Thursday traffic?

[bex77]

Do you know why the traffic was so horrible last night?

We were trying to drive from Porter to the MIT Student Center between 6:30 and 7:30 pm, and the traffic was awful! It took us 40 minutes. Many intersections were gridlocked along Mass. Ave. and Broadway and Main Street...co-workers are reporting problems trying to get to JP and Dorchester, with similar problems.

I was expecting bad traffic today due to Harvard's Presidential Installation, but not last night.

There was nothing on the news or even the traffic report.

Thanks for any clues.

Comments

[opn.livejournal.com]

We got stuck in it, too, sitting in traffic in Central Square inching toward the bridge for about half an hour. (It took us over an hour and a half to get from Davis to the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Tremont.) The only thing we saw was a stopped car in Central on Mass. Ave. that folks had to navigate around. We assumed it was stalled or dead; no hazards were flashing and the driver was sitting in it pretty calmly (more calmly than I could've!).

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I came in on southbound 93 around that time. It looked like there was some serious traffic around exit 31. I got off at medford square and came thru past tufts. Maybe a lot of people were also shortcutting. Not sure if that kind of traffic is par for the course though.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

In my experience, traffic always seems to be worse when it's rainy since more people decide to drive places, rather than have to walk to the T in the rain. Other than that, I have no clue.

fewer cyclists in the rain as well

[somer-villains.livejournal.com]

i noticed this too, as i was biking through inman square from the kendall area into somerville. i also noticed that the cyclists don't seem to be as many in the rain, either. usually there are 4-6 cyclists waiting at the intersection of hampshire and cambridge streets during rush hour. last night i was the only cyclist in sight.

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

Route 2->16/Alewife was nightmarish also, and then there was the craziness on Mass Ave. I too concur that this was related to the weather putting more otherwise-mobile people in cars.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Another reason I don't drive. Say what you will about the T, but you'd have gotten from Porter to MIT in a lot less than 40 minutes.

[i-custard.livejournal.com]

I think it is partially that and partially that there are more accidents when it rains because not only are roads slick, but people drive like idiots even more when there is rain.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

It's probably a combo - people using their cars as umbrellas and also driving like morons. So, not only are driving conditions worse, there are more people who don't drive often on the road, which is a recipe for traffic problems...

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

Assuming, of course, that the train didn't break down, leaving you stranded between stations for over an hour with no response from the MBTA other than to chide people for trying to get off the train.

I'm just sayin'.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I've spent a fair amount of time in the MIT student center, and a lot of the things that go on there require one to bring a bunch of cargo.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I waited a LOT longer than usual for the bus last night in Davis Square. In the rain with a toddler, a stroller, and a lot of stuff. Boy, did I wish I had my car right about then.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

I've seen rainy days before but nothing like this. I even thought that in mid-afternoon something was weird. Vassar was bumper-to-bumper, which it almost never is at that time of day. Come rush hour it was completely insane: walking from MIT to Kendall I saw Vassar, Main, and Ames were all parking lots.

But I, too, have no clue what was really going on.