Traffic - why to not go to certain areas.

[offroad]

http://www.fark.com/cgi/go.pl?i=8506077 is an interesting discussion about the hellish traffic in certain areas. When thinking about jobs and dealing with getting around. Many do not think of the poorly constructed road plans. Getting around these areas is a literally nightmare of highway imprisonment for hours.

 

[SoulRaven]

The worst traffic is around Washington DC. On my trip south I-95 south of the beltway at 2pm went from 5 lanes to two lanes due to a bridge inspection. Five mph for 3 miles=half hour+delay.

 

[offroad]

And no way to bypass or just get off and go watch a movie or something.

 

[akrvbob]

I love Flagstaff, AZ, it's one of my favorite places. But the Milton Road area at drive times gridlocks really bad. It's the classic Route 66 and traffiic to and from the Grand Canyon and Northern AZ/Utah being funneled through town.

You have to make plans to avoid it.

Bob

 

[offroad]

Had that happen during a February visit to grand canyon. Not fun

 

[offroad]

In 1980s upstate New Hampshire was a parking lot in the summer. Only two main roads in and out

 

[LeeRevell]

Most any city during regular 'rush hour' times is to be avoided. I found when I worked that if I came in late (I normally arrived well before the morning rush) it could take three times longer taking the route through town (shortest mileage west to east) vs. going the long way around the Truck Route and coming up from the south. I assume any town will be the same.
A variation of that longer but quicker route also included a long stretch thru the 'bad part' of town, where a breakdown could put one in danger. That has to be factored in, as any town will have it's seedier section.

 

[akrvbob]

Since those of us who are mobile tend to go to tourist towns at the same time of the year as thousands of others I've learned to find an alternative to the main route. That's where the locals are going to avoid the tourists. Two towns like that are:

Moab, Utah
Jackson, Wyoming.
Conway, New Hampshire (Leaf-Peeping season)

Go just a block or two over and you can move through town pretty well while the tourists are grid-locked.
Bob

 

[mockturtle]

Seattle is pretty bad, as is Atlanta. I try to avoid cities altogether if possible, even when it means taking a longer route. One exception is Sacramento, which is a piece of cake.

 

[LeeRevell]

Nashville, Tn is very bad. Too many 'alternate this' and 'business that', it becomes a real exercise in navigation to get through it. Murphreesboro, Tn and Jacksonville, Fl are similar.

Chicago, Illanoid - "Faggitabouttit!" Gosh, I hated that city....... Got lost at midnight once driving up to Great Mistakes Navy Base!
You can be tooling along in the center lane of six, and suddenly find yourself zooming down a danged OFF RAMP! Sheesh.....

 

[mockturtle]

Nashville, Tn is very bad. Too many 'alternate this' and 'business that', it becomes a real exercise in navigation to get through it.

I drove through [crept through] Nashville in late September and there were a bunch of construction lane revisions where several lanes had to merge into one. Several lanes coming from two different freeways! What fun. Took at least two hours to get through, a few inches at a time.

 

[66788]

Seattle is pretty bad, as is Atlanta. I try to avoid cities altogether if possible, even when it means taking a longer route. One exception is Sacramento, which is a piece of cake.

I've lived in Sacramento since 1983. It used to be that way, but no more.

With all the freeway construction going on it's a nightmare now.

I have fond memories of the way it used to be.

 

[mockturtle]

I guess the last time I went through Sacramento was in 2009. It was good then. Sad to hear it is no longer so. Most of the time I try to avoid CA and prefer going through NV. However, my journey north in the spring may involve 395, a route I've never taken.

 

[rvwandering]

We try to avoid driving on interstates but sometimes that isn't possible. I've found that it's often quicker and easier to drive through the center of the city rather than taking the bypass loops. If you hit a city in the middle of the day there's hardy any traffic on the straight route and you don't have tricky lane switches and hordes of big trucks to contend with.

 

[coolmom42]

I drove through [crept through] Nashville in late September and there were a bunch of construction lane revisions where several lanes had to merge into one. Several lanes coming from two different freeways! What fun. Took at least two hours to get through, a few inches at a time.

Nashville is a lot better since SR840 opened. It's a big half-circle bypass on the south side.

---

General tip: Most states have road status updates on their DOT websites. It's a good idea to check before heading out for the day, if possible. Tennesse has one of the best ones, call TDOT Smartway.

 

[akrvbob]

I always try hard to get through a bad town as early as possible on Sunday morning. The heathen are sleeping it off and the faithful are in church.

Salt Lake City is one I always try to get through on Sunday morning.
Bob

 

[mockturtle]

I don't even GO through SLC any more. Yikes!

 

[Matt71]

Atlanta at rush hour is the worst traffic I'd ever experienced. It's much better at 4AM, so I only drive through there at night when I'm down there.

 

[jimindenver]

Come to Denver where you can sit in traffic morning and afternoon but that's nothing compared to I 70 in the mountains on the weekend. Go up to ski and you'd better bring dinner because it's a long ride home, and that's in good weather.

 

[Iggy]

I might be in Phoenix next weekend to visit family and friends. I know, pretty dumb with the Superbowl going on.