Why is anyone surprised at the traffic jams in Texas?

[Redstone]

These are roads that get gridlocked for a couple of hours, twice a day, just from people commuting to / from work.

Was there any reason for anyone to believe that they'd be able to handle three-quarters of the population of all of southeast Texas, all at once?

Just a dumb question; thought I'd ask it anyway.

Redstone

[charlie]

1. The jams didn't surprise me

But the empty opposing lanes did.

[Redstone]

4. Well, TXDoT was a bit slow on the uptake on that one,

weren't they?

If I was in Houston, I'd have taken city streets out as far as possible, then gotten on a FM road; some of them run a LONG way. But they're probably jammed, too.

Redstone

[Xipe Totec]

9. City Streets are out of the question

They are laid out on a grid, with a stop sign at every other street intersection. This is deliberate. They do not want tru traffic going through residential areas. It is impossible to travel any significant distance in Houston, except on the freeways.

[Redstone]

12. I do remember that, but I'd think that even with the stop signs,

it'd be faster than sitting still on the highway.

But probably not; as I said, I'd guess that lots of people are trying that as well.

Redstone

[gkhouston]

21. I *tried* using a westbound FM road. It was blocked by the local police.

They were deliberately channeling the traffic up to the "official" hurricane evacuation route and told me not to worry about running out of gas in the traffic jam; TXDOT would take care of that. If you're actually going to have gas drops, it makes some kind of sense to concentrate folks along the route you're going to supply. I never caught sight of the mythical tankers that were supposed to keep the stations supplied at certain exits and I spent the night at an exit they were supposed to supply, according to a local radio station. I did see private citizens helping out people (the woman who helped me wouldn't even take money and I saw this happen in other instances where the Good Samaritans ran out of gas before they got to me) and there were occasionally small supplies that showed up at a station but they were never enough for more than 80 or 100 cars.

[Bouncy Ball]

2. Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation and that's not even

counting the burbs.

[Yupster]

17. Correct Bouncy

I was scrolling down to post the same thing when I saw your post.

Houston is the fourth largest city in the USA for heaven's sake. Imagine trying to evacuate Chicago (# 3). It wouldn't be the same thing?

This evacuation is gigantically larger than the New Orleans evacuation.

[Raster]

3. Not a dumb question at all. The freeways were intended for far less

traffic than they have to deal with even on an every day basis. Most freeways throughout the country are obsolete and woefully under maintained. Just not enough money. But hey, let's spend a couple of billion dollars A FUCKING DAY in Iraq. After all, the texas white-boy petroleum mafia and the military/industrial welfare kings must have their oil war, no matter the cost to the rest of us. Natural disasters like Rita and Katrina are just exposing the cracks in the facade.

[louis-t]

7. Repubs are also cutting highway funds to pay for Katrina.

Also delaying implementing Medicaid bill. But don't touch the tax refunds for the rich! So, let's sum up: The rich got out of New Orleans and get tax breaks, the poor got stuck in NO and have to pay the bill.

[radar]

15. Can't forget those billion dollar lawn ornaments...

To keep us safe from the asian missile attack threat.

Missile Defence Update 10 November 2003
http://www.basicint.org/update/MDU031110.htm

Interceptor System Set, But Doubts Remain
Network Hasn't Undergone Realistic Testing
By Bradley Graham Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58080-2004Sep28.html

US Missile Defense Test Ends In Fiasco, Second In A Row
http://www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/yspace/articles/bmd/md_flunks_test.htm

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. Doesn't help when everybody in the family evacuates in a different car

[dmkinsey]

13. I know

they had a woman on NPR this morning. She was in her car, evacuating. Said her husband was up ahead in his car.
Traffic jam? Duh!

[LeftyMom]

20. Yeah, but who wants to leave thier car to be destroyed?

Our car is the most valuble object we own, as it is for most non-homeowners. I can't imagine leaving a car that was worth more or that was still being paid off. Not to mention that a second car evacing means more room for the family photos, the kids' clothes, etc. Even jammed to the gills the Leftymobile could only hold a fraction of our belongings, a hypothetical second vehicle (we only have one car) would more than double the amount of stuff we could take to safety or allow us to give a neighbor's family a ride if needed.

