MatthewR87

Hello everyone,

I am moving to Houston in April. I plan to trailer my Mustang behind the moving truck on the way there. I am looking to live in Pearland. I was wondering if anyone can share some local wisdom about driving in Houston and the Houston area.

For example: is there a time of day that all of the construction trucks are out and about on the freeway spraying gravel everywhere? Is there a ton of debris all over the freeways? etc.

I'm looking for that kind of insider knowledge. Also, which areas should I avoid at all costs? I'm hoping to keep the Mustang as safe as possible! Thanks!

SpectreH

My sister lives there. I understand potholes are a concern in Houston.

MatthewR87

Pot holes eh? That's one thing I didn't expect to have to worry about down there. Usually its the snow plows up here that tear holes in the asphalt.

2k7gtcs

Get an EZtag for the toll roads

Many places it's difficult to get to without taking a toll road

And you wanna be able to drive thru the gates and after hours many of the exits are not manned and some of the newer roads are not manned either

tukatz

There is what appears to be a large roundabout on Main St. at Montrose Blvd. near Rice University. It isn't really a roundabout and you can't drive round it as you would expect. I don't remember the details, but I believe there may be stop signs.

ford20

From what I know, there are some HUGE HP cars rolling around Houston.

houtex

Here, go read this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/com...hello_houston/

Pretty recent info, and the map is kinda cute... and not too off point.

There is construction *everywhere*. Potholes, new roads, new Grand Parkway, rebuilding of 290 from the Loop to Highway 6... For the most part, the construction areas are so traveled and 'policed' that unless you're right up on some nasty truck, you shouldn't have much problem with stuff being flung upon ya. Don't tailgate, in other words, and you'll be ok. Well, mostly. If you can avoid, do so, but I wouldn't be up in arms about it.

And like was mentioned: EZ Tag. You'll want it. A lot. You can try without it, but you too will eventually succumb. One per vehicle, and don't be thinkin' you can move it about, it doesn't work that way. It's annoying, yes, but that's how it is.

If you're commuting into town, for the most part, you will get the classic rush hour between 7am to 10am, and then again from 4pm to 7pm (ish, on both, mind, sometimes worse, sometimes amazingly better.) If you're going 'sideways' from Pearland to, oh, Kemah or Rosenberg, maybe not as bad, depending on the route. And going south is going to be fairly easy in the AM for ya.

Check out Transtar.org, as well as the local news stations online during news hour in the morning. Click2houston.com, Fox26houston.com, khou.com, abc13.com should all have traffic and weather, as well as live feeds at newstime.

And get the Waze app. Seriously. It's freaking amazing here.

Your nearest big airport is Hobby, not Intercontinental, and it's not even funny how much longer it'll take you to get to IAH, so if you can get the flight outta Hobby (HOU), then do it.

Welcome to the area!

laserred38

EZ pass lol. One thing California DID get right is FastTrak - you can just list your license plate/car on your account and you don't need to carry the little box with you.

MatthewR87

Thanks for the tips so far guys. I'll be working 7 to 7, so I'm hoping that I can avoid the worst of the traffic. How tightly are the speed limits enforced on the highways, etc. (although by the sound of things, I should probably get used to driving at 4 mph lol).

NC14GT

Here are some fun tips for your 'days off' from work.
When we went on vacation to TX a few years back we stayed on nearby Galveston Island and visited many of the Gulf coastal areas like Padre Island, etc...There are places where you can drive for miles on the beaches. If you haven't done that before, it is a very cool experience similar to what Daytona used to be about. We took a car ferry to another area which gave us some really quiet driving areas. We also visited the Kemah Boardwalk which we enjoyed as it is right on the water. I have an AMC friend that attends car shows in the area if you like that sort of thing on the weekends. Good luck with your move!
** Just wanted to add another 'day trip' or weekend excursion. The Hill Country is amazing, not only for fun twisty roads but the BBQ. Oh man, the best on the planet!

MatthewR87

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to check some of those places out once I get settled.

CiniZter

i live 10 minutes away from pearland, if you are close to 288 that road is nightmare. other than that most road connecting pearland to other places are your avg traffic. construction trucks are always present as the projects inside houston are 24/7 and there is lot of work happening. so there is no way to avoid it other than if you see one just stay away.

most of the freeways you go there will be debris if you are looking for cleaner routes than toll roads are the only hope.

if you car is lowered stay away from downtown area internal roads, lot of pot holes and also the roads are in different levels and i have only lowered my stang 1" all around still i hit stuff. other than that most of the other area i have been to is substantial new and good.

if i see one i change lanes at all cost, there is no way you can get away with it. also look for some portion of the road that have sunk in and you may not notice it at first. this is mostly in the old neighbor hoods. my tire and wheel warranty has saved me many times.

if you drive +5/+10 mph above limit you are good in almost everywhere. there is cops everywhere and most of them use handheld speed guns. they hide out in the most interesting places that you cant see when you are doing 30 to 40mph+ the speed limit. otherwise you will be fine to spot them. i always have scapegoat that i follow and watch for his break light.

there is tons of car activities around, nearest to you will be kemah car meet every saturday evening 6pm - 9pm. address 321 Marina Bay Dr
Clear Lake Shores, TX 77565

if you need more near area car meets/cruise/shows link below
http://www.spacecitycruisers.com/cal...%20events.html
http://www.houstoncarcruise.com/

houtex

Oh, they can do that too. Every car is photographed both front and back (although the front seems to be an occupant camera and not a front bumper one.) I bet it's to start doing that later, but for now, the car/motorcycle needs the transmitter to work.

If you get a rent car or new car with temp plates, you can transfer temporarily your information for that vehicle to that temporary situation, then back when you're done.

And all that ain't no huge, heck, you can get the EZ-Tag mailed to ya and you just stick it behind the rear view mirror. Or in my motorcycle's case, in the topcase.

laserred38

Gotcha. I hated having that thing velcroed to my windshield though. So much easier to just have the plates registered.

2k7gtcs

I don't even live in Houston. I'm 90 minutes away but I've got EZtag on 3 cars (any that I might use in Houston) because we go there 2 times a month at least.

Austin uses TexTag which is photo and you don't need the pass. The beauty with EZtag is that it works in other towns across Texas. The photo ones in Austin charge a few cents or dollars more for the pay by mail and so you save a little because it just comes straight out of the HCTRA account the EZtag is registered to.

MatthewR87

Thanks very much for the info. I haven't rented a place yet, but I was looking at areas close to the 288, because it is a straight shot to my work place. But I guess I should be looking for another route?

I heard that the commute from Missouri City is a bit easier. Is that a sketchy area though?

CiniZter

there is plan on putting a toll road parallel to 288 once that is done it will be better, but as of now i would recommend to stay away from that area.
Missouri city is OK and you would get little cheaper homes too, but ISD is not good.

MatthewR87

Okay thanks. Do you know how bad the 288 is at around 6:30 am? That is when I would be commuting in the morning. I assume traffic starts early though.

CiniZter

here is what i have seen.
before 5:30 best (avg spd 60-65 mph)
5:30 - 6 Good ( avg spd 55 mph)
6 - 6:30 ( avg spd 50 mph)
6:30 - 8:30 (avg spd 35 - 40 mph no accidents)
donot worry you will get used to it very soon, if you compare traffic to cities like LA and all this is nothing.

MatthewR87

Okay thanks! What about areas to avoid completely? I'm sure there are a few around town (just like any other city).