Seasonal traffic Lancaster/Hershey area? (Chester, Hummelstown: car insurance, how much, live)

[Jennifer Parschauer]

Can anyone say how difficult it is in the area during high tourist season? Have they dealt with park traffic in Hershey so that residents aren't sitting in their cars bumper to bumper trying to get a few miles back home? For that matter, does the medical center clog things up during shift change hours? How much of a pain is it with horse & buggies on the road - I know, charming, but not in snow and traffic - is it ever dangerous?

Do the locals there resent the tourists; feeling like their town is "invaded" each year? When is the actual high season - just summer? Thanks!

[Oldiebutgoodie26]

Rt 322 gets completely clogged with tourists from the park and the medical center. Often, you are also dealing with accidents, b/c people have no patience. You just have to sit and wait. When I go to Hershey, I leave lots of wiggle room for time.

Lancaster traffic is gridlocked around the Park City Mall from November till January- you just don't move. The buggies are not the main problem- they clop along slowly. Just watch- they often have young kids driving them (10, 11). It's the idiots who pass them that you have to worry about. If you come to this area, be prepared to be on a two-lane road, with several cars coming right at you- in your lane. And when the snow falls- you will be driving on the icy shoulder, b/c the buggies will be on the road, not the side, and oncoming cars will STILL be in your lane.

The concept of the double yellow line is still treated as a suggestion by the locals in this area. So are stop signs and red lights. "Left on red" is popular here!

[Oldiebutgoodie26]

Also, here's my random thoughts on the driving in this area. Most people still think of this area as completely rural. Therefore, they drive as if there are no other cars around (It's rural, so, there are no other cars on the road but me!) They make U-turns in the middle of the road- with cars coming at them. They always pass when there is a double yellow line (meaning, it's not safe.) Heaven forbid you are behind a buggy, on a HILL, where you cannot see. The cars behind you will tailgate you, honk their horns. My car is not equipped with a periscope, so I wait til it's safe- but most do not. I can't tell you the number of times I have crested a hill- only to find some vehicle in my lane. Scary stuff. The building of roads has not kept up with the needs of a growing population- yet people still drive around like they have. You will see many little back roads completely clogged with out of state cars.

Honestly, my car insurance went through the roof when I moved here from an urban area, b/c of the number of fatal acidents here.

[Jennifer Parschauer]

Well, sad, but good to know. I would have thought that a town like Hershey (which seems to have money for lots of extras) would have thought of a better system by now. We really didn't want to be right in Amish territory - tell me they aren't anywhere near Hummelstown, are they? Any other info. or anyone know if there are plans to expand and /or deal with tourist traffic issues?

[bnepler]

You won't find any Amish in Hummelstown. I grew up there and lived in the surrounding communities. I also lived in the Amish areas, Chester county. Their good people, just different.