My Way or the Highway

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Just read an article in our paper about ways to handle traffic jams. It occurred to me that such backups are common when heading to popular road races in metropolitan areas lacking good public transportation. Or, when you have the misfortune of coming up on an accident miles from the start.

Of course, race mornings are especially tricky because of road closures, so I'm not sure how useful these may be. Best probably to leave in plenty of time to avoid a car crunch and have a backup route planned.

Among the tips:

When things get tight, hang to the right. Many rush-hour drivers head for the inside lane, thinking it's their quickest route. But as more cars veer left, the fast lane often becomes the pokiest, Rizzo said.

For every hour of expected driving, add 15 minutes.

Tune in traffic reports and keep a map handy.

Try “ramping” to get around short stretches of congestion.

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