Hello, school buses. Good-bye, fast commute.
The zippy ride into the office — or as zippy as Atlanta traffic can be — ends with Monday’s start of school putting more cars and buses on the same roads that drivers have had to themselves all summer.
“It’s going to get bad, I know that,” said Evette Hull, a dental assistant who expects to double her 15-minute drive down Ponce de Leon Avenue between Atlanta to Decatur every day. “Thank God, though, I don’t have to get on the interstate with all those people.”
All those folks might be surprised that state Department of Transportation data shows 12 of 18 hot spots on metro highways actually had lower traffic volumes last year for the month of September versus July.
The only two areas with more traffic were on the Southbound Connector and both directions of Interstate 20 near Columbia Drive.
“People may be surprised to see that the volume isn’t as high as they think it’s going to be,” said GDOT spokesman Paul Marshall.
But drivers still need to put the brakes on their lives in the fast lane. Area police departments plan to restart regular patrols around school zones — the maximum there, lead foots, is 20 mph — and may even tail school buses to make sure drivers aren’t rushing past them as they prepare to stop.
Sandy Springs Lt. Steve Rose said Hull, who is already planning to leave her Atlanta home 20 minutes earlier, has the right idea.
“It’s not a surprise. It happens every year,” Rose said. “So people need to plan ahead.”
And for those who don’t, remember, it’s a hefty fine to speed around schoolkids or charge past stopping buses.
Rose’s advice: “Just relax and go with the flow.” Even if it isn’t quite as smooth a drive as you remember from last week.
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