Pump Up the Volume – Tunes for Traffic

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Stuck in Traffic

Every time we’re stuck sitting in rush hour traffic, it’s good to stop and take stock of the situation. Hovering in a standstill in front of you are other drivers, each alone in his or her car desperately trying to get home or to a better destination than their current situation. Even the people ensconced in the supple leather of luxury SUVs share more at this moment with their compact car, vinyl seat cousins than either would care to admit – both just want to GET OUT OF TRAFFIC.

In honor of these unwillingly shared moments of bonding, I Hate Houston Traffic offers you the ultimate traffic mix tape. Let’s jam…

All You Need Is Love – The Beatles

Choice lyric: “There’s no where you can be that isn’t where you weren’t to be.”

Comment: This is hard to sing along with “love, love, love” after a rear-numbing 45 minutes in traffic, but the Fab Four would never steer you wrong.

Movin’ Right Along – The Muppets

Choice lyric: “Movin’ right along, we’re truly birds of a feather, We’re in this together and you know where you’re going.”

Comment:  If you can’t smile at the thought of Fozzie Bear and Kermit driving and singing this, you might be a lost cause.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John

Choice lyric: “I’ve finally decided my future lies, beyond the yellow brick road.”

Comment: Why take the beautifully paved freeways, when side roads offer more scenery with just a few more traffic lights? (Or something to that effect).

Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads

Choice lyric: “Takin’ that ride to nowhere, we’ll take that ride.”

Comment: It feels like you’re going nowhere – especially when you’re stuck on US 290.

 

 

Any others?

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Looking For Some New Wheels – The search for a new car and the additional cost of traffic

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Stuck in Traffic

RANT:

Although we love our clunker (see The Portrait of DeLorean Gray) it’s time for an upgrade. After spending nearly 12 years rocketing back and forth between the Midwest and various cities throughout Texas, it’s time to put the coupe out to pasture where it can idle freely with soft grass caressing its (very) worn tires.

But here’s the issue – not only will we assume the cost for a new car (pricey!), but we also have to take into account a multitude of other issues from gas mileage to wear and tear on the vehicle. How much does it really cost to drive around this city? Where are the hidden potholes of cost?

RESEARCH:

Houston, we’re just too successful. There’s a direct correlation between the economy (employment, job growth, etc.) and traffic congestion (KUHF.org (2011), link). We hold the illustrious honor of having the fourth worst traffic in the nation. Since Houston was spared the most brutal aspects of the lingering recession, employment remained steady and more people drove to work each day, which translated into consistently bad traffic.

 We’re cool with this and it makes total sense. We want the city to be successful for a host of reasons that don’t need to be enumerated on here. What we found interesting about the study labeling us as one of the top five congested cities is all of the other unforeseen costs associated with driving each day.

Let’s break it down:

  1. Stress:  We’re ranked number four for traffic-induced stress. That stinks. We think everyone can agree that we all have enough stress to deal with everyday, that the toll of additional aggravation on the road is really unnecessary. (TTI (2011), link)
  2. Fuel: We waste 28 gallons of fuel each year on gridlock. Gas cost, on average, was $2.56 in 2010, which means we wasted $71.68. That’s dinner out. That’s a pair of shoes. That’s time being spent not in your car. That’s priceless. (TTI (2011), link)
  3. Car: Houstonians spend an average of $1,878 on their vehicles due to poor roadways. Potholes, crumbling roads and other issues lead to more car maintenance repairs that move beyond your average oil change. (KHOU.com (2010), link).

TOTAL Cost Per Year (beyond car payments): $1,949.68 + unquantifiable amounts of emotional stress

RESOLUTION:

Ugh. We’re buying a tank with a 100,000 mile warranty.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Portrait of DeLorean Grey – An Ode To Our Beat Up Car

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Stuck in Traffic

When one thinks of a vehicle that inspires, few think of the eleven year old Japanese model coupe sitting in our driveway. Friends are shocked the poor dear is still running and coworkers only half-jokingly ask if they need a tetanus shot after taking a ride for lunch. As Tom Waits so elegantly said, “There’s nothing $100 wouldn’t fix.” That’s our car.

