Traffic jam countermeasures ver.1

When you go out by car, traffic jams are unavoidable.

Traffic jams are a kind of fate and cannot be prevented.

How you deal with it when it happens is important.

I hate traffic jams, so I wondered if there was any way to make it easier for me.

Know the time and place of the outbreak

Congestion can be divided into inevitable and accidental.

For example, traffic jams almost always occur on Saturday and Sunday evenings from Dangosaka to the Kobotoke Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway.

(This is common knowledge for mountain climbers!)

With this type of incident, you should act on the assumption that it will occur.

In other words, traffic congestion can be somewhat alleviated by gaining knowledge.

Be aware of the locations on your route where traffic jams usually occur.

As for accidental congestion, it occurs due to accidents, lane restrictions, etc.

This is difficult to predict and hard to avoid.

However, since it is believed that a large number of cars will cause traffic congestion, the countermeasures will be the same.

Travel at a different time than others

There are many causes of traffic jams, but generally they occur when there are a lot of cars.

Therefore, a simple but effective solution is to leave busy areas when there are fewer vehicles on the road.

For example, I know that Saturday mornings will be busy, so I leave between 9pm on Friday and around 3am on Saturday.

The roads are fairly empty late at night or early in the morning.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is the time of day when there will be absolutely no traffic jams.

If you have the time, I highly recommend it!

If you depart late at night, you can arrive at your destination early in the morning, which may give you the opportunity to take photos of wild birds and the sunrise.

Kannon Marsh at dawn

Traffic jams on the way home are difficult to avoid for people who have weekends off.

Since everyone wants to get home without feeling tired the next day, there is a high probability of traffic jams on the roads heading towards the capital area between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, I still haven't found a good way to avoid the traffic jams on the way home.

Although it is a last resort, here is how to do it:

I'll go home after eating.

I usually have dinner at the destination before leaving.

The idea is to return home between 18:00 and 19:00.

If you're going to wait in traffic anyway, it's better to eat something delicious locally before going home!

Eating a meal helps you avoid thinking about unnecessary things.

▼ Anglerfish hotpot I had in Ibaraki

In my case, it takes me 2 to 3 hours to reach congested areas in the Kanto and Tokyo metropolitan areas, so if I leave at this time, the traffic starts to clear up just as quickly.

Although it is our aim, it doesn't always work out.

A detour for a chance

Although it's not very versatile, finding a detour is an option.

Personally, I prefer to avoid traffic jams even if it means taking a slightly longer route.

To give an example that works quite well, if you are returning to the Tokyo metropolitan area from Koriyama in Fukushima, there is almost no difference in time whether you go via the Joban Expressway or the Tohoku Expressway.

In that case, it may be a good idea to choose the Joban Expressway, which is less prone to traffic jams.

It might be worth exploring whether there is an alternative route.

Good fortune comes when you sleep

If there is already traffic congestion, you won't be able to get home faster by forcing your way through it.

When you get stuck in a traffic jam, alternating between pressing the accelerator and brake can really take away your concentration.

Furthermore, PSs and SAs get crowded during traffic jams, so you can't help but feel anxious about needing to use the restroom.

In that case, I think it would be better to just take a break.

Find a parking area (PA) or service area (SA) one or two stops before the start of the traffic jam and go to sleep!

Set a timer and check traffic information on Google Maps every 30 minutes to an hour.

Resting at a service area or parking area will allow traffic congestion to ease while you recover your energy.

Once the traffic starts to clear, you can set off with a clear head!

You can read a book or play a game while you wait, so it's quite relaxing.

It's simple but effective, and it has made me not worry so much about traffic jams.

Honestly, waiting in traffic seems like a waste of time.

summary

This time I introduced my method for dealing with traffic jams.

To summarize briefly, it is as follows.

- Design it so that you can get through areas that are congested late at night or early in the morning.

On the way back, have dinner at the local restaurant and leave a little later.

・Take a good rest instead of rushing into traffic jams

Since I started making these efforts, traffic jams have become like break times, and I feel more at ease mentally.

If I come up with any new ideas I'll add them!