Those that take the I75 compare to toronto traffic

[youngb1978]

We will be driving down in October taking the 75..how do the big cities such as cinnicinati, knoxville, atlanta and Orlando compare to toronto traffic and drivers. No offense to Toronto drivers you guys scare me. I drive in a small town..with london being the closest big city. We shouldnt really hit big city rush hour besides possibly knoxville.

 

[CindyV]

It has been a long time since i have been to toronto, so ill just comment on the drive down to Orlando. Cincinnati and Atlanta in my opinion were the most traffic areas. Timing going through there at better times works best but it is still busy. Lots of traffic makes me nervous and i have not felt that way driving down there. We were in cincinnati during morning rush hour and only had a slow down for a little bit. The first time we drove to florida, atlanta scared me because its so fast and people are just cutting across lanes like crazy, but once we found out about the HOV lanes it makes driving through there not bad at all as u avoid all the lane changes and people cutting you off. We are usually in Atlanta between 2-4 and its been ok. Sometimes there were slow downs where u stop and go but we only out of all the times we drove lost 30 minutes at most to traffic.(plus its awesome to watch all the airplanes going over the highway every couple minutes) There are bypasses for those major cities but the book i use recommends not taking them as they are longer. Knoxville we were surprised as it is smaller then London but the traffic seemed more then London, But it was still ok to drive through. Orlando can be busy but u go on the florida turnpike into Orlando and we avoided having to go on the main highway, which makes a difference in the busy parts of Orlando. Hope that helps

 

[youngb1978]

It has been a long time since i have been to toronto, so ill just comment on the drive down to Orlando. Cincinnati and Atlanta in my opinion were the most traffic areas. Timing going through there at better times works best but it is still busy. Lots of traffic makes me nervous and i have not felt that way driving down there. We were in cincinnati during morning rush hour and only had a slow down for a little bit. The first time we drove to florida, atlanta scared me because its so fast and people are just cutting across lanes like crazy, but once we found out about the HOV lanes it makes driving through there not bad at all as u avoid all the lane changes and people cutting you off. We are usually in Atlanta between 2-4 and its been ok. Sometimes there were slow downs where u stop and go but we only out of all the times we drove lost 30 minutes at most to traffic.(plus its awesome to watch all the airplanes going over the highway every couple minutes) There are bypasses for those major cities but the book i use recommends not taking them as they are longer. Knoxville we were surprised as it is smaller then London but the traffic seemed more then London, But it was still ok to drive through. Orlando can be busy but u go on the florida turnpike into Orlando and we avoided having to go on the main highway, which makes a difference in the busy parts of Orlando. Hope that helps

Thanks...I too get nervous with drivers that cut in and out...I have the along I 75 book and will be using the hov lanes through atlanta..thanks for the help.

 

[LemonNeko]

it's been a number of years since I've driven. The only really bad traffic I remember was in Atlanta. Depending on the season there can be really bad ran through Georgia too.

 

[jtdl]

I agree Atlanta was the worst for traffic, Cincinnati would be next and then Detroit. All comparable to Toronto. All other cities were relatively calm going through.

 

[mommymanda]

We followed I75 last trip (2014) and although my husband did the majority of the driving while I sat with the book reading tips. We also used the HOV lane through the larger areas as we were 5 in the van (I remember this 'discussion' in the car clearly as I couldn't fathom one family counting as a carpool and was worried about fines), but it worked to our advantage. Atlanta was not bad for us based on timing. To be honest the only areas that worried me were more outskirts roads with the large trucks zooming past and crazy turns to the roads. Of course that could be because I was the one trying to drive than.

 

[roberthodgson]

Atlanta is always busy, how ever we found that if we stayed in the HOV on I75 when going through Atlanta it was no issue at all. it looks like you are leaving i75 but your not when we head down in September thats the lane we will be using.

 

[youngb1978]

Yes the plan is to take the HOV lane my father in law keeps saying we should take the by pass..I heard that road is full of trucks and if you take HOV lane it's fine.

