Quote:
Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ
I should probably clarify why it seems busy when really its not.
The 104 is of course part of the Trans-Canada system so it is mainly used by out-of-province tourists and is especially busy in the summer with it being peak tourist season and Cumberland County being cottage-country.
Since many vacationers and tourists travel during the same hours (daytime on weekends, evenings on weekdays) the highway gets cramped easily especially through Folly Mountain where trucks slow the line down. The effect of having trucks climbing steep hills is what causes the crowdedness before the tollbooths and becuase of the equally steep declines afterwards it also explains why there is no line-ups after the tollbooth.
When I posted that list on the first page I probably was only thinking of the times that I'm usually on the highway and not at the fact that at night the road is empty except for tractor trailers.
The fact that almost nobody uses the road in the winter further drops the average to very low levels.
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I'm very familiar with this effect, I travelled that highway several times a year for 8 years between Fredericton and Sydney, so my observation was always that it doesn't get crowded until the two lane section starts north of New Glasgow. However, I recall the wikipedia article used to say it was "one of the busiest highways in NS" or something of that nature, I can't remember the exact wording, although that has since been taken down. That of course means I can't find it now, so I'm relying solely on memory for that.
Seasonal variations would drop the AADT, but not the ADT levels. ADT is the average daily traffic over the period of the count, so variations during the week could potentially have an effect on it. The ADT levels I quoted were the highest available counts, so in theory the closest to peak season traffic available. The top 50 list was AADT, but the ADT levels for 104 didn't vary that wildly from the AADT levels. Again, it's not really surprising when you think about it, but the reputation was there and seemed quite common from my experience.
But that's the whole reason I started this thread in the first place, to get the facts out and confirm suspicions in some cases while dispelling myths in others. That might not be the best way to word it but I can't really think of a better way right now.
As an aside, I think those hills on Cobequid Pass would be a perfect location to monitor for the future installation of climbing lanes on the divided highway. For now, most of the time, the divided highway alone works fine, but even now you occasionally get one truck trying to pass another going uphill and causing everyone to slow down. It would probably have to be much more common before climbing lanes were installed though.
Again, sorry Bedford for kind of singling you out, but you're post was the closest example I could find.
Anyway, Merry Christmas (and Happy Holidays) to all you guys. I hope it's a good holiday season for you all!
