Back-to-school traffic, and all its headaches, begins today

The slow, inevitable burn of back to school traffic begins this morning. The two-week process starts as Barrow, Cherokee, Cobb, Griffin-Spalding, Greene, Henry, Lamar, Morgan, Paulding, Pickens and Rockdale counties school systems as well as City Schools Decatur are back in session today.

As a traffic reporter I know this begins the slow ramp-up back to the worst traffic conditions of the year. The “break” in traffic woes is about to end culminating in the post Labor Day traffic when the delays will begin in earnest.

Tomorrow morning, Barrow and Haralson counties return to class and on Wednesday we see the return of Atlanta Public Schools, Cartersville city schools, Marietta city schools as well as Butts, Douglas, Floyd, Oconee and Walton counties.

Thursday brings the return of Carroll, Fayette, Fannin, Forsyth, Lumpkin, Towns and White counties along with Buford city schools.

We close the week on Friday morning with schools in Banks, Coweta, Dawson, Habersham, Hall, Heard, Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, Putnam and Union counties heading back to class.

The staggered return is actually a good thing for traffic conditions. If every school district returned on the same day, it could be a shock to our nerves and interstate systems.

A week from today marks the return to school in DeKalb, Clayton, Fulton, Gordon, Gwinnett, Rabun, Troup and Polk counties, along with Calhoun City. Clarke County (Aug. 11), Meriwether County (Aug. 12), Thomaston and Upson County (Aug. 13) and Jasper County (Aug. 14) all return next week. Pike County students mark the end of the back to school period on Aug. 24.

So what do all the kids and school buses back in action mean to your commute?

This week, not much. We’ll see a modest increase in volume and delays but nothing too terrible.

Next Monday we will see a bigger bump when some of the larger districts head back, but historically, the massive interstate slowdowns won’t return until after Labor Day.

After that, all bets are off when it comes to Atlanta traffic. Expect the worst traffic conditions and the longest trip times to begin after the Labor Day holiday when everyone is back from summer vacations and things get really packed on the roads.

Until then, be extra mindful of the children that are returning to school. Be extra vigilant around school buses and expect the unexpected when it comes to kids. A lot of these little ones will be riding the school bus for the first time and might be overly excited entering and exiting the big yellow vehicles.

A reminder as well, to make sure you stop for school buses and do not pass them during pickups and drop-offs. The only exception is when you are on the other side of divided highway (concrete or grass divider) going the opposite direction of the bus.

Drive safely and get ready for the real back to school delays that will begin on Sept. 8.