Of course, we all have a general idea of when peak times usually are, but what about specific to your area?
If you had to pinpoint the worst half hour in both morning and evening, what time frame would you choose?
In my own area, I'd say 7:35 to 8:05 in the morning, and around 7:45 to narrow it down even further. The afternoon is a bit harder, because I find there are actually two distinct peaks - one right around 4:30 and another slightly worse peak later, closer to 5:30. There often seems to be a lull (at least in the suburbs) around the stereotypical 5:00.
Rush hour is pretty typical in the Capital District of NY.
However, NYSDOT loves the traffic volume charts created in the Buffalo area. There is no traditional rush hour in Buffalo. Rather, there is a single daily peak around noon. Almost makes me want to move out there so I, too, can just roll out of bed and hit the Mighty Taco for lunch.
I'd say it is 6:30 AM to 8 AM in Fresno. It seems like in most West Coast cities the rush hour is earlier in the day than back east. In general it seems to be a trend that people get up and start their day at an earlier hour the further west you go. I chalk that up to pretty much the entire economy being tied in some way to East Coast time. When I was in Michigan last year I was able to travel unabated by traffic most days until 9:30-10 AM. It was nice getting a solid 2-3 hours of road travel in bright and early to beat the crowds places I was going.
In Solano County Rush hour peak is at 5:30 am if the Traffic is heading to San Francisco. But if its Solano to Sacramento direction the peak time would be at 6:30.
I'd say 8-8:30 is the morning rush in SW NJ. Evening is somewhere around 5-6. I'm not as sure because I'm seldom on the road during the latter (I leave work at 6 and arrive at 7). Once you get on the Atlantic City Expressway (which I use for work), there's virtually no rush hour, and even less so the further east I go.
When I was commuting into Washington D.C. on I-395, the morning rush didn't really end until 10am, and the evening rush could go to 7pm. I worked the late shift, so I usually didn't have to be on the road earlier than that, but when I did I could expect congestion all the way back to 7am in the morning and 4pm in the afternoon.
The new HO/T restrictions on I-66 in Virginia east of I-495 apply from 5:30am-9:30am inbound, and 3pm-7pm outbound. That's a decent measure of the area's rush hours, though made a little long (especially early in the morning and evening rush) to make it harder for commuters to leave home or work early, beating HO/T but at the cost of prolonging rush hours.
At the other end of the scale, when I was doing a project in Augusta GA in 1991, locals would refer to the "rush minute".
Quote from: bing101 on February 06, 2018, 10:40:11 AM
In Solano County Rush hour peak is at 5:30 am if the Traffic is heading to San Francisco. But if its Solano to Sacramento direction the peak time would be at 6:30.
When you say peak, do you mean that volumes go down (or remain steady) after those times?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 06, 2018, 10:26:55 AM
It seems like in most West Coast cities the rush hour is earlier in the day than back east. In general it seems to be a trend that people get up and start their day at an earlier hour the further west you go. I chalk that up to pretty much the entire economy being tied in some way to East Coast time.
Indeed; this is something that is totally understandable, and I do believe occurs. I experienced it myself in San Francisco, and have noticed significant "congestion" (on Google Maps) in many of the west coast metros as early as 2 pm (5 pm my time).
Quote from: Rothman on February 06, 2018, 09:24:48 AM
There is no traditional rush hour in Buffalo. Rather, there is a single daily peak around noon. Almost makes me want to move out there so I, too, can just roll out of bed and hit the Mighty Taco for lunch.
In the above quote, the bolded word is by far the most significant ;-)
This is San Jose -- when isn't it rush hour?
Quote from: sparker on February 06, 2018, 04:12:08 PM
This is San Jose -- when isn't it rush hour?
I was expecting some responses like this ;-)
It may be true that roads are often congested, but surely there are distinct peaks that we can discuss.
5:15 PM in my area.
Morning rush isn't really a thing, especially between 8:30 and 9 when I'm on the road. It might as well be noon. Though, there is a bit of a rush between 7:30 and 8 I would say. Afternoon, roughly 4:45 to 5:30 (lasting a bit later in the suburbs).
Quote from: webny99 on February 06, 2018, 01:17:09 PM
Quote from: bing101 on February 06, 2018, 10:40:11 AM
In Solano County Rush hour peak is at 5:30 am if the Traffic is heading to San Francisco. But if its Solano to Sacramento direction the peak time would be at 6:30.
