Traffic jam? What traffic jam?

The annual back-to-school traffic rush turned out to be a better-than-average commuting day yesterday, drivers and state officials said.

Although officials feared the annual return of more than 40,000 university and private school students to the road yesterday might cause long delays, many drivers reported practically zipping into town during the morning rush hours.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The news made it seem like it was going to be a lot worse," said Alisa Yandell, a 22-year-old University of Hawai'i-Manoa student who left her Mililani home about 6:45 a.m. and got to school about an hour later.

Drivers who left either earlier, before 6 a.m., or after 8:30 a.m., said it took them only about 30 minutes to make the commute from Central O'ahu to town.

Officials said they're pleased by the results, but cautioned that problems could still develop as 99 public schools return to classes today and 20,000 more private school students return to class over the next week.

For the past 18 years, state and city officials have combined their efforts to encourage drivers to change their behavior during the first few weeks of school. That effort started after a 1986 back-to-school traffic jam that created near gridlock on the H-1 Freeway and Kamehameha Highway on the first day of school.

This year, officials suggested that drivers leave home either earlier or later than usual, consider forming car pools, or riding a bus or bicycle to work. Many apparently did so, Ishikawa said.

"There were more cars than in the summer, but it seemed like they were spread out over a longer period," DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.

Officials worry, however, that many may fall back into their old habits after a few days. "We don't want people to be complacent just yet," Ishikawa said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.