Where is the worst traffic in Austin? (Houston, Dallas: living, vs)

[centralaustinite]

I think it is worse outside the central core -- at the "ring of constraint" where the big master planned developments dump traffic into 35 and Mopac. I live central and drive 35 daily but always north of 71 and south of 183 and I don't think traffic is too terrible and I have a million alternative routes (although constrained by the bridges). I'd lose my mind in those long LONG lights to get on the interstate that happen further north and further south. Bonus: many of the big wreaks now happen at those chokepoints and I get to travel in the empty space they create! Probably happens at least once of month! Only once or twice a year does a wreck at Riverside or 51st street directly affect me.

I'm always stunned at the traffic on Mopac in the am/pm rush. During the school year, I have to drive Mopac once a week in the late afternoon and it is always hellish.

I'm not actually participating in the polls themselves, I rarely find them useful, such a small sample size.

[Kosmonaut]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

What does it matter?

Because I want to get an honest opinion. It's easy to point fingers at another part of town from 30 miles away and say it's crappy. It takes honesty to admit the problems in the areas where we live. This poll is really more about the honesty of the posters here and the legitimacy of the advice given to outsiders moving here.

If you ask about low crime, low traffic, good schools, short commute, the best amenities - people will always *vote* for their part of town. Notice how no one will fess up and admit their area has an undesirable characteristic like bad traffic?

Seriously - 153 people have viewed this thread so far, and NOT ONE is honest enough to say "my area of town has the worst traffic" The advice in this forum is constrained by protectionism, when it's SUPPOSED to be giving accurate info to people relocating here.

[ScoPro]

Where is the worst traffic in Austin?

Everywhere I'm driving.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by Kosmonaut

Because I want to get an honest opinion. It's easy to point fingers at another part of town from 30 miles away and say it's crappy. It takes honesty to admit the problems in the areas where we live. This poll is really more about the honesty of the posters here and the legitimacy of the advice given to outsiders moving here.

If you ask about low crime, low traffic, good schools, short commute, the best amenities - people will always *vote* for their part of town. Notice how no one will fess up and admit their area has an undesirable characteristic like bad traffic?

Seriously - 153 people have viewed this thread so far, and NOT ONE is honest enough to say "my area of town has the worst traffic" The advice in this forum is constrained by protectionism, when it's SUPPOSED to be giving accurate info to people relocating here.

What are you talking about? Everyone ALWAYS ******* about traffic everywhere in Austin. For once, do a search before posting another dumb poll that has no purpose. If anything, the traffic situation is routinely over-exaggerated. Your assertion that people misrepresent that issue to get others to move to their neighborhood is blatantly false.

153 people have viewed it and nobody has voted "my area" because nobody gives a flying whip about your lame polls that have no intention of adding value.

[AustinGuy]

Some of these traffic jams are mostly during rush hours:

- I-35 between Mueller (51st) and William Cannon
- Mo Pac between Slaughter and 2222
- Guadalupe between 15th and Riverside
- Lamar between 38th St and Ben White
- I-35 between Parmer and mid-Round Rock
- 360 (yes, pretty much all of it)
- 183 between Mo Pac and Lakeline
- 620 between 183 and 2222

[atxcio]

Well, I live off 360 and have no problem admitting it's one of the worst traffic problems in Austin. However, it's limited to rush hours and the difference is rather dramatic, so I don't know I'd rate it as the worst. Weekends and non-rush hour, there is hardly any traffic at all. I suspect the number of people who work in offices there outnumber the residents of the area by 10 to 1.

The top 3 for me are:

1 - I-35, various locations and times from Round Rock all the way to Kyle
2 - Mopac, from the bridge north to 2222 sometimes even Far West
3 - 360, mostly the northern and southern ends (north of 2222 and south of Las Cimas)

Basically, all the major thoroughfares that cross the river.

[CarnivalGal]

It's bad everywhere. But I have noticed that 183 seems to be getting worse almost daily. I talked in an earlier thread about how the whole frontage road system is just absurd. That seems to really be illustrated on 183. Going South from Lakeline, you have to pass through 3-4 lights before you can even get ON 183. And you will sit at each of those lights for at least 3 cycles. This would be solved by putting either more entrances to 183 or better yet, having overpasses to bypass the lights completely. The intersection of 183 and 360 is a nightmare. It backs up pretty badly, thanks to the frontage system. Who ever thought making everyone stop as soon as they exit the freeway would make traffic move faster is a complete idiot. It's exacerbated by the poor souls trying to turn right onto 360. They get to cross 4 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic to do so, further holding up everyone trying to exit (and sit through the light 4 times). Again, they're called overpasses. They work. We should try them. I also love the way Northbound 183 drops from 4 lanes to 3 just past Braker. This is one of the busiest stretches of road during the evening rush, and a lane just ends for no reason (there's plenty of room for it to continue on) - kind of like Mopac used to do at Enfield. It only took a few decades for that to be fixed, so maybe in 15 years or so, they'll figure out that having a lane end doesn't work on 183 either.

[sheaday]

These polls are dumb. Traffic is bad everywhere. Who cares if you admit that *YOUR* part of town is the worst. Ok, so then what's next- you're to blame for Austin's traffic problems?

I work off 183 & 360- yep traffic's bad there. I venture to downtown once a week after work- yep traffic's bad heading that way too. I live off Mopac- yep bad again. I used to live near the airport- yep 71 can be nasty. So what's the verdict?

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by mm57553

It's bad everywhere. But I have noticed that 183 seems to be getting worse almost daily. I talked in an earlier thread about how the whole frontage road system is just absurd. That seems to really be illustrated on 183. Going South from Lakeline, you have to pass through 3-4 lights before you can even get ON 183. And you will sit at each of those lights for at least 3 cycles. This would be solved by putting either more entrances to 183 or better yet, having overpasses to bypass the lights completely. The intersection of 183 and 360 is a nightmare. It backs up pretty badly, thanks to the frontage system. Who ever thought making everyone stop as soon as they exit the freeway would make traffic move faster is a complete idiot. It's exacerbated by the poor souls trying to turn right onto 360. They get to cross 4 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic to do so, further holding up everyone trying to exit (and sit through the light 4 times). Again, they're called overpasses. They work. We should try them. I also love the way Northbound 183 drops from 4 lanes to 3 just past Braker. This is one of the busiest stretches of road during the evening rush, and a lane just ends for no reason (there's plenty of room for it to continue on) - kind of like Mopac used to do at Enfield. It only took a few decades for that to be fixed, so maybe in 15 years or so, they'll figure out that having a lane end doesn't work on 183 either.

I doubt it will ever improve...I smack my head whenever I forget to exit @ Braker/Great Hills to get to nearly everything along 360 around there. It's not completely horrible to just make the left across the bridge to Gateway; but, you're right, that interchange is a real fire drill.

[owlman]

Check out google maps traffic right now for Austin vs the other big cities in Texas...
One of these cities is not like the others

http://i.imgur.com/8tv4Chd.jpg