Worst metro-area traffic

i'm just glad i don't drive anywhere at rush hour

houston? wouldn't have thought it -- from the westin to the ballpark is a breeze at 2 p.m., and back is pretty easy at midnight

 

Repeat after me:

Aht-lahn-tah.

Thank you.

 

I will do anything to avoid driving in L.A., Houston or Chicago, and San Francisco isn't a treat, either.

Having lived in Dallas, the thing that always astounded me was how drivers used their trucks and SUVs. Don't want to sit in traffic? Well, that little ol' 6-inch curb isn't going to stop me from going my own way over to the access road. There's a lot of drivin' done in places where vehicles weren't intended to be.

 

At first, I was a little surprised that the NYC-area wasn't among the top four. But then I realized that this area has such a massive transit system (NJ Transit, MTA, Metro-North & the LIRR) that it has to alleviate some of the volume. I wish I could say that it should be getting better, with the additions of double-decker cars ('bout time) and a possible rail-link thru North Jersey to Scranton on the way, but too many people feel the need to move to some place remote and drive to work. Bastards.

 

Though it's far from the worst in the country, traffic in Raleigh-Durham is pretty bad for the size of the metro.

 

I've driven in many on the list, but I think Atlanta is far worse than Chicago... Chicago's hang up is the toll roads; Atlanta is just stupiddrivers.

 

I've driven in most of those cities--including on Toronto's 401 during rush hour--but L.A.'s the worst. Rush hour starts at 5 a.m., runs to 10 a.m., cranks up again around 3 p.m. and lasts until 8. And as Birdscribe and Buckdub have testified, the 91 is about as bad as it gets, except maybe the 405 around LAX.

FYI, this is no longer the case. The private company made a shitload of money selling the toll lanes to Orange County, and some improvements have been made to the 91. It's still a clusterfuck though.

I will give Boston honorable mention for most third-world-like traffic.

 

Is the worst part of the Big Dig over yet, or has the Seventh Seal yet to be opened?

 

Apparently I have lived in small cities for too long, because it always seems crazy to me when I go back.

But I will say this: If you ever want to get nowhere fast, try driving in the Seattle metro area in a snowstorm. I have literally witness several hundred people just get out of there cars and start walking from the point where their car randomly stopped.
It is the strangest thing and tow truck companies must make a killing during major snow storms in the Emerald City.

 

Care to explain?

Spend plenty of time heading in and out of town and around on 128 and have had no serious issues in the past six months with the obvious exception of an accident ahead.

 

Loved driving in Boston. They're all fucking crazy. The only place I know where cutting people off is acceptable behavior.

 

We all do it so it's no big deal. Though if you cut me off and then make me hit the brake, I'll be riding your bumper all the way back to Wellesley.