This creates what Schrank called 'trip volatility' and it ultimately adds more time to commutes. Now, some commuters may start their mornings working from home and travel to the office later, some may unexpectedly have to go to the office, and some may decide to commute home earlier or later than normal. The researchers at Texas A&M also found that weekend travel and congestion are over what they saw pre-COVID-19.īefore the pandemic, when commuters knew their daily routine they could predict a five to seven-minute increase in their commute, Schrank said. 'A lot of workers use Mondays as their work-from-home days, and what we're seeing is Tuesday through Thursday have taken more of the brunt of traffic.' 'For example, Monday traffic is not nearly as bad as what Monday traffic used to be,' Schrank said. Now, as commuters continue to switch to hybrid work environments, not only does traffic congestion increase but the variability of what days commuters go to work causes even more congestion, Schrank said. 'Cars traveling near a speed limit of 60 mph in the peak periods in 2020 were going about 45 mph the year before.' 'Most urban areas engaged in some level of business shutdown, which caused 30 to 40 percent drops in traffic volume and 60 to 75 percent declines in congestion,' according to the report. One of the biggest influencers of traffic congestion is the switch from working from home to hybrid work since pandemic restrictions lifted last year, Schrank said.Īt the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Houston roads and highways saw a significant decline in traffic congestion, according to the Urban Mobility Report. Houston has a particular problem with the traffic that 18-wheelers cause with the amount of ports and petrochemical companies nearby, Schrank said. That grocery store will add not only more daily commuters to the roads and highways, but 18-wheelers delivering supplies to that grocery store, plumbers, electricians and, 'exponentially more trips on the road,' Schrank said. 'All sides of Houston are experiencing growth and that creates not only potential commuters, but it also adds goods and services that have to support that growth,' Schrank said.Įvery time a new subdivision pops up, Schrank said, it adds another potential grocery store.

With that growth comes more homes and suburban communities that add more cars on the road, Schrank said. Houston is the second fastest-growing major metro area in the U.S., seeing its largest population increase in the past six years. Traffic data: Houston traffic is terrible, but it's less terrible at these times, according to new data Rapid growthĪs Houston continues to grow, so will its traffic. This creates traffic congestion that is commonly unexpected, and when the construction finally clears, congestion moves to a different area. When construction occurs, people's everyday lives are upended, routes change or are blocked and people are sometimes displaced. Construction zonesĬonstruction at the Grand Parkway, the Southwest Freeway and I-45 South, are only a few examples of corridors impacting Houston's traffic congestion. Still, Schrank outlined the primary reasons why Houston's traffic congestion is aggravating. 'What we don't know as motorists is that we are actually going six, seven miles an hour faster than we were a few years ago,' Schrank said. The reality is that traffic congestion in Houston, and the nation, have changed since pandemic restrictions lifted and workers begin to settle into hybrid work-from-home and office routines When motorists are experiencing traffic congestion they feel bad, regardless of how fast they are going, Schrank said. Rage, terror and silent screams: A Houston newbie has some new rules for our traffic 'There's the math and numbers and then there's actually sitting behind the wheel and driving.' 'It's all relative,' said Texas A&M Transportation Institute Senior Research Scientist David Schrank.

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