Houston residents -- traffic advice needed


Off-Topic Discussions


I've heard some tough stories about Houston traffic.

Thursday afternoon I will be visiting a prospective customer at the Woodlands north of Houston. My flight home leaves Houston Hobby Airport at 5:30.

Assuming the usual (get at the airport between 4:00 and 4:30 for the 5:30 flight), how late can I stay at the customers before I must leave to make my flight?

Sovereign Court

therealthom wrote:

I've heard some tough stories about Houston traffic.

Thursday afternoon I will be visiting a prospective customer at the Woodlands north of Houston. My flight home leaves Houston Hobby Airport at 5:30.

Assuming the usual (get at the airport between 4:00 and 4:30 for the 5:30 flight), how late can I stay at the customers before I must leave to make my flight?

Hm. You'll be missing the worst of rush hour if you plan to get to the airport by 4. I'd google map it, look at the travel time with traffic, and then add another 10-15 minutes for sheer bad luck.


Thanks, Jess. I have the google maps estimate already, but have been well off their prediction on several occasions. So I thought I would consult the native experts. There's nothing like the voice of experience.


I drove through Houston last year going to Galveston.
I was the quintessential "lost tourist" who didn't know which lane to be in at any given time; never had a single problem with a d&@~+ead cutting me off or anything.
Infinitely politer traffic than Dallas. As polite as Gainesville, Fl. It was busy, though not as bad as Tampa, but way politer. It'll be kinda busy for 50+ miles north of Houston, from my experience.
Tampa traffic is the worst I've ever been in, in every way shape and form. Tampa will make you hate your fellow man enough to kill.


Be careful north of Houston; there's a giant man made of chalk, skulking in the trees.


Most important thing to remember about driving in Houston:
DON'T!


I really think Dallas traffic is worse. You can't signal a lane change because that'll clue the dick head behind you to pull up and cut you off.

Houston is just crowded.


Well, I think Dallas and Houston are pretty equal now. I wonder if it had to do with the specific areas you were driving and the times. Or maybe you were just lucky. When I was a kid, we always knew that Houston traffic and drivers were the worst (Houston/Galveston was a regular part of our summers). But as Dallas has grown exponentially, we are sadly now even with them. Douchitiness on the road has risen exponentially. Even after the four years I was away in the NE I could tell it was worse when I moved back.

The Exchange

The good news is that you will be driving against the flow of heavy traffic. I drive North on 45 at 4pm on my daily commute home from work and traffic going south is pretty clear.

Now, once you get through and South of downtown you'll be going with traffic again, but by that time you're nearly there. I would pad the drive time by 15-30 minutes, just to be safe.

Spoiler:
And wave at the motorcycles headed North in the HOV lane, one of them could be your friendly neighborhood Wolfthulhu. :-D

Spanky, we do have the idiots who like to not let you in if you signal a lane change. Not sure how the numbers compare to Dallas, but we have 'em.


Thanks, everyone!


Oh; and wear an OU tshirt, with the Broken Longhorns logo.
I do, and everybody in Texas likes me.


It went great. I completed my job and arrived at the airport in plenty of time. The drive south was a little hairy. Right exits, left exits, multi-lane exits, you've got to stay on your toes.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Sovereign Court

Do not get me started on the random exits, lane merges, stupid down pointy arrow signs for which lanes are exit lanes and such. I want to find the civil engineer in charge of the expressways here and punch him.

Twice.


Jess Door wrote:

Do not get me started on the random exits, lane merges, stupid down pointy arrow signs for which lanes are exit lanes and such. I want to find the civil engineer in charge of the expressways here and punch him.

Twice.

I think my company may have done some of them -- tell me which ones and I might be able to get some names for you, and/or punch them for you by proxy.

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