When you say peak, do you mean that volumes go down (or remain steady) after those times?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 06, 2018, 10:26:55 AM
It seems like in most West Coast cities the rush hour is earlier in the day than back east. In general it seems to be a trend that people get up and start their day at an earlier hour the further west you go. I chalk that up to pretty much the entire economy being tied in some way to East Coast time.
Indeed; this is something that is totally understandable, and I do believe occurs. I experienced it myself in San Francisco, and have noticed significant "congestion" (on Google Maps) in many of the west coast metros as early as 2 pm (5 pm my time).
Well on the West Coast 5:30 am is the rising time for rush hour when the commute is Solano to San Francisco direction. At 6:30 to 7:30 am its the Sacramento bound commute that rises. Note Solano County is the bedroom community for both Sacramento and San Francisco.
Los Angeles the most notable place for Rush Hour its gotta be longer than what San Francisco has for peak commutes.
It's been so long since I had to commute by car that I actually had to consult Google Maps for this one. The peaks in Atlanta seem to be from about 6:30—9:30 AM and from 3:00—7:30 PM.
Quote from: Eth on February 06, 2018, 05:48:50 PM
It's been so long since I had to commute by car that I actually had to consult Google Maps for this one. The peaks in Atlanta seem to be from about 6:30—9:30 AM and from 3:00—7:30 PM.
Well, of course, and that's great. But I'm looking for much more specific answers - not just busy time periods, but the actual peak itself, and perhaps a brief accompanying analysis.
As I said in the OP, pinpoint the worst half hour (or an even narrower time frame). Granted, it will be in that range somewhere for most places.
Quote from: Rothman on February 06, 2018, 09:24:48 AM
Rush hour is pretty typical in the Capital District of NY.
However, NYSDOT loves the traffic volume charts created in the Buffalo area. There is no traditional rush hour in Buffalo. Rather, there is a single daily peak around noon. Almost makes me want to move out there so I, too, can just roll out of bed and hit the Mighty Taco for lunch.
Wonder why that would be? I travel there 3 times per year, but don't much use the highways around rush hour, and out around East Aurora in any case. No Buffalo area traditional peak periods in morning and late afternoon?
I actually looked at a couple random traffic count stations on I-290 and NY 33 after reading Rothman's comment and they had the traditional morning and afternoon peaks. I'm guessing that noon peak is specific to some road that is not used for commuting but has lots of places business people go during their lunch break.
Chicagoland? Morning starts at 6:30 am and goes through about 9, followed by the evening starting about 4 pm and going through 6:30.
According to WSDOT's Reliable Travel Times (https://www.wsdot.com/traffic/Seattle/TravelTimes/reliability/default.aspx) tool, rush hour from Everett to Seattle (rated as the worst in the US (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/its-worse-than-you-think-everett-leads-the-nation-in-traffic-congestion-report-says/)) lasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the evenings.
Quote from: vdeane on February 06, 2018, 07:05:08 PM
I actually looked at a couple random traffic count stations on I-290 and NY 33 after reading Rothman's comment and they had the traditional morning and afternoon peaks. I'm guessing that noon peak is specific to some road that is not used for commuting but has lots of places business people go during their lunch break.
I can imagine Elmwood Ave and Walden Ave both fit the bill. Buffalo definitely does have rush hours (try 290 East at 5 pm), but it's a running joke I've heard s few times that noon is their rush hour. I'm sure there's some fluke statistic or news article behind it all.
Quote from: Brandon on February 06, 2018, 08:19:13 PM
Chicagoland? Morning starts at 6:30 am and goes through about 9, followed by the evening starting about 4 pm and going through 6:30.
Reply #15 :pan:
Quote from: vdeane on February 06, 2018, 07:05:08 PM
I actually looked at a couple random traffic count stations on I-290 and NY 33 after reading Rothman's comment and they had the traditional morning and afternoon peaks. I'm guessing that noon peak is specific to some road that is not used for commuting but has lots of places business people go during their lunch break.
Phooey. Region 5 presented the lack of a rush hour at a meeting I was at out there a few years ago. Forgot what roads they were looking at, but their point was definitely that Buffalo is unique.
Quote from: Rothman on February 06, 2018, 08:59:37 PM
Quote from: vdeane on February 06, 2018, 07:05:08 PM
I actually looked at a couple random traffic count stations on I-290 and NY 33 after reading Rothman's comment and they had the traditional morning and afternoon peaks. I'm guessing that noon peak is specific to some road that is not used for commuting but has lots of places business people go during their lunch break.
Phooey. Region 5 presented the lack of a rush hour at a meeting I was at out there a few years ago. Forgot what roads they were looking at, but their point was definitely that Buffalo is unique.
