Traffic in Houston

Everyday I drive 1 hour to work, 1.5 hour back home from work. 2.5 hour everyday in Houston traffic, that is 10% of my day everyday so far this summer in traffic, sad, at least I like drive my car.

As a engineer in training, we are told in school to look for pattern and model that pattern, so far I found that there is in deed some pattern in Houston traffic.

1. When there are helicopter are hovering above the road way ahead of you, traffic/delay is expected.

2. Accident/stalled vehicle are not the cause of slow down. Why? Because all Houston freeways have big roomy shoulders. People's curiosity causes the slow down, even when it is on other side of freeway.
ex. Yesterday I got on I 59, and there was big slow down, normally at 6:30 there is no such big slow down. I turn on radio, report accident at I59 Newcastle, I am here at I59 and beltway 8, I though wow must be a really big accident, cause slow down 10 mile away. As traffic slowly going, suddenly I noticed some building off side of freeway has big big pile of smoke coming out of it, wow, interesting, I thought. Immediately people in front of me speed up, velocity of my car increased from 10 mile/hour to 70 mile/hour.

3. When there are police are around people slow down, even if it is on the other side of freeway, even when they are going 50 mile/hour on the freeway.

Sigh… I am post on traffic observations on my blog, I am spending way too much time in traffic.