I think ITP has worse traffic than OTP (Atlanta, Roswell: home, live)

[ATLTJL]

I know the popular notion is that traffic in the suburbs is worse than in the city.

And along certain corridors, I get it. I wouldn't be caught dead on Cobb Parkway anytime I didn't have to be there.

But you know, I've lived in Atlanta for 20 years now, and I've lived both ITP and OTP. I've driven extensively around both. I've always worked ITP, and sometimes lived OTP. And my experience is this: Traffic on ITP surface streets is worse and more annoying than OTP.

Roads like Briarcliff, Ponce, Peachtree, and Clifton are just simply awful. In many of these cases, there is no reasonable alternative to driving .

I don't have data and I'm sure your mileage may vary. But as far as I'm concerned, traffic ITP is much more frustrating and awful than traffic OTP. Now getting from OTP to ITP and vice versa, that's a different discussion altogether. I'm talking about surface streets.

Having said that, I did make the terrible mistake of going to Mall of Georgia this weekend. And I'll never go there on a weekend again, it was as bad as what I just experienced on Ponce.

[space cadet]

I don't disagree, and it is only going to get worse. That is why we need more viable in-town transit alternatives. A few lame bus routes, and a streetcar to nowhere, just ain't cutting it.

[fieldm]

You can think that but it isn't true. Look at the traffic map tomorrow morning at 7:30am and you will see red on 75/400/85 all the way down to 285 frim the northern suburbs and red on interstate 20 in Dekalb coming from Stonecrest and coming east near Six flags to 285. The only red you will see ITP is on 75/85 and 400

[Ant131531]

The streets can have bad traffic like Ponce and North Avenue, but overall, I-285, I-400, I-75, and I-85 all northbound have incredible amounts of traffic during evening rush hour. I-20 East, I-20 West, I-75 South of I-20, and I-85 South of I-20 all have little to no traffic inside the perimiter.

[evannole]

It all depends on where you're going, of course, but for the routes I travel, I agree with the OP. What I encounter in town on Ponce, Howell Mill, the Downtown Connector, Peachtree Street/Road and just about any major surface street in Downtown and Midtown is typically worse than what I see on Atlanta Road, Paces Ferry, Cumberland Parkway, I-75 (from Delk Road to the Perimeter) the west side of 285 and anything within 2 or 3 miles of Marietta Square.

There are certainly areas OTP that I deliberately avoid because of traffic, including the Cobb Parkway / Windy Hill intersection during rush hour, Roswell Road (East Cobb) at Johnson Ferry on weekend afternoons, and Barrett Parkway, which I especially dislike despite the presence of a Total Wine there. Fortunately, I rarely have to venture to any of those areas.

For what it's worth, on Friday afternoon, it took me longer to drive from the airport to a location in Midtown near the High than it did for me to subsequently drive home to Marietta from that Midtown location. My drive home was actually unusually long, but the first drive, while probably half the mileage, still took longer, even with Waze to route me on the back streets while avoiding problems on the Connector.

[jsvh]

I hardly ever encounter traffic.

Of course that is because I often dont drive. And when I do it is usually southside ITP where things are easy going.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by space cadet

I don't disagree, and it is only going to get worse. That is why we need more viable in-town transit alternatives. A few lame bus routes, and a streetcar to nowhere, just ain't cutting it.

The streetcar is just phase 1, when it gets expanded to the BeltLine, etc. that is when we will see it have a positive effect on taking cars off the roads. That first phase was chosen for economic incentive and location of the VMF under the downtown connector.

[ATLTJL]

It's remarkable how many people here seem not to know what a "surface street" is.

Or do they just not read posts before responding to them?

[cqholt]

Intown surface streets are narrower and have less dedicated turn lanes, which adds to the congestion.

[ATLTJL]

Intown surface streets are narrower and have less dedicated turn lanes, which adds to the congestion.

They also often allow parallel parking, effectively turning 2-way streets into one way streets.