In 2010 a traffic jam in China lasted for two weeks and stretched 60 miles. There were drivers stuck in the jam for five days, with some cars moving no more than a single kilometer per day.
Perhaps the closest we come to that in the U.S. was Wednesday night at Atlanta airport’s north terminal parking garage. Drivers were “stuck for hours” as a result of construction road closures and heavy traffic.
The airport blames weather and blames passengers. According to an airport spokesperson,
“It was the delays caused by the weather. It was the delays caused by the large influx of passengers who happened to be departing at that time,”
However the garage has only a single exit lane and there’s not much they plan to do about that in the short term, so they suggest simply “don’t drive the airport.”
Perhaps this issue should be added to the federal investigation of corruption at the airport. Just be grateful they have power.
Love the Eskimo in the ATL picture!
As I sit at ATL waiting for a late arriving AA crew (traffic), I agree with the airport.
To be fair, that airport has a very good Metro connection.
Re: the metro connection. People in Atlanta are a lot like those in LA, they aren’t getting out of their cars to ride the subway.
It happened here on the way to LAX last week where passengers were abandoning their Uber rides, climb out of the freeway, and getting another ride to the airport. Typical of southern california, a roach coach opened for business for the stranded motorists: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/08/24/stuck-l-traffic-jam-food-truck-opens-up/1091102002/
Yeah I don’t really know what else they can say/do
So they blame their customers. Brilliant.
I have detected a lot of poor planning when it comes to ingress/egress. It reminds me of grocery stores designed to put the milk in the back so that you have to walk through the whole store to get the one or two items you actually need.
Given how easy it is to simulate these events in the planning stage, I can only conclude the obvious: governments have no incentive to optimize these decision and designs.
Outside of the North terminal has been a construction zone for at least a year so not sure why anyone would attempt to park there, especially with a the other parking options in and around the airport
Honestly, live 35/40 minutes from airport in nice community of Newnan Ga. There is no transportation here to get to the airport but to drive. No limo service, bus nothing. Wish they did.