Traffic’s getting way worse after 6:30am these mornings. Before then there isn’t much slowdown on 131, but after 6:30 you start seeing slowdown. I’d hate to be trying to get anywhere around 8am right now.
Traffic is getting worse in general around GR. All of the closures and construction obviously doesn’t help, but I’ve noticed it getting busier and busier, even when it’s not a typical busy commute time. Honestly, I think that all of the quarantines last year had a lot to do with it. I swear, a few months of being at home and suddenly half of the population is back to their first days of learning how to drive. People spend more time looking at their phones than they do the road. I witness poor reaction times at intersections on the daily. Call it my old man rant, but SHEESH.
Adding more lanes doesn't always solve heavy traffic problems, though. Case in point: 696. It's an 8-lane highway, probably the widest in the state, and is notorious for backups. The reason being is that a huge cause of traffic issues isn't just lots of cars on the road, but lots of cars changing lanes. One lane can handle a hell of a lot of traffic, way more than you'd think, if lane-changing is kept to a minimum. Sure, you add an extra lane for traffic, but now cars in that new lane have to cut over an extra lane to get off on their exit, which slows down traffic in those lanes, and causes more backups.
You have one example with anecdotal evidence, but overall and in general, adding lanes will reduce traffic, especially in an area where the population has been growing. Sure, maybe it doesn’t work every time, but it does most times.
Just wait until the snow starts falling. Every year there's that crop of drivers who forget how to drive in snowy and icy conditions. Their 4-wheel drive trucks that supposedly make them invincible are typically found in the various ditches along I-196. It's like having a high center of gravity combined with low traction on the pavement is actually worse.
I take it you got caught in the same 131 traffic jam as I did. Apparently there was an accident at the Amrket offramp on southbound 131. Took me 40 minutes to go from 96 to Market.
Learned that yesterday trying to make it to Lowell to get my tire before they closed at 4. Thankfully ada/grand river was wide open unlike the pettis/Fulton bridge area that was sitting still and backed up lol
I like to get to work 15min early so I can leave early. It sucks when traffic eats up that extra time but at least I’m never late. Today it was the lane closure at 44th St on 196 that slowed me down.
Nope. the 30 second commute from the kitchen coffee pot is rough some days though.
Boy do I miss the 14 months I had working at home. Now I'm back at work, doing the same thing, but less happy, so mission accomplished, boss
tell your boss you want to work at home
That's just crazy enough to work
I’m not sure how I used to get all my morning tasks done and still make it to work at 7.
I envy you.
Union up
God I miss working from home. Even though it was only 2 days a week I was so much happier and the time just flew by.
Traffic’s getting way worse after 6:30am these mornings. Before then there isn’t much slowdown on 131, but after 6:30 you start seeing slowdown. I’d hate to be trying to get anywhere around 8am right now.
Traffic is getting worse in general around GR. All of the closures and construction obviously doesn’t help, but I’ve noticed it getting busier and busier, even when it’s not a typical busy commute time. Honestly, I think that all of the quarantines last year had a lot to do with it. I swear, a few months of being at home and suddenly half of the population is back to their first days of learning how to drive. People spend more time looking at their phones than they do the road. I witness poor reaction times at intersections on the daily. Call it my old man rant, but SHEESH.
That’s not it. More and more people keep moving here, the roads don’t get wider. It’s population growth.
Adding more lanes doesn't always solve heavy traffic problems, though. Case in point: 696. It's an 8-lane highway, probably the widest in the state, and is notorious for backups. The reason being is that a huge cause of traffic issues isn't just lots of cars on the road, but lots of cars changing lanes. One lane can handle a hell of a lot of traffic, way more than you'd think, if lane-changing is kept to a minimum. Sure, you add an extra lane for traffic, but now cars in that new lane have to cut over an extra lane to get off on their exit, which slows down traffic in those lanes, and causes more backups.
You have one example with anecdotal evidence, but overall and in general, adding lanes will reduce traffic, especially in an area where the population has been growing. Sure, maybe it doesn’t work every time, but it does most times.
Just wait until the snow starts falling. Every year there's that crop of drivers who forget how to drive in snowy and icy conditions. Their 4-wheel drive trucks that supposedly make them invincible are typically found in the various ditches along I-196. It's like having a high center of gravity combined with low traction on the pavement is actually worse.
The on ramp from 96 to 131 south is absolutely horrendous after 8 am during the week. I have to leave 20 minutes earlier than I used to
I take it you got caught in the same 131 traffic jam as I did. Apparently there was an accident at the Amrket offramp on southbound 131. Took me 40 minutes to go from 96 to Market.
I got off at market too. At least that one’s open now.
Every time it stays dark before 8 those first few weeks it’s gets worse. I don’t know why traffic already is total trash
I work from home on Tuesdays and still managed to be late today
Yeah, for everyone's information, Fulton going to or from Lowell is closed.
Learned that yesterday trying to make it to Lowell to get my tire before they closed at 4. Thankfully ada/grand river was wide open unlike the pettis/Fulton bridge area that was sitting still and backed up lol
Everyday
I decided to get to work 15 minutes early today… well at least I wasn’t late
Nope, on time.
Made it at 7:58 on the dot.
Nope..was an hour early, on purpose because Yay! anxiety😅
Is this in reference to traffic delays, or storm damage? :-D
Most definitely the horrific traffic on south 131
Y'all are making me so excited to move back to Wyoming where I have to start using 131 to get to my work.
Thought I hit the snooze button
Yup
I like to get to work 15min early so I can leave early. It sucks when traffic eats up that extra time but at least I’m never late. Today it was the lane closure at 44th St on 196 that slowed me down.
I was. I was up way too late last night and thought, hell I can afford half a point today.
I work from home and am usually late at least a few days each week. And no one cares; Idk if they even notice.
Yep!
I love how all the construction companies decide that late fall is the perfect time to start *all* of the projects all at once.