Last weekend my wife and I went to Buffalo, New York for the weekend. My wife’s best friend was getting married and she was the matron of honor. I flew up to Buffalo on Thursday and rented a car, knowing I would need it throughout the “four-day” celebratory weekend.
The first day I was there, I got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic heading from our hotel to the church for the wedding rehearsal. I was driving on Interstate 90 and I hit a wall of traffic approaching the toll plaza. The rental car I had did not come equipped with an “EZ Pass” the New York version of Georgia’s Peach Pass, which meant I would have to pay the toll with cash. Usually in New York, the cash lanes at toll booths are on the far right, so I stayed in the far right lane, figuring that’s where I needed to be.
When I finally got to the toll both I saw that there were cash lanes not only on the far right side of the toll plaza, but also on the far left. Had I only known, I could have saved myself at least 15 minutes of waiting in traffic.
The next day, for the wedding, I used this new knowledge. When I approached the toll booth again, I moved to the far left lane. My personal history had shown that this lane moved much better than the other lanes. Sure enough, instead of a 30 minute wait to pay the toll (15 cents by the way), I only had to wait about five minutes to get through.
Experience taught me how to have a smoother commute. The same holds true here in Atlanta. History has shown me what to do and what not to do.
For example, when driving between downtown and Buckhead, I know that the smoothest ride is found in the center travel lane. Too many people make left turns out of the left lane, and too many people make right turns out of the right lane. As a result traffic is more likely to be stop and go in the outer lanes than in the center lane.
Another thing I’ve learned. When traveling in to town from the northern suburbs on Interstate 75, Interstate 85 or GA 400 I know it’s best to drive in the left lanes when approaching Interstate 285. The reason? The exit lanes to I-285 are on the right side of the freeways, and more often than not, the right lanes move a lot slower as folks try to ramp on to I-285. Stay to the left to save some time.
One more: When driving on the Downtown Connector southbound (I-75/85) I know that the right lanes can become very slow from transitioning traffic trying to ramp on to Interstate 20. So, what do I do? Simple, I stay to the left and use the lanes that are not impacted by the I-20 commuters.
What traffic tips have you learned while driving around Atlanta? I’d love to hear about them.
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