No traffic jams? I just spoke to a friend in Phoenix, where getting ANYWHERE took an hour

[NMDemDist2]

she says now when they jump on the freeway it's clear sailing all the way downtown no matter what time of day.

anybody else seeing this?

[librechik]

1. I guess Cyndi McCain was right--you can only get around by small plane in AZ

[NMDemDist2]

3. ROFL

good point! :think:

[babylonsister]

2. Yes. My DH works in downtown Houston; the

traffic, according to him, is noticeably lighter, though he does drive in at 0 dark thirty (=6am). I think many people are parking and riding buses.

[NMDemDist2]

5. 6am is the working poor and construction crowd

I wonder how much of that is due to unemployment?

[babylonsister]

7. Well, not just them. Some people go to offices early to avoid

the rush, like my DH.
As for the construction crowd, that's still ongoing in Houston. Houses are still going up, but not downtown. And I have no idea how they're selling.

[KG]

4. my casual observation -

mostly from my bike and while walking my dog, when i most keep a careful eye out for traffic - to my untrained eye i see a 10-20% drop off on driving. esp weekends.

[DearAbby]

6. Listening to the Malloy feed

online, and heard the traffic report...hell there were six wrecks in that report. Traffic may be lighter, but DAYUM, they sound like they can't drive for shit!

HI AZ DU'ers :hi:

STAY OFF THOSE ROADS!

[NMDemDist2]

11. yeah, AZ drivers suck

just saying.....

:rofl:

[kestrel91316]

27. That's because 3/4 of them are from SoCal.

[MindPilot]

29. Hey!

:D

[rox63]

8. Besides high gas prices, more folks telecommuting, more folks carpooling and using public transit...

You have to factor in that there's a lot less jobs out there for people to commute to. :(

[global1]

14. Right - Couple The High Gas Prices With Unemployment And You Get A Double Hit......

people who were let go from jobs - even the ones that are off the unemployment rolls - are not moving around as much. Others are cutting back on travel because of the high gas prices. Carpooling. Just plain disgusted.

I'm fortunate because I work out of my house - but when I do get around to getting out - I'm finding - at least the time I'm out on the road - that the traffic appears to be lighter. I'm in the Chicago area - and I don't travel during the peak rush hour times - so I might not be a good source.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

9. i have noticed a major traffic reduction in ATL

but a lot of that is due to the summer-time-slow-down that occurs here when school is out. The real test will be in late AUG early SEPT...

sP

[Phx_Dem]

10. Your friend is exaggerating. nt

[NMDemDist2]

12. she said coming in from Awatukee it's a breeze compared to a

year ago.

did they build more roads or what?

[Phx_Dem]

20. 101 hooks up down there now

I10 east or west after 3pm is gridlocked. I10 south, gridlock, 60 east, north or south, gridlock. I17 north, forget it.

[ben_meyers]

31. It's actually the 202 that comes in south of the 'Tuke.

BTW the Red Mountain (north loop) of the 202 will be completed and opened this weekend and that should help the I-60 and I-10 bottle neck.

[ben_meyers]

23. Fewer trailers full of palm fronds being pulled by ancient

pickup trucks overturning to slow things down. I wonder where they all went?

(Ya kinda have to live here to get that one)

[mrreowwr_kittty]

13. Yes. It's pretty amazing.

I'm also noticing more vehicles in the HOV lanes.

[trashcanistanista]

15. YES!

I commute about 33 miles in No Calif. Normally this timeof the year I hit stopped traffic right before my exit so I have to allow an hour for what usually would be a 40 minute commute. I have seen traffic go way down. People are not driving this summer as much. I like it, it is almost worth the high gas prices.

[Indenturedebtor]

16. Yes we went to Carlsbad Caverns... 8 hour drive saw almost no one on the road

I think it's a good thing really.

[NMDemDist2]

18. check your PM n/t

[Squatch]

17. Fuuuuuuuuck no.

Not around DC. In fact, it still amazes me to see the N-bound lanes of I-95 still tied up for miles in the morning arround Dale City, Occoquan, Springfield, and Duke Street. What amazes me even more is the fact that 95% of those cars are single-occupants.

What I have noticed, though, is that more people are starting to slug, which is a start.

[Mike Daniels]

22. Traffic from DC heading south on 95 on Saturday (i.e, beach goers) was just as bad as always

There's been no reduction of road traffic in the DC area on weekdays or weekends.

[Leopolds Ghost]

32. DC is a boom town during recessions, like Dallas.

They're pouring money into roads, turning slug lanes into toll roads,
defunding transit, etc. Democrats... who make more and more each year
thanks to DHS funding, NSA and related agencies funding (all those
intel geeks), flush DNC coffers funding all the local party insiders,
wealth-related jobs (oops, I mean "creative class" jobs) serving the
booming market for DC as a wealth haven in troubled times, and
deficit spending related to the oil war. what can you do? :shrug:

[Kaleko]

19. There's noticeably less traffic in L. A.

[Warpy]

21. There's still rush hour traffic here in north central NM

but even that is much lighter than usual.

During the day, it's a breeze to get around town.

It's now been 3 months since the last H2 sighting.

[Missy Vixen]

24. Yes

We live in the Seattle area, which has the third worst traffic in the United States. We have noticed a lot less people on the road at all times of day.

Even better, it's come up in conversation with friends and neighbors as well.

Julie

[azmouse]

25. The snowbirds aren't here and the temps have been around 110 for weeks.

Everyone left town.

Now if I could just find a way to convince them to stay away forever....

[kestrel91316]

26. I don't drive the freeway to work in LA but I parallel it and

it sure seems like there is a lot less bumper-to-bumper nonsense these days. And on the weekends there isn't any traffic, even when it's a hot "beach" day.

[Tracer]

28. My street "Ts" a secondary road that leads to the main route to Boston.

And, still --- at morning rush hour time, I could wait 5-10 minutes for a break in traffic to make a left onto that road.

[MindPilot]

30. We will know for sure when the cops start complaining.

Definitely a little lighter here in San Diego. Also seems like the flow-of-traffic speed is down about 10 mph from 80 to 70.

I was thinking this morning on my way to work, I wonder when we are going to hear the first reports that ticket revenues are down because people aren't driving as fast.

[Vickers]

33. On my commute I've noticed: less cars, more hookers.

This is in West Palm Beach, after the swing shift.