Aaa Mid Atlantic

Taking to the roads this week for Thanksgiving is shaping up to be a grueling experience, especially for motorists headed north on Interstate 95. While the weather is expected to be pleasant and sunny, the forecast from Delaware is decidedly bleak, with that state's transportation officials suggesting travelers avoid going through the Newark Toll Plaza for much of the holiday weekend. Robert King, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said the northbound toll plaza will be down to six lanes instead of the normal nine because of a reconstruction project that is intended to make traffic flow through the notorious bottleneck better — starting in the summer of 2011.

AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting a big jump in the number of Marylanders who will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend this year, with state residents taking to the road at a rate slightly higher than the national average. The group projects that almost 850,000 Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more between Wednesday and the following Sunday. That represents an 11.8 percent increase over 2009, compared with an expected national average of 11.4 percent. The difference apparently reflects the employment market, which has been more robust in Maryland than most other states.

Maryland gas prices, which remained stable through most of the summer and into September, have jumped 16 cents since the beginning of October to a statewide average of $2.79 for a gallon of unleaded, AAA Mid-Atlantic reports. The increase is steeper that the 14-cent rise reported nationally since Oct. 1, though Maryland prices still lag the U.S. average by 4 cents. According to AAA, the gas price increase has tracked the rise in the price of crude oil on world markets to more than $80 a barrel.

Buoyed by signs of economic recovery and affordable gas prices, Marylanders will increase their Memorial Day travel by a "robust" 6.4 percent over last year, AAA Mid-Atlantic predicted Wednesday. At a news conference set beside the Chesapeake Bay, AAA officials expressed confidence that the weekend will be the start of a travel-filled summer. "It's clear that we're shedding that recession mentality," said AAA spokesman Mahlon G. "Lon" Anderson. He said Maryland's expected increase compares with an expected 5.4 percent gain nationwide.

The 2010 Maryland General Assembly Session was an incredible disappointment to many of us in the traffic safety community. While there were significant opportunities for legislators to make our roads safer, these were mainly wasted opportunities. As has been reported, the Ignition Interlock Bill died in the House Judiciary Committee. This important, life-saving legislation would have required anyone convicted of driving above the legal alcohol limit - .08 to have an ignition interlock system installed in their car. Here is where the disappointment begins.

The staycation is no match for Grandma this Thanksgiving. The number of Marylanders traveling for the holiday is expected to increase by more than 4 percent over last year, AAA Mid-Atlantic said Friday, with the majority going by car, bus or train. The auto club projected 794,000 people would travel 50 miles or more round trip for Thanksgiving, despite economic concerns. "Although Maryland's unemployment rate continues to remain at a high level and many residents are still experiencing financial hardship, it seems Marylanders have a more positive outlook this year and do not want to miss the opportunity to spend time with loved ones on Thanksgiving Day," said Ragina C. Averella, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, in a news release.

The staycation is no match for Grandma this Thanksgiving. The number of Marylanders traveling for the holiday is expected to increase by more than 4 percent over last year, AAA Mid-Atlantic said Friday, with the majority going by car, bus or train. The auto club projected 794,000 people would travel 50 miles or more round trip for Thanksgiving, despite economic concerns. "Although Maryland's unemployment rate continues to remain at a high level and many residents are still experiencing financial hardship, it seems Marylanders have a more positive outlook this year and do not want to miss the opportunity to spend time with loved ones on Thanksgiving Day," said Ragina C. Averella, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, in a news release.

Marylanders may be bucking a holiday travel trend. Despite predictions that July 4th travel will be down nearly 2 percent nationwide, the number of Marylanders expected to travel this holiday weekend will dip - but only by about half of 1 percent, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. About 709,000 Maryland residents will travel 50 miles or more round trip this holiday weekend, with the majority - 633,000 - doing so by car. Still, that number is about 1 percent lower than last year. Air travel appears to be making up the difference, with an increase of 7.7 percent in holiday fliers.

In what could be a harbinger of summer driving costs, the nation's average price of gasoline jumped 12 cents, or 6 percent, last week, after several weeks of relative stability, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. In Maryland, the average price for a gallon of unleaded was $2.19 as of Monday, up from $2.03 a week earlier - in part because crude oil was approaching $60 a barrel. "Due in part to signs that the economic recession may be turning around, slightly higher gas prices may be a sign that the summer driving season will bring increased demand as motorists take to the roads," said Ragina C. Averella, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Traveling on Interstate 95 for the Thanksgiving holiday? Good luck with that plan. Here's a little advice from someone who knows: Leave now. Yes, I mean right now. Drop whatever you're doing, throw the suitcases in the car, and go. Sure, I know it's only Monday and you might be one of the lucky ones who still has a job to go to. And I know Turkey Day isn't until Thursday. But by tomorrow, traffic on I-95 will already be building to ridiculous levels. By Wednesday, it'll be a traffic-choked nightmare up and down the East Coast.