What's Up With The Current Travel Patterns? NYC to NOVA Thursday Experiences..

[bluecountry]

So I left NYC, Manhattan yesterday to go to Northern VA.

1) I left at 2:30, from 92nd street and FDR it took my 30 minutes to get to the Lincoln....good...would have been better if not for schools
2) On the NJTP, traffic was free flowing but steady.  Not pandemic empty, not slow, but I could not really use cruise control even between exits 6-9.
3) Northern MD was the issue
-Crash at Elkton, detour from I-95
-Harford County, from Aberdeen to Bel Air not congested but heavy (until mile 77 when it got to 4 lanes...then steady)
4) From Baltimore County onward it was less crowded, no delays, and more space
-This continued from I-95 to I-495 west to I-66 west.

During the pandemic I did this in 3 hr 50 minutes.
-This took me 4 hr 50 minutes....definitely a delay and not as smooth.

-What I don't get is the pattern
-So NO rush hour delays in NYC or DC
-But steady volume on the NJTP, and delays in MD North of mile 77.....an area usually crowded NOT at rush hour but on non-pandemic weekend/vacation getaway

.....but this was a Thursday mid May?
....so if no rush hour...why would they 'vacation' hot zones be congested?

[3467]

NBC did a report about Houston. The volume is back but their planners said the latter's are different.
In NYC the Times said subway is only 20 percent so is office. It means that people are driving for everything not just rush hour.
That's my guess anyway.

[bluecountry]

NBC did a report about Houston. The volume is back but their planners said the latter's are different.
In NYC the Times said subway is only 20 percent so is office. It means that people are driving for everything not just rush hour.
That's my guess anyway.

I think last Thursday was basically used as the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend with people getting away last weekend.

[JoePCool14]

I was driving around Chicagoland for work this afternoon, about 1-4pm. Drove on the NW Tollway, I-88 and the Tri-State. The roads were all fairly congested. I was able to maintain speed, but there were lots of cars all over. I-290 inbound looked heavy. The Hillside Strangler was strangling. Local area roads like Randall were also busy.

Based on my personal experiences, vehicular traffic is nearly normal again.

[MASTERNC]

Aberdeen to Bel Air on I-95 is frequently heavy, especially at the beginning and end of weekends.  It normally clears up just before Bel Air.  There's no obvious cause such as a lane drop or heavy merge.  Think they are going to add an auxiliary lane between two of the exits that could help.

It also seems time patterns have shifted in general.  Traveling between 2-4 PM is really bad in suburban Philly, but the old rush hour (5-6 PM) is much lighter than pre-pandemic.

[jamess]

I think people working from home means folks are better able to run errands during the day. You can always take the Zoom call on speaker phone while you drive.

[Life in Paradise]

In my area (Southwestern Indiana), I'm noticing traffic back to about normal to busy levels during the day, but evenings and weekends are much less traveled. 

[sprjus4]

Everything in Hampton Roads, along with the slog that is I-64 between Richmond and Williamsburg, has all seemed to be back at pre-pandemic levels.

[bluecountry]

Aberdeen to Bel Air on I-95 is frequently heavy, especially at the beginning and end of weekends.  It normally clears up just before Bel Air.  There's no obvious cause such as a lane drop or heavy merge.  Think they are going to add an auxiliary lane between two of the exits that could help.

It also seems time patterns have shifted in general.  Traveling between 2-4 PM is really bad in suburban Philly, but the old rush hour (5-6 PM) is much lighter than pre-pandemic.

Oh that's simple, Aberdeen is where volume/sprawl for Baltimore picks up, and Bel Air is where 95 goes to 4 lanes.

[bluecountry]

Everything in Hampton Roads, along with the slog that is I-64 between Richmond and Williamsburg, has all seemed to be back at pre-pandemic levels.

Awful.  Thats why I liked the pandemic.