I personally despise driving in Philadelphia, PA and the baltimore - Washington freeway the most.
They just are traffic filled hell.
We have had a variation of this topic at least once before... and probably more recently as well if I cared to do a more extensive search. :D
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9985.msg236911#msg236911
Quote from: webny99 on October 12, 2021, 09:14:52 PM
We have had this topic at least once before... and probably more recently as well if I cared to do a more extensive search. :D
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9985.msg236911#msg236911
Different thread. Worst to drive in has congestion as a significant factor, while the thread you linked doesn't.
Quindaro
Quote from: 1 on October 12, 2021, 09:46:48 PM
Quote from: webny99 on October 12, 2021, 09:14:52 PM
We have had this topic at least once before... and probably more recently as well if I cared to do a more extensive search. :D
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9985.msg236911#msg236911
Different thread. Worst to drive in has congestion as a significant factor, while the thread you linked doesn't.
Not identical, but related.
Jakarta. I flew from Singapore to Jakarta and it was 1h45m. I took a taxi from Jakarta airport to a hotel in the center of the city: 2h30m.
Chris
Orlando is throughly unlikeable due to an incoherent street grid and general sparse number of limited access roads. I often found myself using neighborhood streets as through roads far more often than any other large city I've lived in.
On the more international side Guadalajara was quite the adventure to drive around in. But that's almost unfair to call any Mexican City even a close approximation to anything up north in the U.S. or Canada.
Manila, Philippines but that was before the Manila Skyway was completed. Thats a biased sample and it was it was pre-pandemic era when I went there given that New Clark City was named as a candidate to be an alternative economic hub for the Philippines besides National Capital Region area aka Metro Manila.
Also some other parts of the Philippines were in the process of building new bridges and freeways as part of the decongest Manila Program as a way to spread economic weath other other parts of the country like Visayas and Mindanao areas.
Kolkata
Boston. The streets are narrow because it was built during the horse and buggy days, too many one way streets and streets that just wind all over the place and change names often, it's one of the worst cities to drive in too.
Quote from: Flint1979 on October 13, 2021, 07:01:16 AM
Boston. The streets are narrow because it was built during the horse and buggy days, too many one way streets and streets that just wind all over the place and change names often, it's one of the worst cities to drive in too.
In terms of traffic, Boston is definitely a top tier city, but it's not the worst.
Just a part of a city, but I've long said, after the one time I drove in Manhattan, I'd never do it again unless I absolutely had to. Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island have always been fine to drive in in my experience (unless you get stuck in traffic hell on the LIE, but that's not very unlike congested freeways in other major cities). I don't recall ever having driven in the Bronx, so I can't comment on that.
Quote from: Ned Weasel on October 13, 2021, 08:55:38 AM
Just a part of a city, but I've long said, after the one time I drove in Manhattan, I'd never do it again unless I absolutely had to. Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island have always been fine to drive in in my experience (unless you get stuck in traffic hell on the LIE, but that's not very unlike congested freeways in other major cities). I don't recall ever having driven in the Bronx, so I can't comment on that.
North of Canal, I haven't had an issue driving in Manhattan (i.e., in the grid), even with traffic. I find that as long as you know where you're going, other drivers "work with you." But, if you're unsure of what lane you're in or doing other stupid stuff, that is when you create trouble for yourself and others.
ETA: I visited my daughter in Brooklyn over the summer and, accepting the traffic, getting from the Manhattan Bridge over to the Holland Tunnel was pleasant enough, relatively speaking.
Boyle Heights part of Los Angeles is the worst part within LA area for traffic but then again how much of a change will LA get in expanding LA Metro Light Rail and the proposed High Speed rail to reach LA is yet to be seen.