 

[CindyV]

i wouldnt take the bypass. The book even recommends not to. All the trucks unless they are delivering in the city have to take the bypass, so all the trucks are on it plus it is longer then driving through. We have driven 5 times in the past 7-8 years and have always been happy in the HOV lane and wouldnt go any other way. I feel safe in that lane because people cant just dart into it in front of you, only at certain parts can you go in and out of the HOV lane.

 

[ontdvc2015]

As others have said, Atlanta is definitely the worst city for traffic. We do all we can to avoid the rush hours. Over the years my family has got it down to a science as to what time we leave (usually 4am) and we miss all the rush hour spots in all of the major cities. With all the construction on I75 right now, it can cause some major slow downs, but avoiding rush hour in Cincinnati and Atlanta will make the drive that much better.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Thanks for the insights. I love hearing about HOV lanes.
We are trying to decide between going through Detroit to take I-75 down or going through Ft. Erie into New York and taking the mountainous highways through Pennsylvania. Which would you take? We're going in December. From our SW Ontario starting point, they're almost exactly the same distance. I like interstates, which is why I ask. We took the PA route to get to Washington, DC, in 2012, and I hated how many different roads we needed, forcing us to keep rapt attention so we wouldn't miss and turn-offs in pretty rural areas, that I'm tempted to get to I-75 so I can get on and forget it. ;-)

 

[disneyholic family]

Thanks for the insights. I love hearing about HOV lanes.
We are trying to decide between going through Detroit to take I-75 down or going through Ft. Erie into New York and taking the mountainous highways through Pennsylvania. Which would you take? We're going in December. From our SW Ontario starting point, they're almost exactly the same distance. I like interstates, which is why I ask. We took the PA route to get to Washington, DC, in 2012, and I hated how many different roads we needed, forcing us to keep rapt attention so we wouldn't miss and turn-offs in pretty rural areas, that I'm tempted to get to I-75 so I can get on and forget it. ;-)

why not compare the various routes on something like mapquest. Of course, it depends on time of day.
I don't know what's faster/easier.

I used to live in suburban detroit, so obviously when we drove down to florida, it was by I-75 (and the various bypasses along the way).
that was before internet, so we always went to AAA and had them map it out for us (with warnings about construction etc).

but now you can map it out yourself on something like mapquest - compare/contrast.

In august, we visited the family in detroit and took a two day trip to niagara. We didn't go via detroit (basically suicidal trying to cross the border there unless you bring a sleeping bag - it takes so long).
So we went via port huron (forgot what the canadian side is called). Much faster border crossing. well. fast isn't exactly correct. But not as slow.

but even that rather straightforward trip, i scoped out first on mapquest - then used Waze to drive. It takes you around traffic jams.

 

[Csaks]

Nothing compares to Toronto traffic. A drive that takes 40 minutes at 5:30 in the morning can take up to two hours at 5 or 6 pm. Throw in a good accident and you might as well sleep on the highway. We go down the other way and usually hit Charlotte at their afternoon rush, my wife is all wound up about it and I laugh. I'd take theirs anyday.

 

[starvenger]

So we went via port huron (forgot what the canadian side is called). Much faster border crossing. well. fast isn't exactly correct. But not as slow.

Sarnia. The Blue Water Bridge was my go-to crossing back when I worked in Southfield, MI. Yes, the 402 is boring and desolate, but I'd typically hit a Timmies in Sarnia for a caffeine fix.

I75 in MI is actually not bad, but if you're going via Sarnia taking the 696 north of Detroit is recommended. Still busy, but downtown can be nuts. Otherwise, no real issues.

in OH, my Ohio friends always tell me to watch out for speed traps, but I've never personally seen any. Agree with looping around Cincy via the 275 if you can

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

We are driving in August again but we go through Fort Erie to 79. Depending on where you are coming from there really is not much of a difference in total time but an hour or so. I found the drive very relaxing compared to my work commute and I drive Paris to Mississauga every day

 

[Govols1997]

Avoid ATL 7-9 am 3-6 pm.