Keep The Woodlands traffic moving this summer

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - With summer in The Woodlands comes more traffic...tourists, concert attendees, events participants. For the locals, here are a few tips to keep The Woodlands moving:

Don’t make unnecessary short trips in the community. Master the art of logistics and consolidate errands in one trip.

Run the consolidated errand trip during off-peak times...after the morning rush hour, and before and after the lunch hour.

The shortest distance between two points is not always the fastest; it’s probably the route everyone else is taking. Seek out alternate routes that may be a little longer, but have less traffic.

Learn to yield, especially on Woodlands Parkway, when approaching the southbound flyover onto I-45N. If everyone yields occasionally, we’ll all get where we’re going on time.

Resist the temptation to react to aggressive driving (like on Woodlands Parkway when someone squeezes in to obtain access to the southbound flyover.) The individual probably assumed you wouldn’t yield, and asserted him or herself in order to merge in traffic.

When approaching an intersection with no right turn lane, move over to the left lane if you’re not going to turn right at the light, and allow access to the cars that need to turn right (i.e. Gosling southbound at Flintridge). Exercise caution when turning right on a red light, and be aware that there are some intersections where turning right on a red is prohibited.

Provide more right turn lanes. (i.e. Gosling southbound at Flintridge)

When approaching a 4-way stop, there seems to be some confusion as to who has the right-of-way. According to DriversEd.com…

At a four-way stop if two vehicles approach the intersection, it’s not the vehicle that gets there first, that proceeds. The car on the left yields to the car to the right, maybe that's the reason it's referred to as the 'right of way.' If four cars arrive simultaneously, whoever takes the lead and proceeds, then the others take their turn going counter-clockwise, thus yielding to the cars on the right. This gets tricky when there are multiple lanes. The ‘yield to the right’ rule applies combined with alternating lanes, meaning that if three cars are on your right when you get there, you let one car go, then you go. Unfortunately this rule is almost never applied, and scary if you try to enforce it, but 4-way stops are just like doing the Cupid Shuffle...to the right, to the right, to the right, to the right. If other drivers are reluctant to follow the rules for 4-way stops, it’s best to let the intersection clear before taking your turn.

Trooper Erik Burse, the Safety Education/Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety, commented on safe driving habits.

“I truly believe that courtesy is contagious,” said Trooper Burse. “If you’re a courteous driver and yield to other drivers, they’re more likely to do so too.”

Applying the above mentioned tactics will lessen your frustration with traffic, and aid in keeping The Woodlands moving this summer.

#KeepTheWoodlandsMoving #GoWithTheFlow