Worst Traffic in the U.S. By City

maybe just the city itself isnt as congested as seattle but if you take the surburbs or the entire county no way seattle wins..

and according to their conditions its 70% or less the posted speed limit...us LA'ers will go fast as possible even in traffic

 

A complete joke. Austin's traffic doesn't approach the horror that can Houston's. Who made this list? Someone in Dallas??

 

I agree with LA's being up there, traffic is horrid over there.

 

The worst traffic has to be san antonio. It is the 2nd biggest city in texas and its roads are austinesque.

 

I don't get it either. Even in the worst traffic, it still only takes you 30 minutes tops to get anywhere in Greater Austin. Yeah, the city was designed by a r****ded chimp, but actual traffic isn't that bad. The only reason I can think of that Austin is on the list is because most Austinites drive that slow under normal conditions. It's infuriating, coming from Houston, to see people driving 55 in a 65 in the left lane.

San Antonio isn't that bad either. It's just that there's still a lot of construction on 410. There's also this weird think in SA. For some strange reason, all driver education classes in SA teach people that YIELD signs are actually STOP signs...no matter if there is anything to yield to or not. Can't tell you how many times I've had to slam on my brakes as someone was driving down the feeder road close to a off-ramp and they came to a complete stop even though no one was exiting.

 

Interesting list. Surprised that Seattle's ahead of LA. But I will say the 5 between Tacoma, Seattle, and north of Seattle is one giant clusterfahk.

Don't understand why SF is #5 either. The city is only 7 miles x 7 miles, and has no freeways. Nobody here drives much. Mostly just use cabs and buses.

Austin deserves its #15 rating for bad traffic mainly because there's only 2 thoroughfares that go north and south, I35 and Mopac. I35 sucks because all of the 18-wheeler through traffic between the U.S. and Mexico. Mopac sucks because people drive too damn slow.

 

Anyone who lives in Austin simply avoids I-35 at all costs. It ain't Rockets science! Houston's traffic, on the other hand, is insane, vast, and everywhere. I grew up there, visit all the time, and I know of what I speak.

 

You guys are nuts, the traffic on Mopac at 5 p.m. blew away anything I ever experienced on I-45. Austin traffic is terrible at rush hour! Houston traffic might be bumper-to-bumper, but it MOVES. In Austin, the car in front of your could have a wide-open lane and it's STILL going 50. Drove me nuts.

 

Seattle is a pain due to the constraints put on it by bodies of water.

There is one north-south freeway to reach the northern and southern suburbs. I have to go about 20 miles north twice a week to pick up one or both of the kids from the grandparents, and that is a terrible commute. There is an HOV lane you can pop in and out of, but it usually backs up as well. If I'm by myself, that usually takes 60-90 minutes. There are alternate roads you can take, but they have stoplights and usually take just as long.

East-West is probably worse with Lake Washington as one big obstacle. You can take 90 or 520 over the water, and that's about it. If there is a wreck on the bridge, you are screwed. There's no HOV either. You can always go around, but then you still get a good dose of the north-south dilemma listed above.

Until I started having the kids go to my wife's parents a few days a week, I was really innoculated to this since I work from home. My wife is a chef and works odd hours, so she really didn't run into it much easier.

 

You have to know how to manipulate it on MOPAC. You can get north to south in minutes if you want by exiting and getting back on all the way. You might hit a red light or 2, but I've done it many times and made it from Parmer to 2244 in minutes at rush hour.

 

shhh

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Avoid I-35 and you're golden.

Stated like someone that knows how to drive. Folks that complain about Mopac traffic simply don't know how to manage it. Anyone that has driven in Houston can easily manage Austin traffic.

 

I don't want to "manage" it. I want to hit 70!

 

Austin is such a small city. It takes 20 minutes from one end to another.

 

I wonder if they're measuring the right thing. They're assuming congestion will yield the worst traffic, and I don't think that's right. Besides, comparing to posted speeds seems inadequate.

Some cities like Seattle and San Fran have natural boundaries that slow you down; other towns like Austin don't have the roads built for quick transit. Cities like Houston have a lot of high-speed arteries. If you're doing 40 on a 65mph freeway, the survey counts that as congested. But, I'd rather go 40 on a Houston freeway than go without congestion on a surface road with traffic lights in Austin or San Fran.

 

yeah, people always say houston traffic is horrid!

but i think austin is a lot worse. you don't have many alternative roads to go on.

houston has at least expanded I-10.

 

between 2a - 4a

I'll also agree that Austin just sucks to drive through. I have never changed my departure time for any city accept Austin. Now, I have also never heard of MOPAC. Seems like a byway I need to look into.

I must say though when I was a smoker, Austin was an easy town to drive through and have a smoke without getting off the bike.

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Brother, I lived in Austin for 10 years, 98-08. I'd try to avoid 35 at all costs. Used Lamar, Burnet, Mopac...you name it.