I have encountered substantial congestion on I-90 in the Buffalo area that was in traditional peak periods. Not used often enough to draw a pattern, but highways I-90 and I-190 and I-290 do get rather congested at times.
For a different thread, I posted a chart of a route through downtown Chicago and how long it takes to travel this route depending on time of day and day of the week. I think it fits here, too:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi67.tinypic.com%2F2luf1x2.png&hash=449c2cc7259e2344fc08d281c5182f6be21c52ed)
As you can see, on Sunday, there is one traffic peak at 2 pm.
From Monday to Friday, the morning peak is at 7 am, and the evening peak is at 4 pm.
On Saturday, the peaks are at 1 pm and 5 pm.
Depends on what road you pick, but for Salt Lake City, I'd say generally between 6:30 and 8:30 in the morning, and between 4:30 and 6:30 in the evening.
Quote from: Bruce on February 06, 2018, 08:26:59 PM
According to WSDOT's Reliable Travel Times (https://www.wsdot.com/traffic/Seattle/TravelTimes/reliability/default.aspx) tool, rush hour from Everett to Seattle (rated as the worst in the US (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/its-worse-than-you-think-everett-leads-the-nation-in-traffic-congestion-report-says/)) lasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the evenings.
Quote from: roadguy2 on February 06, 2018, 10:26:27 PM
Depends on what road you pick, but for Salt Lake City, I'd say generally between 6:30 and 8:30 in the morning, and between 4:30 and 6:30 in the evening.
Thank you folks, but once again; more specific answers if possible please ;-)
See the OP and reply #15 - perhaps you could describe how it varies throughout that period? Later times in the further suburbs?
If rush hour lasts four hours, then "rush hour" is a misnomer.
Quote from: webny99 on February 06, 2018, 08:41:49 PM
Quote from: Brandon on February 06, 2018, 08:19:13 PM
Chicagoland? Morning starts at 6:30 am and goes through about 9, followed by the evening starting about 4 pm and going through 6:30.
Reply #15 :pan:
Obviously, you've never been here. Those are peak hours. Traffic never really lets up except after 7 pm and before 5 am.
Quote from: Beltway on February 06, 2018, 09:23:47 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 06, 2018, 08:59:37 PM
Quote from: vdeane on February 06, 2018, 07:05:08 PM
I actually looked at a couple random traffic count stations on I-290 and NY 33 after reading Rothman's comment and they had the traditional morning and afternoon peaks. I'm guessing that noon peak is specific to some road that is not used for commuting but has lots of places business people go during their lunch break.
Phooey. Region 5 presented the lack of a rush hour at a meeting I was at out there a few years ago. Forgot what roads they were looking at, but their point was definitely that Buffalo is unique.
I have encountered substantial congestion on I-90 in the Buffalo area that was in traditional peak periods. Not used often enough to draw a pattern, but highways I-90 and I-190 and I-290 do get rather congested at times.
I will take the Region 5 data I saw firsthand over anecdotes. :D
Quote from: Brandon on February 07, 2018, 07:31:25 AM
Quote from: webny99 on February 06, 2018, 08:41:49 PM
Quote from: Brandon on February 06, 2018, 08:19:13 PM
Chicagoland? Morning starts at 6:30 am and goes through about 9, followed by the evening starting about 4 pm and going through 6:30.
Reply #15 :pan:
Obviously, you've never been here. Those are peak hours. Traffic never really lets up except after 7 pm and before 5 am.
I have, three times, actually :-P
The question was not "when does congestion occur"; rather, when is the actual specific peak (at least in your opinion, and possibly backed by AADT hourly counts)?
I'm not denying high levels of congestion at other times, I'm just sure it can be narrowed down to an hour or half hour window. I'm interested to see how it may differ slightly from one metro to the next.
Quote from: webny99 on February 06, 2018, 08:41:49 PM
Quote from: Brandon on February 06, 2018, 08:19:13 PM
Chicagoland? Morning starts at 6:30 am and goes through about 9, followed by the evening starting about 4 pm and going through 6:30.
Reply #15 :pan:
7:30am morning, 5:30pm evening with a buffer of 30 minutes earlier or later. Depends on the day and weather conditions
Jacksonville FL has the regular rush hours but there is an early peak at 530am and afternoon peak at 3pm near the Navy Bases.. there a lot of people who work 6a-3p
Z981
Portland: AM: 5-9 AM
PM: 3-7 PM
Vista Ridge Tunnels: 5-11 (AM to PM)
I did sample a few Buffalo locations on surface streets inside the city and did find a few where the peaks in both directions were in the 3-5 range rather than traditional morning/afternoon. Wolf Road right here near NYSDOT is the same way most months (because of Colonie Center). I'm guessing it happens in places where business customers overwhelm commuters. Didn't see any noon peaks in the Buffalo sites I looked at, but I DID find one on Wolf Road... northbound in December. Perhaps Buffalo has a greater than average number of roads that fit this criteria?
