Parkway South Traffic in Mid-August--Best time to leave for beach? (Toms River: home, wedding)
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We are from North Jersey (Bergen County) and are having an 11am beach wedding Belmar in mid August this year. We booked a shuttle service for our guests starting at 10am (from the reception hall that is 10 mins away from ceremony site) so that guests don't have to battle with parking issues. We are telling our guests to leave plenty of time to account for summer Parkway traffic. Some people are asking me when a good time is to leave if it normally takes 1.5 hours to get to Belmar without traffic. What time would you suggest? Is Parkway traffic just as nuts in mid Aug as it is in earlier summer months?
We are from North Jersey (Bergen County) and are having an 11am beach wedding Belmar in mid August this year. We booked a shuttle service for our guests starting at 10am (from the reception hall that is 10 mins away from ceremony site) so that guests don't have to battle with parking issues. We are telling our guests to leave plenty of time to account for summer Parkway traffic. Some people are asking me when a good time is to leave if it normally takes 1.5 hours to get to Belmar without traffic. What time would you suggest? Is Parkway traffic just as nuts in mid Aug as it is in earlier summer months?
Thank you!
I'd leave now if I was you....only kidding.
Summer traffic is hit or miss.
If it normally takes 1.5 hours, I would add at least another 1/2 hour if not more.
Tell them to leave at 6 a.m. and use the time to get breakfast down there. I am not being sarcastic. If you leave from Bergen County at 7 or after on a weekend day in summer, you are guaranteed to be crawling in traffic. It will be a lot longer than half an hour more.
I lived near Ridgewood, as a point of reference, and used to have a friend who lived at the shore. I knew if I wasn't on the road before 7, it was too late to leave.
Now I live down here and avoid the Parkway at all costs in the summer. My mother knows she will not see me on a weekend in the summer.
Thanks all! I now have a better idea of a time to tell people other than saying "early". Whenever I travel to the beach (usually Wildwood every yea), it's in June and we leave super early in the morning so we don't lose half the day getting there. I know most people aren't like us, so I definitely wanted to drive home the point to get their butts there early!
Dad lives in Toms River and I often go to see him on Saturdays. The timing "rule" I've found useful is that southbound Parkway traffic on summer weekends is no problem as long as you're over the Driscoll Bridge by 9:00 a.m.
Indeed, just yesterday I ran half-an-hour late, crossing the bridge at 9:30. Even then, there were some backups in the express lanes but the local moved along without any delay. I was in TR by 10:15. (Strong suggestion: take the LOCAL lanes!)
On one hand, I agree with BillCashman and would advise leaving home in Bergen County by 8:00. On the other hand, leaving too early may result in your guests discovering that sitting around with nothing to do because they're two hours early is also no fun.
I agree with Mightyqueen and camaro. None of your guests can leave too early. I'll never forget the 45 mile nearly 2 1/2 hour crawl years ago from Belmar to LBI one August. That shouldn't be worse than any other section. Maybe there were a lot of accidents that day.
I live in South Orange and the beach I usually go to is Asbury Park. Drive 'should' be an hour. If I leave at 8 I'll arrive at 9. Parking is easy (that's when the meters start there) and I can park right near the beach.
Anything past that, the traffic is just too insane to even think about. I did it once, but I'll never do it again. The problem with wedding guests, is that they probably won't listen. NYC-NNJ people live to pushing their schedules to the limit and are always late. Get ready to spend the whole day hearing people talk about their traffic disasters!
Thank you for that, MaverickDD! Driscoll bridge, good landmark to use when i talk to people
I often also find the local lanes usually move better. They don't have that merge from 3 lanes down to 2 for one thing.
If the GSP is bad I back road it often, such as US 9 down to NJ 18.
Usually I pull up a map on EeeeeEeEEvil racist Google Maps, turn on the "traffic" display layer to get an idea, on cellphone.
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