During our eleven years together, the car has had its side mirrors knocked off by immature pranksters, its spoiler (albeit an ironic piece of unnecessary equipment considering the car) ripped from its trunk, and a multitude of other indignities waged upon its fiberglass frame. It’s been rear-ended, side swiped, jettisoned from pot holes and left dented by the vicious element that is Houston traffic – and yet it keeps running.

 When someone jokingly mentioned that we should dump the junker in favor of a newer model, citing the dings and dents that give our little coupe character, we were reminded of Oscar Wilde’s seminal work The Portrait of Dorian Grey.

Throughout the story, Dorian Grey never ages and instead leaves the visual ravages of time to a portrait, left hanging in the attic to suffer the indignity of old age. While the themes of vanity and self-absorption should by no means be leveled at this author, we felt that Dorian’s story and our car’s intersected quite neatly.

For eleven years, our coupe has literally taken the hits of traffic for us, protecting its many passengers (and, of course, driver) along the way. Its outward appearance has suffered the slings and arrows of reckless drivers, thieves and other undesirable elements, leaving its owner relatively unscathed. While we can only wish for eternal youth, our car has provided us with something un-quantifiably amazing. Protection and safety.

Our car might be a clunker, but it’s our clunker and we love it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Located at the Intersection of “Furious” & “Livid” – A rant, some research and a resolution

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Stuck in Traffic

RANT:

We’re sure it looked good on paper – sweeping, intersecting roadways of pure white concrete joining and parting like waves to the shore. It was an engineer’s dream of perfect interstate harmony, the uniting of urban civilization and man’s most modern form of transportation. Then cars actually had to use it.

What we’re referring to is the frustrating intersection of I-10 and I-45 entering Downtown- a place where “utter” and “futility” intertwined in perfect synergy this past Monday morning to create a total sense of gridlocked defeat before we had even had our first sip of coffee. 

RESEARCH:

After the anger subsided, we took it upon ourselves to find out why this one intersection caused such consternation for Houston drivers, and, we discovered, we weren’t alone in our quest. John Barton, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Interim Director is on the case.

In a recent KUHF article (check it out here) Barton calls out the very intersection that derailed our normally peaceful drive to work, as an area in need of attention as well as a handful of other locations notorious for their gridlock-inducing habits.

 Barton isn’t new to this rodeo – he has 25 years of experience and understands that during tough fiscal times, we’re going to need some “outside of the box” solutions. But where do we go from here?  

RESOLUTION:

We like that Barton highlights public transit as a solid option moving forward for Houston’s expanding mobility issues, and notes that building more roads won’t solve the problem.

Instead of looking for the quick fix (i.e. the current Houston domino-effect of increasing construction and creating months of additional traffic for new lanes which will be at capacity when they open), we need to look at the big picture and move beyond the satisfaction of instant gratification. (We’ll have another blog post soon to discuss CURRENT options for helping to reduce traffic, but right now we’re in a “big picture” kind of mood).

Let’s seriously consider and work with related entities to create a public transit plan that will work for our city now and in the future. We want Houston to keep growing, but it’s time to finally realize while some of us will never get out of our cars, there are others who will be more than happy to leave them in the garage in exchange for a ride to work that doesn’t involve pounding on the steering wheel in frustration.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

In the beginning…

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Stuck in Traffic

Ladies and gentlemen, we are at a crossroads. When we initially started I Hate Houston Traffic, our goal was simply get a little cheese with our whine. There – we said it.

But then something interesting happened. We realized that while our hatred of Houston traffic has not waned in the slightest, there is more to the issue than meets the eye. As one of the largest energy sectors in the United States (and one of the largest consumers of energy thanks to our record-breaking heat wave), we are uniquely situated to discuss a variety of issues from our Texas roadways to public transit. Also, just because it’s fresh in our minds, let’s throw in electric cars, gasoline prices and bikeway options.

The world is our oyster. We simply can’t limit ourselves to Facebook and Twitter – there’s not enough room for our rants. So welcome to the I Hate Houston Traffic blog.

Let’s talk it out.

Posted in Uncategorized | 24 Comments