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on February 07, 2018, 11:09:46 AM
Portland: AM: 5-9 AM
PM: 3-7 PM
Vista Ridge Tunnels: 5-11 (AM to PM)
Can you be any more specific? :pan:
I'm sure we all could have guessed it would be within that range, but once again I'm looking for more specific time frames.
Quote from: bzakharin on February 06, 2018, 12:35:40 PM
I'd say 8-8:30 is the morning rush in SW NJ. Evening is somewhere around 5-6. I'm not as sure because I'm seldom on the road during the latter (I leave work at 6 and arrive at 7). Once you get on the Atlantic City Expressway (which I use for work), there's virtually no rush hour, and even less so the further east I go.
You have got to be kidding. I-295, NJ 42 and NJ 55 are jammed as early as 6am some mornings, with congesting upwards of 10 miles in the morning and 14 miles in the afternoon at the greatest congested levels.
Anyway, I'll argue 5:30am to about 9am in the morning rush. Heck, when I'm out throughout the night, there is a very noticeable uptick in traffic (but still flowing fast and smooth) starting at the very early hour of 4am.
In the afternoon, 295 and Rt. 42 can sometimes start to congest around 2pm. The main rush is from 3pm to 6:30/7pm.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2018, 01:46:41 PM
Quote from: bzakharin on February 06, 2018, 12:35:40 PM
I'd say 8-8:30 is the morning rush in SW NJ. Evening is somewhere around 5-6. I'm not as sure because I'm seldom on the road during the latter (I leave work at 6 and arrive at 7). Once you get on the Atlantic City Expressway (which I use for work), there's virtually no rush hour, and even less so the further east I go.
You have got to be kidding. I-295, NJ 42 and NJ 55 are jammed as early as 6am some mornings, with congesting upwards of 10 miles in the morning and 14 miles in the afternoon at the greatest congested levels.
Anyway, I'll argue 5:30am to about 9am in the morning rush. Heck, when I'm out throughout the night, there is a very noticeable uptick in traffic (but still flowing fast and smooth) starting at the very early hour of 4am.
In the afternoon, 295 and Rt. 42 can sometimes start to congest around 2pm. The main rush is from 3pm to 6:30/7pm.
You're missing the point of this thread.
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2018, 01:00:37 PM
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on February 07, 2018, 11:09:46 AM
Portland: AM: 5-9 AM
PM: 3-7 PM
Vista Ridge Tunnels: 5-11 (AM to PM)
Can you be any more specific? :pan:
I'm sure we all could have guessed it would be within that range, but once again I'm looking for more specific time frames.
Yes: http://www.oregon.gov/odot/regions/documents/region1/2016_tpr_finalreport.pdf
Also, I don't see why the pan is needed here. All I did was not give enough information.
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on February 07, 2018, 02:50:05 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2018, 01:00:37 PM
Can you be any more specific? :pan:
I don't see why the pan is needed here. All I did was not give enough information.
What is your interpretation of the meaning of the pan?
I use it when I'm giving admonishment, which applied in that situation. You were like the eighth person that I had to say that exact thing to.
Quote from: 1 on February 07, 2018, 02:28:40 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2018, 01:46:41 PM
I-295, NJ 42 and NJ 55 are jammed as early as 6am some mornings, with congesting upwards of 10 miles in the morning and 14 miles in the afternoon at the greatest congested levels.
Anyway, I'll argue 5:30am to about 9am in the morning rush. Heck, when I'm out throughout the night, there is a very noticeable uptick in traffic (but still flowing fast and smooth) starting at the very early hour of 4am.
In the afternoon, 295 and Rt. 42 can sometimes start to congest around 2pm. The main rush is from 3pm to 6:30/7pm.
You're missing the point of this thread.
Right; the point isn't to tell us what we already know (the approximate time frame of most people's commutes). The point is to pinpoint the peak itself as specifically as possible, and then we can discuss, compare, and contrast between different areas.
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2018, 03:23:45 PM
What is your interpretation of the meaning of the pan?
Normally something stupid someone does (in this case, looking back, I qualify).
