Houston/Dallas Driving vs Major East Coast Cities? (San Antonio, Austin: fit in, construction)

[west_2_east]

Hi all,

A recruiter reached out to me regarding jobs in dallas/houston and I wanted the opinion of people living in those cities regarding driving/traffic there. Given that I'm originally from the west coast and now living out east, the prospect of driving out here is somewhat harrowing. I don't drive super fast (usually 5-7 over the limit) and keep to the right lane when possible, but people here are extremely aggressive, tailgate you like crazy, and don't allow you to change lanes when you want to merge, etc. That last part is extremely frustrating for me coming from the west coast where people are way more friendly about this, even in the big cities.

On top of that, the traffic in my metro is HORRENDOUS. I thought that reverse commuting (i.e. living in the city and commuting to the more suburban region for work) would help things, but it doesn't do a whole lot. So now, add the aggressiveness, traffic, and even weather hazards (ice/snow, extremely heavy rain, etc.) on top of the rude, impersonal people and living here has been a miserable experience. I've generally adjusted to the driving culture here, but driving is still one of my least favorite things out here.

My question then is how bad are Houston/Dallas' traffic compared to the megacities out east? I know that Houston especially has a bad rep, but is it really comparable to how bad it is out east? Are the people also super aggressive, fast drivers, or are things much less crazy down south? Also, I know that the spring is probably the craziest time for weather (tornadoes, rain/flooding, etc.) but how difficult is it to adjust to these compared to out east? I think I'm most concerned about flash flooding since that's something I've never had to deal with in my life.

Texas overall seems like a great place. I liked the southeast when I lived there because it had the friendliness of the west coast without the wacky, uber left-wing politics of the place. Similarly, Texas has fantastic job opportunities, friendly people (from my brief time there), affordable cost of living for mortals like me, and overall seems like a great fit for me. I didn't even mind the religious people for the most part, despite not being religious myself and found them to be much nicer and, ironically, open-minded than the hipsters out west. The driving probably isn't a deal-breaker, but I do want to know what I am potentially getting myself into before making any snap decisions, so if anyone can share their thoughts, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

[metroxian]

Rush hour traffic is heavy in both Houston and Dallas but the biggest problem is sometimes it just doesn't move fast. You can often see the ladies putting on their make up. Extra caution when it rains as some drives must think they're in the own shower, doing things they wouldn't tell mom about. Otherwise your excess speed would fit in well with highway traffic. Drivers in Texas are generally friendly.

First rule of the road... 'Lead, follow, or get out of the way'

Good luck...

[thebeard13]

Hey OP,

I'm from Texas, and have lived in Houston, Austin, and Dallas. I've also lived in Long Beach, and currently live in the DC area. So I'll give you my perspective.

In Texas, driving styles depend on where you are. Houston has by far the fastest and most aggressive drivers in the state. I grew up driving there, and am admittedly a fairly aggressive, no nonsense, get-the-hell-out-of-the-left-lane-when-not-passing type of driver. So keep this in mind.

Dallas driving is not as hectic as Houston driving in my opinion. People tend to drive slower and there seems to be less overall foolishness on the road.

Austin driving sucked for me for a variety of reasons. 1) Terrible traffic, worse than Houston or Dallas in my view and 2) Terrible drivers who don't understand to stay out of the passing lane or even worse, block it on purpose. This was the first place I'd experienced that.

Southern California I enjoyed as a driver. The people drive fast, but not as unpredictably as in Houston, and they stay out of the left lane. Definitely my favorite place as a driver.

The DC area I have not enjoyed as a driver. The people in Virginia are terrified of the cops, the people in Maryland are terrified of the speed cameras, and the people in DC are terrified of going above 50 since you really can't in DC proper. There are also lots of obviously inexperienced drivers in the region as well, and they are the worst. To add to that, I've never seen so many obviously distracted drivers as in the DC area. It's far from uncommon for a two lane interstate (such as I-66) to be blocked by some fool going 40 mph while texting in the left lane, oblivious (or perhaps not) to the wall of traffic behind him. I've been rear ended three times by distracted drivers here in four years, after never having had that happen in my life before.

I'm not sure where you live on the east coast but I'd imagine that you would find Texas an easier or harder place to drive based on your personal driving style. If you're a "wolf" you'll probably like driving in Texas. If you're a "lamb" probably not so much, particularly in Houston. I think driving in Texas can be intimidating sometimes for those who aren't confident and assertive drivers.

Hope this helps.

[Nomadic_Chimp]

Houston has some of the worst traffic I've ever experienced. I am from the Washington, DC area and have lived in Raleigh, NC, Phoenix, AZ, and Raleigh, NC. Houston roads are VERY L!!crowded, and when it rains, the drivers are down right FRIGHTFUL! I feared for my life on I-10, 290, 45, and 610 almost daily.

[bb3611]

My experience in Dallas and Houston.. slow drivers in left lanes are very common and annoying

[bb3611]

Roads in Houston are in terrible condition and always seem to be under construction

[RMFW]

Houston drivers are probably the most aggressive (probably because they're desperate to get off the freeway sometime this century).

Dallas (the city proper and to a certain extent the northern suburbs) can get pretty bad but mostly from an "I'm oblivious or indifferent to those around me" kinda way).

Austin drivers were the most surprising to me. They are down right spiteful when they drive. For all of the reputation Austin has for being full of laid back people, all of that goes right out of the window as soon as they get behind the wheel. I've been cutoff and flipped off there with more regularity than in any other Texas city.

Fort Worth's drivers are pretty easygoing unless you're driving I-35 between downtown and Alliance. Other than that it's fine (just give the pickups the right of way).

Haven't driven San Antonio enough to judge.

[Shock]

San Antonio drivers are known to be slow, but the traffic is much lighter in comparison to the other major metros in Texas.

[curbur]

Originally Posted by Nomadic_Chimp

Houston has some of the worst traffic I've ever experienced. I am from the Washington, DC area and have lived in Raleigh, NC, Phoenix, AZ, and Raleigh, NC. Houston roads are VERY L!!crowded, and when it rains, the drivers are down right FRIGHTFUL! I feared for my life on I-10, 290, 45, and 610 almost daily.

Well.. Houston is easily the largest out of all of those metro areas, so why wouldn't it have the worst traffic out of the 5 mentioned?

[ragnarkar]

Never been to Houston but Dallas drivers are definitely more aggressive and inconsiderate than Los Angeles or San Francisco. I've almost never had people pass me on the right shoulder when I wanted to keep a safe distance with the car in front when in California but this has happened multiple times in a single week in Dallas. In most California cities, you'll do fine if you want to drive safely and stick to the right lanes but in Dallas, you're expected to drive fast AND keep a minimal distance with the car ahead of you.