Also San Francisco but that was pre-pandemic when the Bay Bridge was crowded and when jobs were centralized to the San Francisco/San Mateo Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley. How much will work from home, Moving the CEO of tech operations to Texas and the trend of Digital Nomads will influence white collar jobs in the long term is yet to be seen here.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-11/tesla-texas-elon-musk
https://www.kut.org/business/2021-10-07/tesla-says-its-moving-its-headquarters-to-austin
https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Insights/Caribbean-seeks-to-capitalize-on-digital-nomad-trend (https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Insights/Caribbean-seeks-to-capitalize-on-digital-nomad-trend)
https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/10/02/why-europe-is-a-great-place-for-digital-nomads (https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/10/02/why-europe-is-a-great-place-for-digital-nomads)
Oakland because of port traffic on I-880 and also has to contend with traffic heading to San Francisco or San Jose.
Kolkata. But this link was from 2008 when that was the case. In 2021 I have to wait and see how things changed since then.
I didn't mind driving in NYC or Boston when I used to go with my friends up there... I did hate how narrow and few lanes most of the freeways in NYC had... 3 lanes on IH 95, seriously?
Boston was not too bad either...I am trying to think if there was anywhere I hated driving....OHHH yes. DC. inside the actual city...wasn't a huge fan of Philadelphia either.
Baton Rouge sucks too because of the poorly designed roads and terrible drivers.
Give me the insanity of Houston, San Antonio, or Dallas anyday
Quote from: achilles765 on October 15, 2021, 06:05:37 AM
Baton Rouge sucks too because of the poorly designed roads and terrible drivers.
I very much agree. A big part of the problem was the mass exodus of people from New Orleans from Katrina. My parents say it wasn't that bad before that happened.
Quote from: achilles765 on October 15, 2021, 06:05:37 AM
Give me the insanity of Houston, San Antonio, or Dallas anyday
But not Austin. For me it's a toss-up whether Austin or Baton Rouge is worse.
Quote from: CoreySamson on October 15, 2021, 11:58:49 AM
Quote from: achilles765 on October 15, 2021, 06:05:37 AM
Baton Rouge sucks too because of the poorly designed roads and terrible drivers.
I very much agree. A big part of the problem was the mass exodus of people from New Orleans from Katrina. My parents say it wasn't that bad before that happened.
Quote from: achilles765 on October 15, 2021, 06:05:37 AM
Give me the insanity of Houston, San Antonio, or Dallas anyday
But not Austin. For me it's a toss-up whether Austin or Baton Rouge is worse.
I actually have never been to Austin but I have heard from literally everyone who has ever been there how bad driving on IH 35 is...people really hate then double deck portion, which is funny because the double decked segments in San Antonio dont get any hate it seems like...and they are pretty cool to drive through.
Other cities other than Boston that have traffic that have got on my nerves are Atlanta and Dallas. I didn't hit much traffic when I was in Houston it didn't seem like but I remember coming back from Austin in January 2014 and hitting massive traffic when I went through Dallas and I was taking a rather scenic way home stopping by some points in Oklahoma. I could probably have bypassed Dallas if I took another route.
I've driven through several major cities- new york, boston, chicago, atlanta, miami, orlando, st. louis, Milwaukee, kansas city, denver, and on and on. but after driving through los angeles, it made me seriously consider giving up my driver's license.
Manila Traffic pre Skyway completion.
I know it's not exactly the same topic, but on my last trip, my least favorite state to drive in was Connecticut. Specifically I-95 where you're going through what feels like rural areas but you're in stop and go traffic for no good reason. I also found that the tri-state area had the highest concentration of left lane hogs that I've ever experienced. Just tons of people blissfully unaware that they have a line of 10 cars behind them and they're going 10 under. The middle lane was consistently the fastest.
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on October 19, 2021, 09:16:18 AM
I also found that the tri-state area had the highest concentration of left lane hogs that I've ever experienced.
Interesting... based on what others have said, this seems to be a problem everywhere
except New England. Maybe the region where it doesn't happen is smaller than I thought?
Quote from: 1 on October 19, 2021, 09:19:22 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on October 19, 2021, 09:16:18 AM
I also found that the tri-state area had the highest concentration of left lane hogs that I've ever experienced.
