Strange Congestion Patterns

[webny99]

Here's a thread where you can share areas of common/recurring congestion that are either
a] at weird times of day or night
b] at weird locations, such as in residential neighborhoods
c] in totally rural areas (including interstates, but excluding small towns/villages)

I posted this in another thread...

And there are definitely more people overall on the roads in the afternoon. Roads that are free flowing outbound in the morning can often be slow in both directions in the evening. NY 590 and NY 104 are good examples of this. North and East are always free flowing during the morning rush. Conventional wisdom would then suggest that South and West should be free flowing in the evening. Not so much the case (although neither are "congested" by East Coast standards, they are distinctly busier than their morning counterparts, and a single left lane camper can create miles-long masses moving 50 mph or so).

... which, while not directly related to the above criteria, might help broaden the scope for this thread, and get your trains of thought headed in the right direction.

[RobbieL2415]

MA 159 in Agawam backs up every night during the summer around 9PM to let Six Flags guests out.

[webny99]

MA 159 in Agawam backs up every night during the summer around 9PM to let Six Flags guests out.

Definitely a good start. I think we can find some delays which are not quite so easy to pinpoint the cause of.

I've traveled I-87 in Rockland County, NYC-bound, several times on Sunday evenings and it always backs up to or near to the I-287 split 

[Hurricane Rex]

99W at Tualatin Sherwood Road. All day because of poor signal timing.

Sherwood high school signal. Main tgoroughway has green for 2 seconds (literally) then the traffic from the high school gets 18 seconds (Yes, I counted this). Traffic can back up half a mile both directions (20 minute delay). Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch and its the worst time.

[sparker]

The neighborhood where I reside has its own regularized congestion: I live approximately 1 block away from an all-grade Christian school, 2 blocks away from a public middle school, and 4 blocks away from a public "magnet" high school.  The term "magnet" certainly has a double meaning here -- it attracts monstrously large hordes of cars driven by what are often termed "helicopter" parents -- from about 7:45 to 8:30 each weekday morning and about 2:15 to 3:45 each weekday afternoon (like most schools, the earlier grades get out earlier).  There isn't a street in the neighborhood that isn't packed during those hours; it's next to impossible to even get out of one's own driveway and get to a local arterial.  It's so bad my GF has made every effort to arrange her shifts at the hospital where she works so that leaving or getting home doesn't fall within those hours.  To top it off, many of these parents/drivers are incredibly rude and/or completely unaware of their surroundings; I've been flipped off more than once just trying to get out of the driveway and the block and a half down to the nearest main drag.  Caring about your kids' welfare and safety is one thing; being single-minded and obsessive to the detriment of all around you is very much another.

[7/8]

(like most schools, the earlier grades get out earlier).

Sorry to go off topic, but I found this part surprising. I've never heard of different grades having different start and end times. What if you're a parent with children in different grades? Then you have to either wait around, or drive back to the school later? Or if a younger sibling wants to walk home with the older one, then they have to wait around?

[triplemultiplex]

Sorry to go off topic, but I found this part surprising. I've never heard of different grades having different start and end times. What if you're a parent with children in different grades? Then you have to either wait around, or drive back to the school later? Or if a younger sibling wants to walk home with the older one, then they have to wait around?

This is common in places where the same buses pick up kids from multiple schools.

[bzakharin]

Prior to NJ Turnpike's truck lanes being extended south to Exit 6, there was a regular area of congestion every Sunday afternoon and evening between exits 6 and 9 (exactly where the widening was done). I suppose it has to do with the influx from the PA turnpike, but I'd say the timing was definitely unusual.

[webny99]

Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch...

That's funny/strange on it's own. I don't think I've ever heard of a lunch scheduled that early.

Speaking of schools that wreak havoc with traffic flow, this complex creates some substantial problems, with morning traffic to turn left on Island Cottage Road backing up down the ramp and right onto the 390 mainline at times.

(like most schools, the earlier grades get out earlier).

