Bad Traffic
Houston's horrible commute is recognized: Ranked second worst, only behindnotorious Atlanta
Are your morning and evening commutes a drag? You're not alone.
Nearly 20 percent of Houston-area residents have a commuting time of 45 minutes or more, according to a commuting index recently released by the Business Journals' On Numbers that counted Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown as the second-worst major metro areas in the South for commuting.
Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, HBJ determined that just 20.1 percent of Houstonians enjoy a commute time of 14 minutes or less. The average travel to work is 28.1 minutes.
Just 20.1 percent of Houstonians enjoy a commute time of 14 minutes or less. The average travel to work is 28.1 minutes.
No. 1 on the naughty list was Atlanta, where less than 19 percent of residents commute less than 14 minutes and more than 23.8 percent drive for more than 45 minutes. The average travel time to work in the Georgia capital is 30.5 minutes, and nearly half of Atlantans are on the road for more than half an hour each way.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is also low on the commuting index list, with an average driving time of 26.6 minutes. Approximately 22.5 percent of Dallas area residents travel 14 minutes or less and more than 17 percent commute 45 minutes or more.
Although I-35 congestion sometimes feels more maddening than I-10 during the peak of rush hour, Austinites clock an average driving time of 25.4 minutes. San Antonio-New Braunfels residents have an average trip time of 25.1 minutes.
At the other end of the spectrum, four Texas towns take the runner up to Altus, Okla., in the most ideal traffic conditions. Consider moving to Vernon, Lamesa, Snyder and Plainview for a commute of less than 16 minutes.
