It’s the first day of school in the Lake Travis area!
A lot has happened over the summer. You might be one of the many people that made a move and now call the Lake Travis area home. A beautiful place to live and the ability to find a job is a good thing … the back to school traffic is not.
The Austin Independent School District, University of Texas, and Leander ISD, all make the list for the largest major employers in Austin, Texas. Seasonal Employees heading back to work with the start of the school year, parents dropping off their kids, and high school students that drive, will add to the amount of cars on the roads in the area.
With no short term solutions in sight, the start of the school year and increased traffic will have some drivers on edge.
Unfortunately, with Ranch Road 620 as the only way in, out, and through the Lake Travis area, there just aren’t many ways around it. Heading south is not as bad as north. The worst of the congestion for southbound travelers happens in the Lake Travis middle and high school zones along 620.
It’s a different story if you’re one of the 9 Drivers You’ll Meet at 620 and 2222. Just add a little rain in the mix to make things really interesting.
A Few Things To Remember
Don’t forget to allow yourself some additional minutes for the increased traffic. If you can leave before 7am or after 9:30am, you’ll avoid the worst of it. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have the luxury of making our own schedules to avoid rush hour.
You may have adjusted to driving through the school zones at normal speeds during the summer. The flashing yellow light is back and it’s a popular time for your friendly neighborhood policeman to give you a reminder — sometimes in the form of a ticket! We’re like shooting fish in a barrel for these guys after a summer of empty school zones and no flashing yellow lights.
If you happen to be driving through a school zone during the drop off or pick up times, don’t forget to reduce your speed. And make sure to put down your cell phone. All drivers are prohibited from using handheld devices in school zones.
Lakeway and Bee Cave have their own set of hands-free driving rules you’ll want to be aware of when it comes to driving and cell phone use.
We look forward to seeing all of your first day of school pics on Facebook — just don’t get caught posting them while driving 🙂
