Spring break gives drivers a breather

Deep, cleansing breath, everyone: It’s spring break, one of metro Atlanta’s easiest weeks for commuting.

The sense of calm on the road and the minutes shaved off your journey is real —- not just in your head.

The evidence? Thirteen metro area counties had hundreds fewer crashes during the past five spring breaks than in the weeks immediately before and after, Georgia Department of Transportation data show. Last year’s spring break saw 3,000 fewer cars parked in 15 downtown and Midtown Central Parking lots. Even MARTA reports a slight decrease in ridership during spring break weeks the past two years.

When schools in Atlanta and Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett conties shut down this week, most of the after-school activities for their half-million students will stop, too, cutting down the number of legs to mom and dad’s daily car trips. School buses are off the roads and plenty of parents take time off work —- and their regular commute —- to be with family.

It all adds up to one of the best weeks on the road for everyone else.

“People kind of look forward to it. There’s a little more flexibility in your life, which we can all use,” said Catherine Ross, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development. “They have a whole new opportunity in terms of timing when they leave.”

A spring break traffic break isn’t unique, but because Atlanta is ranked No. 2 for congestion, even a slight improvement can feel dramatic. Suburban counties feel the change, too, on streets near schools and on main arteries through town.

David Montanye, director of transportation in Cobb, intentionally schedules short road work projects during spring break. He expects to shave about five minutes off his commute from east Cobb to west Cobb this week.

Just don’t get too excited —- summer break for schools is the real break for drivers. Spring break? Just an oasis in an asphalt desert.

“You get lulled into a sense of driving entitlement,” Ross sighs. “Then Monday hits.”

 JEMAL R. BRINSON / Staff 
SPRING BREAK CRASHES 
The number of crashes in 13 metro Atlanta counties during the week of spring break for the past five years was lower than during the weeks before and after. Crash data for the 13-county metro area: 

2004 
Week before Easter 
..March 29-April 2......2,743 
Week of Easter 
..April 5-April 9 ......2,397* 
Week after Easter 
..April 12-April 16 ....2,859 

2005 
Week before Easter 
..March 28-April 1......3,091 
Week of Easter 
..April 4-April 8 ......2,442* 
Week after Easter 
..April 11-April 15 ....2,830 

2006 
Week before Easter 
..March 27-March 31 ....2,813 
Week of Easter 
..April 3-April 7 ......2,470* 
Week after Easter 
..April 10-April 14 ....2,937 

2007
Week before Easter 
..March 26-March 30 ....2,892 
Week of Easter
..April 2-April 6 ......2,452* 
Week after Easter 
..April 9-April 13......2,904 
 
2008 
Week before Easter 
..March 31-April 4......2,701 
Week of Easter
..April 7-April 11......2,013* 
Week after Easter
..April 14-April 18 ....2,520 

Note: 13-county metro area: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale 
*Week of spring break 
Source: Department of Transportation