Interesting... based on what others have said, this seems to be a problem everywhere except New England. Maybe the region where it doesn't happen is smaller than I thought?
I rarely see it here in Colorado. Kansas City isn't too bad but worse than here. In Connecticut, it was particularly bad from the NY state line to Bridgeport. From entering the NJ Turnpike to leaving I-95 at New Haven, probably had 12-15 egregious situations with no interest at all in moving over? It's one thing to get stuck there for a minute, it's another to be literally driving the slowest of any car within a mile of you and hugging the left lane.
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on October 19, 2021, 09:29:56 AM
Quote from: 1 on October 19, 2021, 09:19:22 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on October 19, 2021, 09:16:18 AM
I also found that the tri-state area had the highest concentration of left lane hogs that I've ever experienced.
Interesting... based on what others have said, this seems to be a problem everywhere except New England. Maybe the region where it doesn't happen is smaller than I thought?
I rarely see it here in Colorado. Kansas City isn't too bad but worse than here. In Connecticut, it was particularly bad from the NY state line to Bridgeport. From entering the NJ Turnpike to leaving I-95 at New Haven, probably had 12-15 egregious situations with no interest at all in moving over? It's one thing to get stuck there for a minute, it's another to be literally driving the slowest of any car within a mile of you and hugging the left lane.
Chris
I suppose we're getting off-topic, but having grown up in New England, I still think Connecticut drivers are the worst in the country, giving MA and NY bad names.
That said, sure, there is some left lane blocking like anywhere else, but Ohio is much, much worse.
Delhi had probably the craziest urban surface street jam I've ever seen. Got a taxi to skip a couple mile walk. Sat in said taxi for 20 minutes without ever moving an inch. Paid the driver and got out in the same place and walked 40 minutes or so to my destination. For most of the walk (30 minutes or so) I never saw any traffic move on the street I walked down.
For the US - probably Austin. Feels like every time I've been on the road there to go somewhere further than the nearest convenience store has involved at least an hour of traffic.
Traffic in Dallas is what it is. You can expect a hard 30 minutes to get from the High Five to Woodall at all hours.
The funny thing about Central is the heavier traffic is always *inbound* at afternoon peak, rather than outbound. It's like the High Five is the focal point from where all traffic radiates, not the downtown area.
Quote from: Road Hog on October 19, 2021, 11:06:27 PM
The funny thing about Central is the heavier traffic is always *inbound* at afternoon peak, rather than outbound. It's like the High Five is the focal point from where all traffic radiates, not the downtown area.
There's probably a bit of this going on in many metro areas. Here in Rochester, traffic radiates from Brighton/Henrietta/U of R area as much or more as it does from downtown.
Had a random thought. I never found myself enjoying trying to get around on the narrow streets and road network of Key West.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 20, 2021, 11:49:22 AM
Had a random thought. I never found myself enjoying trying to get around on the narrow streets and road network of Key West.
Heh. Good one. I do find it easier just to stay in town and walk around.
DC. The beauty of L'Enfant's layout is anathema to automobile movement.
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on October 26, 2021, 12:39:09 AM
DC. The beauty of L'Enfant's layout is anathema to automobile movement.
I've always thought DC traffic wasn't bad outside of the freeways. It's easier than NYC or Boston. Worst I've experienced was Doha, Qatar and I wasn't even driving. I wouldn't even attempt driving in Rome or Naples. Italian drivers are nuts; I remember dodging mopeds on the sidewalk in Rome and witnessing two drivers leaving their cars to fight in the middle of the street in Catania.
Quote from: skluth on October 26, 2021, 03:12:10 PM
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on October 26, 2021, 12:39:09 AM
DC. The beauty of L'Enfant's layout is anathema to automobile movement.
