Traffic Talk: Jefferson St to Memorial Ave

As a new weekly feature to Tramping Roanoke, I've started this regular post about traffic, routes, and getting around town. I hope this will spark some interest with finding shortcuts, debating what routes work best, and - in the end - maybe inspiring some more exploration and wandering.

As my inaugural post: Jefferson St. to Memorial Ave.

This is a popular route for those who work downtown and live in SW. With the westbound road of Salem Ave now open and (relatively) free of holes and the like, I finally have my route from work to home open again.

I've heard some differing opinions on the fastest way west, but - having been forced to use Campbell Rd while Salem Ave west of 2nd was under construction - I have to disagree with fans of Campbell.

For one thing, if you're going to 13th St bridge to take Memorial Ave anywhere, you'll have to take two leftward moseys that for someone lacking in direction propensity like me, is asking for a navigational SNAFU. If heading east on Campbell, of course, these are simply merges, but heading west you'll have to recognize which road at the two forks is still Campbell.

Too, for anyone who's tried turning onto 13th Street from a westbound road, you'll very likely have to wait on a light. When you turn south on 13th St from Salem Ave, however, you not only don't have a stoplight, you have right of way (the eastbound lane has a stop sign).

Granted, the lights from Salem south to Black Dog Salvage are a little aggressive, so you're likely to catch one of them, but even taking Campbell, you still have one to deal with there at Christian Car Care.

I'm always entertaining new routes, so if anyone has other ideas (assuming it's not pulling a turbo boost over a moving train or riding willy-nilly down an alley the width of a shopping cart) please email me or post a comment.