Their isn't a poster on the Tine board who doesn't think traffic in the city is beyond f'd, and to FWA's OP it's only getting worse.

I've worked and lived in both cities and it's my experience that DFW has stayed ahead of the times better than we have, it may not be perfect but it's better. Just look at the work completed between 2000 and 2015 in both metro areas.....it's not even close.
george07
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The answer to your question (regarding the last time I spent an afternoon on any of those freeways) is this past Friday, I'm very up to date on Houston, thank you. I left in 2010, not 2000. Also I grew up in Sharpstown and went to Lamar, so did not take side streets to high school. I know the area better than most. 35W in Fort Worth is #1 in Texas for congestion, look it up. Every project here is 20 years too late.
Wife is an Aggie
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quote:
quote:
I have no idea what a camel back overpass is, I am simply comparing Houston and Dallas area freeways. In my experience, Houston freeways have more lanes, and although the traffic is bad, they seem much more appropriately sized than their Dallas counterparts. Both cities have bad traffic, I was pointing out to that other poster that the grass is not greener in DFW.
Wonder when was the last time you spent an afternoon on 290, 610, 45, 59 or 10.....this town has grown exponentially since you were driving the side streets to high school and we have not kept up. Their isn't a poster on the Tine board who doesn't think traffic in the city is beyond f'd, and to FWA's OP it's only getting worse.

I've worked and lived in both cities and it's my experience that DFW has stayed ahead of the times better than we have, it may not be perfect but it's better. Just look at the work completed between 2000 and 2015 in both metro areas.....it's not even close.


Luckily I take ft bend toll & bw8 & wife takes 288. The three roads you didn't list!
cajunaggie08
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529 to 290 FTL
Sea Gull
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But they're expanding 290!
Boo Weekley
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I think about leaving Houston all the time. Just too much traffic. Everywhere. Even in places like montrose and upper kirby, where things were already pretty congested, they're throwing up freaking skyscraper condos and huge multifamily developments left and right. ITL is going to be a NIGHTMARE in the near future. There are also just way too many poor and uneducated immigrants. I realize that's not a very PC thing to say, but I don't want to be an extension of Mexico. Just take a look around you when you are on the freeways. I feel like this guy sometimes...

Hoyt Ag
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It would be a lot better ITL if the pot hole repair crews did a better job of fixing the roads. Whoever is in charge of these crews should be ashamed of themselves at the quality of work being performed.
Boo Weekley
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I always wonder how p*ssed the Rolls Royce and Maserati River Oaks crowd has got to be at the road conditions surrounding their neighborhood. I am constantly cringing in my old bucket as I drive the 3rd world quality stretch of Shepherd in that area. Can't imagine if I was in a 7-series BMW.

Also, Do not drive in the right lane on 19th eastbound between Shepherd and Yale.
aTm2004
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I drive from Kingwood to the EC everyday. Going to work isn't bad. Going home sucks donkey balls.

I drove past this F1 racer yesterday.
88jrt06
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The Tine, DFW and Austin are all nightmares. Have had an office each place for over 15 years.
Ludicrous that DFW is considered better by anyone. Depends where...you're stuck at the time in each ****in' metro area.

"Where in the lava flow would you prefer to be? Oh, DFW!"

Austin is a special brand of hell, btw....
Ferris Wheel Allstar
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quote:
I drive from Kingwood to the EC everyday. Going to work isn't bad. Going home sucks donkey balls.

I drove past this F1 racer yesterday.

This is the **** that causes traffic jams too, and I am not talking about the truck sittin sidewayz. Its the jackasses trying to snapchat or send pics to their friends while driving past an accident. News flash Walter Cronkite, you aren't paparazzi.
Boo Weekley
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I do wonder roughly how much of my afternoon commute is attributed to drivers surfing the internet on their phones. Seems like it would flow much better if people drove more efficiently and stopped/started when they should rather than when they happen to look up from their phones.
aTm2004
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Snapping a pic when I'm sitting still is me causing traffic? I'd see your point if I was slowing down and not driving the speed limit, but accelerating from a dead stop?

Do you see the people in the pic? Do you see the Audi driving away? Any guesses where those people were and how fast the Audi was going when I pulled out my phone? If you guessed "in the left lane" and "0mph," you'd be correct.
aTm2004
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Usually, when I'm in the left lane and have to get over to pass somebody with nobody in front of them for a good 500ft or more, I like to glance over at them to see why they're driving so slow. Most of the time they're texting.
ChipFTAC01
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Traffic ethics question:

On I-10W in the afternoon, sometimes I take the managed lane if I can tell that the main lanes are a cluster. I exit the managed lane at Gessner as the next exit isn't until out near Hwy 6. Typically when I exit, I'll stay in the exit/entrance lane as long as possible before merging in with the main when an opportunity presents itself near the end of the exit/entrance lane (near the Murphy Oil building).

Does this make an ******* of the same order as the line cutters at the 45/I-10 interchange or 59/610 that cut in at the last minute?
The Wonderer
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quote:
Traffic ethics question:

On I-10W in the afternoon, sometimes I take the managed lane if I can tell that the main lanes are a cluster. I exit the managed lane at Gessner as the next exit isn't until out near Hwy 6. Typically when I exit, I'll stay in the exit/entrance lane as long as possible before merging in with the main when an opportunity presents itself near the end of the exit/entrance lane (near the Murphy Oil building).

Does this make an ******* of the same order as the line cutters at the 45/I-10 interchange or 59/610 that cut in at the last minute?
Kind of. I withhold judgement on these people until I see the situation of the actual merge. If you get over cleanly without holding up either lane, you're cool as that was a proper merge. If you come to a stop or slow down traffic behind you to make a merge or force your way in and hold up both lanes, you're an ass and may god have mercy on your soul.
cajunaggie08
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my waze tells me to do the same thing whenever i'm taking the katy freeway in rush hour to get to hwy 6. I can't argue against an app.
Hoyt Ag
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Agreed. If you slow down others or come to a complete stop, you are subject to being beaten with a tire iron on the spot.
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