Is the traffic situation in Houston really as bad as this subreddit makes it out to be?

I vote no. Every big city has traffic and congestion issues, but Houston’s roads are actually relatively fit for purpose compared to a lot of other cities (Austin, Chicago, etc.).

When people complain about 1.5-hour commutes, it’s sort of their fault for living so far from their job (not always the case, but more often than not).

It’s not our fault you bought a house in Conroe…

Heck I drive every day in evening rush hour on surface streets from Allen Parkway & Waugh to Westheimer just east of the West Loop. It takes me ~15 minutes, which isn’t really bad at all for a 4.5-mile commute in rush hour.