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Old 03-08-2017, 02:01 AM
Protiotype (Ray)
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Brisbane
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OzEclipse View Post
If anywhere is going to have traffic issues, it will be the USA. My comments were based on the fact that I have never seen eclipse traffic jams anywhere and am always sceptical of doomsday predictions. People tend to pick their spot and stay there. They are really reluctant to move.
This reminds me of magicians asking members of the audience to pick a card followed by asking if they're happy with their choice. Invariably, they'll stick with their first pick despite knowing the "odds" will be "rigged". A little bit of sunk cost fallacy and human nature, I guess.

Heck, I was at the Cairns Esplanade in 2012 and opted not to move anywhere despite seeing a huge looming cloud that we hoped would shift in time. Interestingly people in other parts of Cairns (including the northern end of the Esplanade, I think) got to see some corona so it was very location-dependent. Port Douglas was in a similar situation with gaps in cloud, from what I heard. The Cairns Esplanade in 2012 wasn't exactly packed - certainly nowhere near the level of NYE, a festival, or Ironman event. Free parking spaces were still available about an hour before.

I've noticed on an eclipse Facebook group that there are still frequent questions from many assuming that staying in 80% or 99% locations will be good enough - the levels of education or enthusiasm with reference to eclipse chasing just doesn't appear all there. No one else I personally know in Australia is actually going despite a good handful taking overseas trips of late (some even to the United States!)

So as you say, everything else combined with the fact that not everyone can organise leave from Mondayitis will be a significant factor. My bet is also that traffic is unlikely to be apocalyptic (conversely, think of how many choose to stay during disasters) but I'll make arrangements to "beat" it as early as possible and observe from there on.

I recognise that America is in love with the car and interstate highway "system", but it's not like India and China aren't normally congested either - so provided there aren't any oil tanker crashes, roads *should* continue to work.

Accommodation within the path is hard to find now, but that's mostly all small-town country. Campsites are still taking bookings, and I notice places like Portland still have some vacancies (albeit at inflated prices). What I still find interesting is the number of eclipse festivals that continue to be toted with earnest promotion, as if the main show won't be enough (events management and promotion is a tough gig). It's really just not something I'm into given what space already has on offer (disclosure: fireworks have bored me ever since I discovered satellite chasing).

All of this suggests to me that there won't be that much of a mass exodus from neighbouring cities near the path - not like how it was for Brisbane during the 2014 G20 when everyone instead preferred to hit the beach with a long weekend instead of chasing motorcades. :p
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