Columbia traffic not bad according to study

[The_sandlapper]

Well the traffic in Columbia is obviously nothing to complain about according to this study, but unlike most cities it's size it has an ample interstate system, so most major roads aren't constantly overused. But an interesting article non the less.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Midlands residents spend less time waiting in traffic than drivers in most other cities. Here is the annual delay per traveler for selected cities:

Columbia 8 hours

Little Rock 9 hours

Charleston 22 hours

Memphis 31 hours

Charlotte 45 hours

Atlanta 60 hours

Los Angeles 93 hours

SOURCE: Texas Transportation Institute via The State newspaper

Count your blessings

Columbia placed well in a study comparing gridlock in 85 cities

By JOHN O

[Spartan]

I almost posted that this article this morning

Its definately a good read. The only problem I've experienced directly is the Malfuncion Junction area. That intersection is the most poorly planned road I've ever been on.

Westbound You have 126 which comes in with 4 lanes- this connects to 26. Traffic on I-26 (2 lanes) has to merge into the 126 traffic within a half mile or so and be forced in to about 4 lanes. Then the left hand two lanes are exit only for Florence and Augusta (I-20) which leaves you with two lanes of traffic westbound from 6 lanes before.... this causes a major traffic jam every day.

Easbound isn't quite as bad, it just suffers from poor signage. The lanes can be confusing if you don't know where you are going.

[motonenterprises]

Any stats on Greenville's delays or are we good too?

[Spartan]

There weren't any in that article. Greenville's are probably not that bad except for 385 b/c of all that construction. I'm not even sure what the criteria were to be a part of the study.

[The_sandlapper]

There weren't any stats on Greenville. The cities were catorgorized by UA populations. Not sure what the cut offs were but I know Charleston & Columbia are around 425K. The study took the two largest UA in both Carolinas.

Charleston

Columbia

Charlotte

Raleigh

But I couldn't see Greenville being too far off the mark, its traffic is just as compareable to Columbia, not sure about Charleston b/c I never lived there?

[Spartan]

I can't say anything for Charleston's traffic. I assume its probably bad since 26 is really the only artery in the region that follows the growth pattern (which is to the north).

Greenville's traffic is just as comparable to Columbia, if not worse. Columbia has relatively good traffic flow despite my complaints about it.

[The_sandlapper]

Areas of thick traffic that I can think of off my head in Columbia include, Broad River Road, Bush River Rd., Harbison Blvd., the I-20, I-26 & I-126 malfunction-junction, I-77 (sprawl north side of town), Two-Notch Rd(NE Rich.), Town of Lexington(sprawl), St. Andrews Rd. (Around Irmo), and of course downtown. I'd say Beltline Blvd., Trenholm Rd., Decker Blvd, Forest Dr, Farrow Rd., & N. Main. those are major roard too but since I'm not from that side of town I can't say for sure.

Greenville let's see I can think of I-385 (in the mornings), White Horse Rd., Laurens Rd., Haywood Rd., Wade Hampton Blvd., Wooddruff Rd., Pelham Rd, and Pleasantburg Dr, & downtown Greenville. Forgive me if I didn't list as many in Greenville but I didn't live there as long as Columbia, so if any body knows of any others fell free to add.

But in both of these cities traffic is usually only bad during rush hour, wich is to be expected.

Of the cities that I've been too in the south (and that's a lot of them) there's been only one that I would say has on consistant traffic congestion. That would be Atlanta!

[pinky]

Columbia's traffic is definitely not bad once you get used to it. Now Harbison Blvd at Christmas time is a whole different story!