Towns Preparing for Eclipse Exodus

The Genesee Transportation Council in the Genesee-Finger Lakes region of New York is preparing for next Monday’s solar eclipse, hoping to manage the traffic that the once-in-a-lifetime event will inevitably bring to the area. 

According to a Smart Cities Dive piece by Ysabelle Kempe, “Traffic and safety concerns are top of mind for Stack and others working to ready their cities for visitors. GTC used flow maps and its data on average rush hour traffic in the Rochester region to predict the routes that will experience the most congestion in the hours after the eclipse.”

Other parts of the country in the path of the eclipse are concerned, too. “Wyoming’s Department of Transportation spokesperson recently told Texas officials that in 2017, when it was in the path of totality, the state doubled its small population, from about 580,000 people to up to 1.5 million, and the roads were ‘completely overwhelmed.’”

Kempe adds, “It’s unusual for hundreds of thousands of people to gather like this, especially in smaller towns that don’t usually see such tourism. There’s a huge economic stimulus aspect to the eclipse, and many towns are hosting educational events and watch parties to celebrate.”