Few things in the news cycle make me more skeptical than traffic studies. And this skepticism is not normally directed at the studies themselves but how they’re interpreted.

A recent Texas A&M study grabbed headlines because of media and social media misunderstanding what it said about Atlanta. But this study is very worthwhile.

Atlanta’s traffic is some of the worst in the nation, but the delays added during an average rush hour are not as profound, the annual Texas A&M Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Report said. Some outlets confused Atlanta trends with the nationwide patterns the study found.

Atlanta now has its heaviest traffic in the 4 and 5 p.m. hours on Wednesday, according to the study. (Many of the outlets that reported on the study said it was Thursday, but that was the national trend, not local.)

As for the idea that rush hours are less than they were: It’s complicated. The study shows that U.S. drivers are commuting in greater numbers and spread out over more hours. This dilutes the peaks or deltas that routine morning and afternoon drive times once held.

Some construed this finding to mean that traditional rush hours were over. That is, very simply, not true and certainly not so in Atlanta.

Metro Atlanta easily saw the most delays — measured in this study as the percentage of roads that experienced congestion — from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Sounds like rush hours, right?

But the study does show both Atlanta and many other of the 101 urban areas the institute studied have more traffic in off-peak hours. “You’re going into the office on those days, but you may not go in until after the traffic kind of quiets down a little bit,” Schrank said.

Given more information (mainly through GPS apps) and flexibility, many drivers are more productive by steering away from peak drive times. That adjustment lessens but does not eliminate the curve.

The sounds of a mariachi band and sweet aroma of fried cinnamon churros greeted Atlantans on Thursday night as they strolled under a full moon toward Cirque du Soleil’s blue-and-white-striped, big-top tent for the opening night of “Luzia,” touring at Atlantic Station through Jan. 25.

The name “Luzia” — a portmanteau of the Spanish words luz (light) and lluvia (rain) — hints at the mystical and natural forces that awe audiences in Cirque du Soleil’s 38th production, which is inspired by Mexican culture, mythology and Mother Nature.