Is traffic really worse when schools go back in session?

Where is back-to-school traffic worse?
Schools are back in session, so traffic is more horrible than ever, right? Maybe. Just as we did last year, the AJC has asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide traffic counts at selected sites around metro Atlanta during the morning rush hour, when traffic is most affected by the start of school. GDOT compared a week during the summer break (July 21-25) to a week after school started (Aug. 11-15) in 2014 to illustrate the differences. The results are sometimes surprising. For example, on many interstate segments, traffic actually improved during the morning rush hour. Surface streets were a different story. The measurements are for the morning rush, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., although the increases on surface streets were most notable from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., the department found.

Interstate traffic is mostly down

1. I-75 at West Paces Ferry Road
	July	August	Change
Northbound (5 lanes)	11,830	12,062	2.0%
Southbound (5 lanes)	10,035	11,446	14.1%
2. I-85 at Clairmont Road
	July	August	Change
Northbound (6 lanes)	9,901	9,869	-0.3%
Southbound (5 lanes)	17,036	17,691	3.8%
3. I-75/85 at 14th Street
	July	August	Change
Northbound (6 lanes)	23,095	24,611	6.6%
Southbound (7 lanes)	24,390	25,871	6.1%
4. I-75/85 at University Avenue
	July	August	Change
Northbound (6 lanes)	18,311	17,555	-4.1%
Southbound (7 lanes)	15,482	15,808	2.1%
5. I-85 at Beaver Ruin Road
	July	August	Change
Northbound (6 lanes)	15,319	14,935	-2.5%
Southbound (6 lanes)	18,039	15,057	-16.5%
6. Ga. 400 at Mansell Road
	July	August	Change
Northbound (4 lanes)	11,196	13,076	16.8%
Southbound (4 lanes)	10,878	10,433	-4.1%
7. I-75 at Canton Highway
	July	August	Change
Northbound (5 lanes)	12,549	12,482	-0.5%
Southbound (5 lanes)	16,455	16,288	-1.0%
8. I-85 at Ga. 120
	July	August	Change
Northbound (7 lanes)	10,806	9,466	-12.4%
Southbound (5 lanes)	12,571	11,514	-8.4%

Source: Georgia Department of Transportation

Surface-street traffic is totally up

1. Smyrna South Cobb Drive, south of Ridge Road
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 6
	July	August	Change
Both directions	24,667	29,269	18.7%
2. Roswell Old Alabama Road, west of Barrington Drive
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 1
	July	August	Change
Both directions	15,893	17,960	13.0%
3. Roswell Woodstock Road/Ga. 92, west of Mountain Park Road
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 2
	July	August	Change
Both directions	57,742	60,735	5.2%
4. Jonesboro Tara Boulevard at Sherwood Forest Memorial Park
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 2
	July	August	Change
Both directions	52,159	58,022	11.2%
5. SE Atlanta Moreland Avenue SE, north of McDonough Boulevard
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 7
	July	August	Change
Both directions	23,988	27,212	13.4%
6. NW Atlanta Roswell Road, between Peachtree Road and Lakeview Drive
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 3
	July	August	Change
Both directions	28,350	31,245	10.2%
7. Snellville Lenora Church Road, North of Marigold Road
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 3
	July	August	Change
Both directions	13,296	12,108	-8.9%
8. Dunwoody Dunwoody Club Road, east of Mount Vernon Road
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 1
	July	August	Change
Both directions	6,037	7,118	17.9%
9. Marietta Cobb Parkway (U.S. 41), at Franklin Road
Schools within 1.5-mile radius: 1
	July	August	Change
Both directions	30,488	31,384	2.9%%