September 08, 2004
Austin Traffic Sucks? Really???

[Updates below.]

News8Austin: 2 days wasted in traffic

Austin drivers hit the worst traffic in the nation, among medium sized cities.

A new report from the Texas Transportation Institute shows
Americans waste 3.5 billion hours a year waiting in traffic.

The report covers 20 years from 1982 to 2002.

The average urban traveler was stuck in road traffic 46 hours a year in 2002, a 187 percent increase over two decades.

[...]

Rush hour delays cost Austin drivers 49 hours in commute time in 2002; that was up from 11 hours in 1982. Austin was followed by Charlotte, N.C./S.C. at 45 hours; Nashville, Tenn. at 41 hours; Louisville, Ky. at 38.

The report makes several suggestions to ease congestion: cities should plan more road and public transportation projects, make better use of current facilities and find ways to use land that reduce the effects of growth.

Copyright ©2004TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin


What won't be mentioned is the reason why Austin traffic is so terrible: the costs associated with driving on these public roads are so far removed from the act of driving that we don't consider them when we travel. It's an example of a good or service that is deeply suffering from higher demand than it can provide, and that demand is driven greatly by the artificially low cost to use that service. You can't build enough roads to meet the demand of a customer base that expects those roads to be "free" to use. Meteor Blades ran into this a while back, but don't expect anyone to the left of F.A. Hayek to really understand why.

The only way to make a transportation system traffic-sane is to charge various fees for using the system and charge them directly up front so they aren't hidden within your tax bill. That means toll roads or yearly access passes with the money going towards companies that completely own and operate those roads with as much independence as any other business. The economics vary according to each owner's desires, but the basic idea is that you charge higher prices during peak hours. That way, only the people who really need to be on the roads will use them and everyone else will find alternatives. This reduces traffic load and pays for itself, because you can charge lower prices during non-peak hours. It is a perfect example of voluntary and rational resource allocation amongst a population.

But don't expect anyone to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Especially not in this city.

UPDATED 7/10/2006 11:15am
Ben Wear's Wily Hunt for Truth and the TxTag



Posted by Drizzten at September 08, 2004 08:51 AM

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Comments

You think Austin traffic is bad? Bwahahahaaahhhhh!!!!
Go commute in Houston for a week! Austin traffic ain't jack, comparatively speaking.

But there is one thing about Austin drivers that really irritates me, that being the tendency to pull out onto a street right in front of you, so close that you have to brake to keep from rear-ending them. Folks don't do that in Houston, because if you do it there, the guy/gal you pull out in front of will simply mash the throttle to the floor and charge right at you with high-beams and horn blaring. Apparently, Austinites haven't yet learned that little deterrent trick, but a few of the 'pull-outers' have already seen it (from me!).

Seriously, though, the only really bad traffic snarls I've seen in Austin were on I-35, and on 183 east where all the new construction is going on. Other than that, traffic's been a relative breeze since I moved up here in February.

Dave Hughes
Wells Branch

Posted by: Dave Hughes on August 8, 2005 12:30 PM

Mr. Hughes, I think Austin has traffic problems, but they certainly don't rise to those Houston (or other big cities) suffer. I've driven through Houston several times and I plan well ahead to avoid peak hours. My frustration with Austin traffic is two-fold: 1) the long times relative to the short distances I want to travel and 2) the annoying practice of construction/planning/police officials to close off traffic lanes both miles from the actual road problem and during mainstream driving hours on the weekends.

Posted by: Drizz on August 8, 2005 12:48 PM

I lived in Austin from 94-01. Moved to Houston and lived there from late 01 through 05. Started a new job in Austin in 06 and am in the process of relocating my family (again).

I can say, without reservation that austin traffic is much, much worse than Houston. Don't get me started on housing. In fact, I wish I didn't have to move back to the eclectic misery of Austin, but my career demands it.

I hope all the new toll roads help, and I hope the city council has learned their lesson about highway planning.

Posted by: John Molloy on April 22, 2006 03:31 PM
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