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Besides its great music scene and delicious BBQ, Austin, Texas is known for keeping it weird. In terms of traffic, though, Austin is pretty similar to other cities—things get bad during rush hour, and parking is scarce downtown.

Austin has some of the best music venues in the country and houses several prestigious universities and colleges. Its population is just barely edged out of America’s top 10 most populous cities, sitting at 11th in the nation. A city with over a million people can mean only one thing—traffic, and lots of it.

Prep for your next trip or upcoming move to Austin with our handy guide to traffic in Austin. We’ll go over driving conditions, the laws in Austin, and other things you need to know before navigating Hippie Haven.

MORE:

How to find cheap Austin car insurance

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What is driving in Austin like?

Austin may be far from urban supercenters like

New York City

and

Los Angeles

, but it ranks among these cities for having some of the

worst traffic in the country

. Some residents have accused city planners of failing to account for population growth over the past few decades, and now Austin is a major city with only one highway running through it.

You’ll need a plan and expert maneuvering to avoid Austin’s infamous traffic. Here are some things to take into account before your next drive through Austin.

Roads

Austin’s highway situation is woefully inadequate for its population and population density. Commuters will face an average of 83 hours of traffic delays over the course of a year. To avoid highway congestion, drivers would have to reroute themselves down expensive toll roads that are eight miles or more away from downtown.

Navigating driving in Austin can be difficult, especially downtown. You’ll find numerous one-way streets that are inadequately marked with poor signage, which makes navigation a pain. If you’re new to the city, you’ll definitely want to study a map before heading out and keep an eye on your navigation system while driving.

Parking

Parking downtown can be tricky, but the City of Austin

provides a map

of the parking spaces and lots available so you can plan ahead.

Because of its scarcity, parking downtown in Austin will be expensive. Let’s take a look at what you can expect to pay:

Hours parked	Charge per hour
1st hour	$2.00
2nd hour	$2.00
3rd hour	$3.00
4th hour	$3.50
5th hour	$4.00
6th hour	$4.50
7th to max 10th	$5.00

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If you're planning to park for more than two hours, it could really start to add up. Parking for four hours will cost you $10.50!

You can still find free parking in Austin, especially on federal holidays, as well as low-cost parking lots. Parking costs $2.00 an hour at the I-35 parking lot and Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center parking lot, with special rates for overnight parking. There are other lots that offer parking spaces at the same rate as metered parking if you can’t find a spot on the street.

Wherever you do end up parking, be sure to check your surroundings for any signage that might prohibit parking or limit the time you can park there.

Weather

Austin is smack dab in the middle of Texas, so you can probably guess that summers are oppressively hot and winters are mostly mild. Each season carries unique challenges for driving.

Here’s what you can expect:

Summer: Austin’s many concerts and music festivals draw crowds to the city, so traffic is even more congested than normal, and severe storms can make driving hazardous. During the summer, your car engine risks overheating, which can lead to damage and mechanical failure. Make sure you’re staying on top of routine AC maintenance to avoid this issue.

Winter: Though irregular, snow is not completely unheard of in Austin. The city’s infrastructure doesn’t offer much in terms of snow and ice management, so it’s safest to stay in during such weather. Thankfully, temperatures only get below freezing for 25 days or so each year.

MORE: How to find a parking spot in a city

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Traffic and transportation options in Austin

It’s not easy to drive in Austin’s poorly-signed downtown area, and I-35 is now the most congested stretch of highway in all of Texas. Avoiding the highway by using local roads will lead to a 17% increase in your commute time, though.

These are the worst times for driving in Austin:

7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.: This is in line with the typical rush hour time in every city, but it starts to decline in Austin around 8:00 a.m.

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Austin is a little unique in that its “evening” rush hour actually takes place in the late afternoon. Try to schedule errands before or after this time to avoid the headache.

Traffic is at its worst in Austin on Fridays around noon.

For traffic updates, tune into AM 1370 for KJCE Talk 1370.

Should I rent a car in Austin?

Renting a car in Austin is always an option, but you don’t have to—you can easily skip all the congestion on I-35 and enjoy the best of what Austin has to offer by using the Capital Metro public transportation system.

Austin’s light rail offers 32 miles of service from downtown Austin to the northwestern suburb of Leander. Fares are affordable and can be purchased through

Capital Metro’s app

. The main drawback of public transportation is that the light rail does not operate on Sundays.

Pro Tip If you do decide to rent a car and you like to drive fast, consider checking out Highway 130. It has America’s highest speed limit of 85 mph.

MORE: 7 ways to save money on car rentals

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Local driving laws in Austin

You don’t want to drive like you do at home when you go to another city because traffic laws can vary. If you’re a newcomer or a tourist, here are some laws to be aware of in Austin:

Although

texting and driving in Texas

is illegal, Austin is a

hands-free city

. This means you're permitted to use a hands-free device like Bluetooth headphones when making calls. Otherwise, pull to the side of the road to avoid a

citation

and fine.

Texas' Move Over or Slow Down law

requires drivers to move over a lane or slow to 20 mph below the speed limit when approaching certain emergency vehicles.

In addition to being hands-free, you’re fully prohibited from using a cell phone or other electronic device within a school zone.

MORE:

Texas reckless driving

Crime rate in Austin

The crime rate in Austin is going to affect both your driving experience and your car insurance rates.

While Austin’s violent crime rate was lower than the national average in 2020, its property crime rate was higher than the national rate.

Austin has a high crime rate of 43 per 1,000 residents each year, according to NeighborhoodScout. A resident’s risk of being the victim of crime is 1 in 23.

Austin also has a high rate of vehicle theft according to an analysis of FBI crime data. The chances of getting your car stolen in Austin is 1 in 236. Make sure to invest in a security system and park in well-lit areas. Never leave valuables in your car.

MORE:

Does car insurance cover car theft?

How to find car insurance in Austin

It’s hard to believe you have to find car insurance after dealing with all of Austin’s traffic headaches! But now there’s an easier way to shop for car insurance by using the

Jerry

app.

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