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After 45 years living here in Eastern Va, I know all of the best routes, even know most of the potholes. I average 35 MPH by precise light timing, usually catching less than 5 lights out of 23 either way. It's a treat when I can catch a 12 second green left turn in an over 1 minute cycle after driving 12 miles form my house. To do this requires me to maintain a very precise speed. On route 143 that is 48 in a 45 zone. 2 MPH slower and I will catch many more yellow lights, to fast and I hit the reds before the traffic starts moving away when the light turns green.
I would be that the window is so small that at the end of my 20 mile drive my arrival time can probably be measured in seconds. I can avoid this by taking the Interstate but risk getting caught by an accident and sitting for over an hour while they clean up the mess. It happens occasionally but I generally avoid the Interstate here, even to the point of taking the older state and US routes on trips to the step daughters houses.
Being retired I can avoid the congestion during rush hour and it is always a consideration when the wife and I go out to dinner as well as timing our arrival to avoid the periods when others crowd restaurants. Lots of time we get there a little early and when we leave the line is many times longer than when we arrived.
Knowing the less travelled routes helps greatly when congestion gets really heavy, which can happen anytime but is mostly seasonal here when the tourists arrive in summertime. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel has had traffic backups of 14 miles and 14 hours to travel that distance. We listen to the traffic report as we leave the neighborhood and also watch the Interstate overpasses as we travel down 143 which runs parallel to I64 heading east from my home.
regards
Mech
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