Sorry to go off topic, but I found this part surprising. I've never heard of different grades having different start and end times. What if you're a parent with children in different grades? Then you have to either wait around, or drive back to the school later? Or if a younger sibling wants to walk home with the older one, then they have to wait around?

See, I've never heard of that either, at least not within a school. Of course, if there's two nearby schools, such as the one I linked above, then start and end times will almost always be different, but never heard of varying times within the same building.

[webny99]

Prior to NJ Turnpike's truck lanes being extended south to Exit 6, there was a regular area of congestion every Sunday afternoon and evening between exits 6 and 9 (exactly where the widening was done). I suppose it has to do with the influx from the PA turnpike, but I'd say the timing was definitely unusual.

I mentioned something similar happening every Sunday evening on the approach to the (former) Tappan Zee Bridge. I think weekends, and especially holiday weekends, tend to mess with traffic flow a bit and create delays in odd places. This is probably especially the case for big population centers like metro NYC.

[AlexandriaVA]

Two rush hours coming north on I-395. First one is the "in by 6 AM" crowd going to the Pentagon and other military offices in and around DC. The second is a more conventional "banker' hours" rush hour getting in closer to 9 AM.

[webny99]

Two rush hours coming north on I-395. First one is the "in by 6 AM" crowd going to the Pentagon and other military offices in and around DC. The second is a more conventional "banker' hours" rush hour getting in closer to 9 AM.

Yeah, I've heard that about the DC area too. Traffic at 5 am? We'd think it was the apocalypse around here 
Traffic never gets bad until after 7. Heck, I can have the whole Dunkin Donuts drive-thru to myself before 7!

[Hurricane Rex]

Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch...

That's funny/strange on it's own. I don't think I've ever heard of a lunch scheduled that early.

And that's not the worst time it can be. Early release lunchtime: 9:40 am. Running practice is after school at all times so don't ask about when school gets out.

[jeffandnicole]

Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch...

That’s funny/strange on it’s own. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a lunch scheduled that early.

And that's not the worst time it can be. Early release lunchtime: 9:40 am. Running practice is after school at all times so don't ask about when school gets out.

With high school schedules, 10am lunches are unfortunately the norm.  Luckily none of mine were ever that early.

[bzakharin]

Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch...

That's funny/strange on it's own. I don't think I've ever heard of a lunch scheduled that early.

The Hamilton, NJ train station ticket office has lunch from 10:25-10:45 (http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=32905). Of course, their weekday work day is between 6 AM and 1:30 PM because... people buy tickets in the morning when they might miss their train and not at night when they have more time? At least with Hamilton it's just the ticket office (most people use machines which are 25/7 anyway). When I lived in Morristown the entire station building there had hours like those, so if you were reverse commuting (like I was) and it was cold or raining, you had no choice but wait outside for the train.

[roadman65]

I-4 could have times where you travel the road one day and be free and clear and another day the same time and have congestion that it there, but once it clears up it has no accident or and lane closing to warrant the slowdown.

I also noticed that where I-4 west exits for the Turnpike in Orlando, a slowdown occurs where its not volume related where two lanes converge into one as its just for a mysterious reason that going into the trumpet ramp causes a stop completely.  If you look into the ramp itself its at a crawl and then after the ramp straightens it moves at regular speed.  The Exit 77 ramp is banked so that it can keep cars moving at even a 35 mph speed so there is no reason for a complete stop and for a back up in the right lane of I-4 each day in the PM.

Orange Blossom Trail in Hunters Creek, FL where there is a long line of cars heading SB in the right lane either making it impossible to turn into Deerfield Blvd as the queue extends from SR 417 northward to Peppermill Blvd well over a mile.  I always have to cut in as I feel justified that the lane is congested due to ignorance and not because all are turning at the same spot along the route as I am not going to end of the line and get nailed at three traffic lights because drivers cannot distribute themselves on a common roadway.

