Very.
That’s how crowded roads will be as the region’s residents get into their cars during summer’s last great weekend.
More than 467,000 Philadelphia-area residents are projected to travel over Labor Day weekend, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. This is a small increase of 0.6 percent from last year, but is the highest projection for the region since 2010, and also Labor Day weekend ranks as the second-busiest summer holiday weekend.
“Labor Day is summer’s last hurrah, and travelers can expect busier roads and skies than they did for Memorial Day.” said Jenny Robinson, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. Fourth of July is typically the busiest summer travel holiday, since it’s midsummer, so kids are out of school, and many people can plan a full vacation at that time of year.
Nationwide, 34.7 million will journey 50 miles or more from home over the long weekend, according to the auto club. That figure is 1.3 percent higher than it was in 2013, and also is the highest Labor Day traffic volume has been since 2008.
Almost 30 million of the nation’s holiday travelers will go by auto, 1.4 percent more than last year, AAA projected.
Those drivers have been paying slightly lower gas prices in August than they have since 2010, and, barring something unforeseen, they are likely to see fuel prices remain stable over the weekend.
While considering those Labor Day stats, drivers should mix in the fact that school is starting, which means loads of buses and lots of kids will be on the streets. That means more pedestrians and more traffic congestions during school hours.
AAA reported last week that more than 1.8 million public school students will start their school years in Pennsylvania and urged motorists to take extra care in school zones.
Last year, the travel club reported, three children between 5 and 14 years old were killed in Pennsylvania traffic accidents. There were 774 pedestrian injuries in that age group last year.
“In Pennsylvania, motorists approaching from all directions are required by law to stop at least 10 feet from a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended,” AAA wrote in a recent news release. “The only exception is when a driver encounters a school bus stopping on the opposite side of a highway clearly separated by a divider, such as concrete barriers or grass medians. Even in this situation, motorists should be alert for students trying to cross the road to catch the bus.”
The penalty for violating the school bus stopping law is $250 fine, five points on the driving record and a 60-day license suspension.
For more information about fuel prices, visit www.fuelgaugereport.aaa.com. For information about tour books, visit aaa.com/ebooks; for mobile phone apps, go to aaa.com/mobile; and for trip planners, go to aaa.com/travel. ••