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on February 07, 2018, 03:40:00 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 07, 2018, 03:23:45 PM
What is your interpretation of the meaning of the pan?
Normally something stupid someone does (in this case, looking back, I qualify).
No offense ;-)
Google Maps "typical traffic" function* was very helpful to me in identifying a specific peak. It seems to be around 7:40 in the morning and 5:20 in the afternoon. Although specific locations may deviate from this, on average, that's the worst time to be on the roads.
*Available by using the sidebar to show traffic, and then switching "live traffic" to "typical traffic"
Quote from: 1 on February 07, 2018, 02:28:40 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2018, 01:46:41 PM
Quote from: bzakharin on February 06, 2018, 12:35:40 PM
I'd say 8-8:30 is the morning rush in SW NJ. Evening is somewhere around 5-6. I'm not as sure because I'm seldom on the road during the latter (I leave work at 6 and arrive at 7). Once you get on the Atlantic City Expressway (which I use for work), there's virtually no rush hour, and even less so the further east I go.
You have got to be kidding. I-295, NJ 42 and NJ 55 are jammed as early as 6am some mornings, with congesting upwards of 10 miles in the morning and 14 miles in the afternoon at the greatest congested levels.
Anyway, I'll argue 5:30am to about 9am in the morning rush. Heck, when I'm out throughout the night, there is a very noticeable uptick in traffic (but still flowing fast and smooth) starting at the very early hour of 4am.
In the afternoon, 295 and Rt. 42 can sometimes start to congest around 2pm. The main rush is from 3pm to 6:30/7pm.
You're missing the point of this thread.
Now that this reappeared...how am I missing the point? The region does have rush hours that are 4, 5 hours long.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 06, 2018, 02:49:53 PM
Now that this reappeared...how am I missing the point? The region does have rush hours that are 4, 5 hours long.
We already know (or could have guessed) that information. I'm looking for answers as specific as possible - down to even 30 or 15 minutes of when the true peak is. Even if there's congestion for extended periods, I'm sure there's still a distinct peak when congestion is the
worst.
Quote from: webny99 on March 06, 2018, 04:07:20 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 06, 2018, 02:49:53 PM
Now that this reappeared...how am I missing the point? The region does have rush hours that are 4, 5 hours long.
We already know (or could have guessed) that information. I'm looking for answers as specific as possible - down to even 30 or 15 minutes of when the true peak is. Even if there's congestion for extended periods, I'm sure there's still a distinct peak when congestion is the worst.
So 10 miles of congestion at 4pm doesn't meet the defintion of rush hour because it's 15 miles at 5pm?
I'll remind myself of that right now as I sit in just 12 miles of traffic today.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 06, 2018, 04:42:33 PM
So 10 miles of congestion at 4pm doesn't meet the defintion of rush hour because it's 15 miles at 5pm?
It meets the definition of
rush hour, but it doesn't meet the definition of
peak. That said, having poked around Google Maps a bit, it seems that that peak on the roads you travel is at about 7:30 in the morning and 5:30 in the evening.
I'll give this a shot. I don't drive much, but on the few occasions I have been out I have noticed that westbound I-94 gets congested at US-131 between 5 and 6 p.m. I am not sure about Eastbound, but I am sure it is sometime in the morning. Gull Road (M-43) has heavy traffic inbound (westbound) usually between 7 and 9 a.m. and outbound (eastbound) between 5 and 6 p.m. However, I must issue a caveat that Kalamazoo isn't really known for having heavy traffic. We are a small city.
Basically, this thread is pretty poorly titled for what webny99 actually wants.
Quote from: vdeane
Basically, this thread is pretty poorly titled for what webny99 actually wants.
I want it to be understandable, too, though.
I've re-titled it, and we'll keep this title unless you had something better in mind :)
Quote from: jeffandnicole
So 10 miles of congestion at 4pm doesn't meet the defintion of rush hour because it's 15 miles at 5pm?
No - there seems to be confusion between rush and peak, as discussed above. Understandable, given the very general nature of the original title, which I've now updated.
For Boone, NC its 7:30am-10:00am and 2:00pm-7:00pm
Quote from: fillup420 on March 06, 2018, 10:52:50 PM
For Boone, NC its 7:30am-10:00am and 2:00pm-7:00pm
[takes deep breath] Can you do me a small favor and read the last few posts?
Quote from: 1 on February 07, 2018, 05:46:23 AM
If rush hour lasts four hours, then "rush hour" is a misnomer.
Which is why the term isn't used within the industry. "Peak periods" is more common and would be better suited.