[jeffandnicole]

I-4 could have times where you travel the road one day and be free and clear and another day the same time and have congestion that it there, but once it clears up it has no accident or and lane closing to warrant the slowdown.

As I often mention to my carpool...

Just because there's nothing there now doesn't mean there wasn't nothing there that caused the issue.  If there was a car accident that caused a 5 mile delay, the moment the car is towed away and the police leave the scene doesn't mean all 5 miles of traffic instantly speeds up to 70 mph. It takes a while to clear out the jam.

This is also the case when everyone slows down because there's a cop on the road.  Maybe that's the case now, but 2 minutes earlier they could've cleared away an overturned vehicle blocking a lane that was the real culprit of the jam.

Or, another case: You approach a red traffic light.  Cars are stopped.  The light turns green.  The cars all suddenly didn't speed up...the first car starts to go, then the second, and so forth. 

[jwolfer]

I-4 could have times where you travel the road one day and be free and clear and another day the same time and have congestion that it there, but once it clears up it has no accident or and lane closing to warrant the slowdown.

I also noticed that where I-4 west exits for the Turnpike in Orlando, a slowdown occurs where its not volume related where two lanes converge into one as its just for a mysterious reason that going into the trumpet ramp causes a stop completely.  If you look into the ramp itself its at a crawl and then after the ramp straightens it moves at regular speed.  The Exit 77 ramp is banked so that it can keep cars moving at even a 35 mph speed so there is no reason for a complete stop and for a back up in the right lane of I-4 each day in the PM.

Orange Blossom Trail in Hunters Creek, FL where there is a long line of cars heading SB in the right lane either making it impossible to turn into Deerfield Blvd as the queue extends from SR 417 northward to Peppermill Blvd well over a mile.  I always have to cut in as I feel justified that the lane is congested due to ignorance and not because all are turning at the same spot along the route as I am not going to end of the line and get nailed at three traffic lights because drivers cannot distribute themselves on a common roadway.

I hate the double trumpet exit at i4 and turnpike.it gets horribly backed up sometimes. Sadly it looks like the i4 ultimate is not changing this into a high speed interchange like at the turnpike and 429. Just a double trumpet with bigger turn radius...

But there is really not much room around the exit

Z981

[webny99]

Or, another case: You approach a red traffic light.  Cars are stopped.  The light turns green.  The cars all suddenly didn't speed up...the first car starts to go, then the second, and so forth.

Slightly off-topic: I've often pondered over what's the better solution at traffic lights:
a] pulling right up to the car in front, creating shorter, but slower moving lines (must accelerate one at a time).
b] leaving a car length space, creating longer, but faster moving lines (everybody accelerates at once).

Obviously, this is somewhat irrelevant, due to the challenges presented by requiring all drivers to do one or the other.

[sparker]

Funny thing is, 10:28 am is our lunch...

That's funny/strange on it's own. I don't think I've ever heard of a lunch scheduled that early.

Speaking of schools that wreak havoc with traffic flow, this complex creates some substantial problems, with morning traffic to turn left on Island Cottage Road backing up down the ramp and right onto the 390 mainline at times.

(like most schools, the earlier grades get out earlier).

Sorry to go off topic, but I found this part surprising. I've never heard of different grades having different start and end times. What if you're a parent with children in different grades? Then you have to either wait around, or drive back to the school later? Or if a younger sibling wants to walk home with the older one, then they have to wait around?

See, I've never heard of that either, at least not within a school. Of course, if there's two nearby schools, such as the one I linked above, then start and end times will almost always be different, but never heard of varying times within the same building.

