As students begin to arrive back to campus and school starts, so does the traffic they bring with them.
Each year Auburn residents are forced to return to the swing of bumper-to-bumper traffic after a summer of being able to go wherever, whenever.
Traffic in Auburn during the summer is a lot easier to get around in, according to City Engineer Jeff Ramsey.
“We [citizens of Auburn] definitely notice when students come back,” Ramsey said.
According to Ramsey, while the traffic does drastically change, Auburn residents quickly catch on to the consistent cycles that form.
“The first week of fall semester you learn not to try to get to Wal-Mart because everyone else is there, too, getting school supplies,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey also said residents learn the patterns of football traffic. He said it is easy to realize the difficulty of getting out before and after football games, and the ease of getting anywhere on campus during the games.
Traffic patterns have been different this summer, Ramsey said, because of construction at key intersections such as Opelika Road, and the work being done downtown.
“It’s definitely tried everyone’s patience,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the construction only worsened the traffic, but the reopening of downtown made it better.
Auburn citizen Robert Goodwin said when students return for the fall, Auburn becomes a different town.
Goodwin said the usually empty parking lots become filled with U-Haul trucks, trailers and anxious students and parents.
Goodwin also said he agrees the construction has had a negative impact on traffic.
“In the nine years I've been in Auburn, the town has grown exponentially,” Goodwin said. “That type of growth does come with the inconvenience of construction.”
On the other hand, Scott Cummings, consulting engineer and Auburn resident, said he does not think Auburn traffic is a problem.
“I hear people in Auburn complain about the traffic, but after living in Atlanta or driving U.S. Highway 280 as often as I have, Auburn does not have a traffic problem,” Cummings said.
However, Cummings said he has observed a couple of issues with the traffic in Auburn.
He said there is traffic buildup around the school buildings and downtown during certain hours, but the traffic lights are synchronized well enough for patient people to go where they need to be.
Another problem Cummings said he has noticed are those who drive their cars instead of walking half of a mile to their destination.
“If the weather permits, walking is good for you,” Cummings said. “And if more are walking or on bikes, there will be less stressed drivers texting and running over cyclists.”
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