[Xipe Totec]

6. I was surprised

scared, actually.

We're not talking about a two hour slowdown on the freeway; this was two solid days of gridlock. There are three major interstates that intersect in Houston: I45, I59, I10. This makes six exits out of the city, three lanes each, not counting the breakdown lanes or feeders. One of these exits goes to Galveston but that still leaves five major exit routes.

I can't think of a city that has better or bigger freeways to use for evacuation. If Houston could not do it, what are the chances of successfully evacuating New York or Boston?

That's what scares me.

[wellstone_democrat]

8. My husband just called and said "no problems really"

According to some clear channel station around Midland they are still claiming that there are "short delays" and "usual traffic" but overall everything is going fabulously well! (He called on cell from Midland and we talked a bit about the news. He had seen some CNN footage about 15 mins before he got in the car and got the "surprising" news that actually everything continues to be wonderful! Lots of praise for Texas governor and the President who..."is very hands-on in this emergency" That fried Mr. W_D.

Seriously, the idea that perception trumps reality has gotten so bad that we are living the old: "who do you believe? Me or your lying eyes?" They seem to think that if the government claims loudly enough that its all just great that people will disbelieve clear evidence of major problems and suffering. If you haven't been in a car w/o air in Houston's humidity, you don't know what misery is at 100 degrees.

[Redstone]

14. I've been in a car without AC in Houston...

one of the reasons I decided I couldn't live there anymore.

They're REALLY saying that everything is peachy? I guess they're too dumb to notice that we all can watch CNN and see for ourselves.

Redstone

[wellstone_democrat]

16. we are the reddest of red in this half of the state

but I've heard from others that a lot of TV coverage is Perry yammering on about how fabulous everything is. No, if you see CNN then you know otherwise but how many do on a weekday afternoon?

[Yupster]

18. Everyone here has someone they know evacuating from Houston

The office was just full of cell phone updates all day today.

Some people tried yesterday but went back home. They were able to get out smoothly today.

A grandmother of one of my co-workers was on the bus that blew up. She died. She was 100 years old and wheel chair bound. I don't know her well enough to know more than that. Company e-mail kept us updated.

I live in oil country and families get transferred back and forth to Houston routinely so everyone has a family member there.

[Ron Green]

10. Live by the car, die by the car."

Houston has been a traffic nightmare for many years. I remember driving there in 1964 (saw the Astrodome being constructed) and vowed then I'd never live in a place like that.

[Yupster]

22. Imagine an evacuation from New York City

That would be ten times worse with the bottlenecks of bridges and tunnels.

[pitohui]

11. well gov goodhair said it wouldn't be a problem

do you mean to say he told a bald-faced lie?

no way


:-)

[rainbow4321]

19. The morning traffic guy told locals to not bitch re: traffic this morning

Said "to those of you stuck in traffic on I-30 in our normal rush hour traffic and you're complaining about it...SHUT UP, at least you are not on I45".

[bobbieinok]

23. simple....b/c TX was going to show LA how 'leaders lead'+know stuff

[kerry-is-my-prez]

24. Same way here in SW & SE Florida...

n/t

[Lindacooks]

25. In the Twin Cities, there are FIVE major freeways to get in and out of

town, and countless back roads. Of course, those were built back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when this state was solidly blue.

[A-Possum]

26. Don't count your evac routes...

Until your city evacuates.

It's not what you think it will be. Take your worst rush hour and compound it by 20. And that's not just for a big city like Houston, as I can say from experience.

[Lindacooks]

27. I don't agree. As I said, there are five major freeways and a well

constructed web of back roads. I can get from southern Minnesota to Minneapolis without ever encountering a stoplight on back roads. I'm not saying it would be perfect or easy, but at least there aren't only two or three ways out of town.

And I miscounted - there are SEVEN major freeways out of town.