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‘Ghoulish’ traffic can occur during Halloween afternoon rush hour

‘Ghoulish’ traffic can occur during Halloween afternoon rush hour

October 31, 2014

Remember to watch for Trick-or-Treaters and other pedestrians.

Happy Halloween, ADOT Blog readers!

While it’s hard to focus on anything but costumes, candy and fun times, we want to make sure you’re planning for something else this holiday serves up: heavy traffic.

That’s right. As the following ADOT news release explains, Halloween commutes are often “scary” due to heavier-than-usual traffic…

When Halloween falls on a weekday, many commuters change their regular routine, fleeing toward local freeways at nearly the same time in order to get home for trick-or-treating and Halloween parties. The result can be a fiendish commute.

ADOT recommends the following for surviving a mummy’s curse of a Halloween drive home:

  • If possible, try to get an earlier start to your destination in order to avoid the scariest traffic conditions. Freeway traffic tends to build between 4-6 p.m., what has come to be known as the “witching hour.”
  • Remember to be patient and recognize that it may take longer to get home during this particular commute. Take your time.
  • Don’t let down your guard when you’re nearing home. Remember: Disney princesses, Minecraft characters and too-cool-to-be-costumed teenagers could be crossing streets in your neighborhood and might not be paying attention.

As always, you can find current traffic information, including highway restrictions and closures statewide, on ADOT’s Travel Information Site at az511.gov. You can also follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511 for the very latest.

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