I've always thought DC traffic wasn't bad outside of the freeways. It's easier than NYC or Boston. Worst I've experienced was Doha, Qatar and I wasn't even driving. I wouldn't even attempt driving in Rome or Naples. Italian drivers are nuts; I remember dodging mopeds on the sidewalk in Rome and witnessing two drivers leaving their cars to fight in the middle of the street in Catania.
Sounds like Chicago. And yes, I've seen cars driving on sidewalks, and the occasional fight. Did I mention they shoot at each other too?
Quote from: Rothman on October 19, 2021, 12:09:55 PM
I suppose we're getting off-topic, but having grown up in New England, I still think Connecticut drivers are the worst in the country, giving MA and NY bad names.
I think Connecticut is one of the hardest
states to drive in.
I've always found it interesting how NYC gets a bad rap for being one of the hardest cities to drive in. Outside of the *ASSHOLE* double parkers, occasional annoying pedestrians and drivers, and tough lane changes, it's not so bad. Then there's the traffic, but that's a matter of patience, not difficulty.
Any city with steep hills that continue through intersections. Nothing worse than being stuck on one and seeing the driver behind you inch closer and closer and risk a collision.
Having just gotten back from Los Angeles...Los Angeles. Freeways that go from 70mph to 20mph to 50mph to 10mph, meaning the speed is always changing, the pitch/slope is always changing, the curves/yaw is always changing too. I got stuck on the 60 without moving for a half hour because CHP closed the road to clean up a crash. The traffic reports on the radio don't give you times or updates on previous incidents--the only things they have time to report on are the NEW crashes and incidents that arose in the 10 minutes since the previous report. That, to me, was the most notable difference between L.A. and any other city I've driven through--there are so many widespread problems popping up constantly that the radio traffic reports only have time to tell you about new horrors invoked in the last 10 minutes (note: I've never really driven in the NYC area). And everyone in the area is relegated to this fate of traffic hell, because L.A. has no appreciable transit to speak of.
Inner-city Chicago made me shoot expletives out of my mouth at speeds of up to 150mph. One of the only cities I've visited where the downtown traffic is worse than the highways (which are still nothing to sneeze at, in this case).
Quote from: interstatefan990 on October 29, 2021, 11:22:08 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 19, 2021, 12:09:55 PM
I suppose we're getting off-topic, but having grown up in New England, I still think Connecticut drivers are the worst in the country, giving MA and NY bad names.
I think Connecticut is one of the hardest states to drive in.
Traditionally, I am in full agreement with this sentiment. I avoid CT like the plague whenever it falls on the most direct route to a destination farther into New England.
But, that being said, I work with great regularity in Connecticut, and I always commute via local roads,
never on expressways (save the bit of I-84 from the state line to route 7). It is MUCH better this way–the commute time is far more predictable, drivers are actually quite disciplined at the many 4-way stop intersections, and the roads are narrow, fun to drive, and quite beautiful. Yes, there's the occasional maniac who'll pass you across the double yellow on a two-lane, but this is mostly relegated to the later night hours, and the upside is you don't have to put up with them for long.
But just don't get stuck having to pass through the streets of Danbury. Danbury has let me know on more than one occasion that I am simply not welcome there. :D
Quote from: Harvestman on November 04, 2021, 08:18:06 PM
One of the only cities I've visited where the downtown traffic is worse than the highways (which are still nothing to sneeze at, in this case).
Isn't that most cities?
Seattle is about even because I-5 is very jammed, but most streets leading up to the freeway are just as bad.
Vancouver's freeways do flow better than downtown streets, because they are set far from the city center.
Quote from: Harvestman on November 04, 2021, 08:18:06 PM
Inner-city Chicago made me shoot expletives out of my mouth at speeds of up to 150mph. One of the only cities I've visited where the downtown traffic is worse than the highways (which are still nothing to sneeze at, in this case).
I spent three weekdays driving around Chicago a few weeks ago, both downtown and on its freeways. I didn't think it was that bad. Worst thing that happened was almost hitting a pedestrian who snuck out from behind an L support.