My reference to schools having different release times for ascending grades stems from my own experience, bolstered by practices related to me by local friends with children who are or have been in the local (San Jose) school system.  When I was in grade school (late '50s -- very early '60's) kindergarten released the kids at noon (starting time for all grades was nominally about 8:30 am); 1st/2nd grades got out at 1 pm; 3rd and 4th left at 2 pm, and 5th and 6th stayed until 3 pm.  Middle (then called junior high) school kept consistent 8:30-3 hours, as did the high school.  Of course, back then the dominant idiom was one parent at home able to assume care of the child after school hours (although I was the archetypal "latchkey kid", as both my parents worked full-time).  According to my local sources (informants?) the local school district retains responsibility for minors until the latest release time (about 3:15 pm); so unless authorized to do so by the parent, the child remains at the school until mid-afternoon (within study hall, sports, or other activities on school grounds if not actually in class).  Some schools (and to my understanding most "magnet" schools do so) maintain after-class activities until 5-5:30 pm to accommodate, presumably, children with two full-time working parents.  From the amount of teens on the street after 3 pm fanning out from the school complex, it appears that enough parental releases have been signed for this to occur.  Of the local complexes, only the Christian school (located next door to the public middle school) services grade-school students; don't see a lot of those outside school grounds (uniforms make them spottable); presumably their after-school release policies differ from the public entities.  In any case, there's enough parents picking up their kids in mid-afternoon to cause a local congestion issue.

[02 Park Ave]

In Cherry Hill NJ Kresson Road is completely backed-up at dismissal time for Cherry Hill East HS.  Although there is an elaborate system of traffic signals there, they insist on having uniformed personnel (I don't believe that they are police officers) come out and "direct" traffic.  So every school day afternoon it is the place to avoid beginning at 2:30.

[roadman65]

I-4 could have times where you travel the road one day and be free and clear and another day the same time and have congestion that it there, but once it clears up it has no accident or and lane closing to warrant the slowdown.

As I often mention to my carpool...

Just because there's nothing there now doesn't mean there wasn't nothing there that caused the issue.  If there was a car accident that caused a 5 mile delay, the moment the car is towed away and the police leave the scene doesn't mean all 5 miles of traffic instantly speeds up to 70 mph. It takes a while to clear out the jam.

This is also the case when everyone slows down because there's a cop on the road.  Maybe that's the case now, but 2 minutes earlier they could've cleared away an overturned vehicle blocking a lane that was the real culprit of the jam.

Or, another case: You approach a red traffic light.  Cars are stopped.  The light turns green.  The cars all suddenly didn't speed up...the first car starts to go, then the second, and so forth. 

Tell the traffic light one to my sister who starts yelling at all the cars in front of her when the light turns green.  Yes it takes a few seconds per car to move.  Sometimes longer when one of the drivers is texting.

Yes, I often considered the residuals of a previous accident.  But still that is strange despite physics does say like you pointed out it takes a long while for traffic to move again after the accident is cleared.  However, I-4 is a strange road anyhow.  Just ask anyone who lives in O Town.

The one in Hunters Creek near my house is bad traffic distribution for sure.  It happens also on US 192 although using the left lane is all the traffic and the right lane is free.  That, of course, depends on the tourists as most have the same MO at the time.  They often stay in the left lane when they know their hotel will soon be on the left to play safe.

Also at the Beachline West Toll Plaza we have a queue always in the far right toll lane with the left two lanes empty at most times.  Even when I work those lanes with no cars in it someone does come into my lane and point out how dumb other drivers are waiting in line while two other lanes are empty.  We usually have a laugh about it too, but among us workers we often talk about how even when five cars are there and a new car comes into the plaza he will wait behind the five cars rather than pull into the empty lane and give his money and leave.

[Finrod]

I saw someone post a nationwide Google Maps traffic image right after the August 2017 eclipse, where there was serious congestion on pretty much every interstate where it crossed the path of the eclipse.

[andrepoiy]

There is a 14-km backup every working day on Highway 400 NB (from 401 to Major Mackenzie) during the afternoon rush hour. It's strange because it's pretty wide... 6 lanes in each direction near the 401 and a collector-express system north of the 407. But the highway does shrink after Langstaff to 4 lanes in each direction...

[webny99]

But the highway does shrink after Langstaff to 4 lanes in each direction...

Well, there's a possible explanation  Not enough to justify a 14 km backup, though.