Atlanta-area residents say public transit is ‘best way’ to ease congestion (credit, taxes)

[cqholt]

Survey by a third party company conducted a survey and found that transit is the best way to ease congestion.
Atlanta-area residents say public transit is

The survey found that 84 percent of Atlantans in the metropolitan area have a desire to live near public transportation. This regional interest compares to a similar desire among 83 percent of Americans nationally

That desire for metro-Atlantans has increased in just the past five years alone by almost a third (31 percent), the survey found, versus 29 percent of Americans. This emerging trend is most pronounced among millennials (ages 18-34) who were more likely than those in preceding generations (40 percent vs. 26 percent) to feel their desire to live near accessible public transit has increased.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Survey by a third party company conducted a survey and found that transit is the best way to ease congestion.
Atlanta-area residents say public transit is

The Atlanta Speaks surveys have been showing this rather consistently too.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Survey by a third party company conducted a survey and found that transit is the best way to ease congestion.
Atlanta-area residents say public transit is

Interesting, yet predictable (which is not a bad thing). However, I wonder if those folks surveyed would have the same opinion if they were asked whether they will pay additional taxes, higher user fees, etc. for the public transit option. Truly expanding the transit system to effectively cover the Atlanta region will cost a very significant amount of money. It's sort of like my daughter wanting a new iPhone - when she was told she would have to pay for half, the new shiny thing lost its allure rather quickly.

[atlHawks]

They ain't poll me

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by atlHawks

They ain't poll me

No kidding. All of these polls come out, and no one that I know has ever been polled. So, who, exactly, is being polled? That one has always been a mystery to me (along with a zillion other things...).

[goillini8]

In a healthy, well-developed and growing (booming?) metro, is congestion really ever eased? Seriously. NYC, DC, and Chicago have fantastic, extensive public transportation networks, yet still have awful traffic. (LA's train/bus system is actually much better than given credit for, but it's covering such a massive area, that it can seem inconsequential). Public transportation is great, and I always love having it as an option to commute, or to go to events and avoid parking hassles, and I like that it enables some people to go without owning a car. I support expansion of public transportation for the most part. But, I never really see it significantly reducing congestion. Sure, some spots here and there might be better than before they were served by public transportation, but overall?

[unbeliever]

Public transit will never be able to keep up in spread out American metro areas and it's expensive, crowded, and not very safe. Most people aren't going to drive the first leg of their commute, park (and pay to park), wait for a train, and do that all over again. Once people are in their cars, they tend to stay in their cars. I saw that in CA, DC, and now here in CO. Sure, in NYC I lived down the block from the Subway so I didn't have to drive, but 2 or 3 stage commutes suck. There's nothing like getting off a bus and having to shovel your car out in a dark commuter lot. People who are high on public transit are either high, or didn't grown up with it.

[primaltech]

Um, how exactly is transit going to ease congestion? I seriously doubt it ever would. Even if we expand it out, which I'm greatly in favor of. The congestion will only ever be getting worse, unless lots of new roads and lanes are built. Look at New York and Chicago. They have way better transit, but also have worse traffic.

Transit just gives you a way to bypass at least some of the congestion. Which is great. But that's not "easing the congestion." Yeah, it will take some cars off the road, but that slight decrease in congestion just encourages more people to drive, pretty much equaling the effect out. Because most people prefer to drive, even when transit is an option. The more you free up the roadway, the more people will drive. And also it encourages more residential growth and sprawl, until the traffic congestion maxes out again shortly.

Besides building entirely new tunnel freeways and new managed lanes and new collector/distributors and new interchanges (and continuing to build new tunnels every few decades or so, to match the growth), the only other way that congestion is ever going to be "eased" in this metro is by taking the stress and the wasted time out of it, with self-driving cars.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by unbeliever

Public transit will never be able to keep up in spread out American metro areas and it's expensive, crowded, and not very safe. Most people aren't going to drive the first leg of their commute, park (and pay to park), wait for a train, and do that all over again. Once people are in their cars, they tend to stay in their cars. I saw that in CA, DC, and now here in CO. Sure, in NYC I lived down the block from the Subway so I didn't have to drive, but 2 or 3 stage commutes suck. There's nothing like getting off a bus and having to shovel your car out in a dark commuter lot. People who are high on public transit are either high, or didn't grown up with it.

MARTA park-and-ride commuters do not pay to park. But I guess you were so wrapped up in your B.S. hyperbole that you simply forgot to look that up.

[primaltech]

"Ease the commute" - absolutely yes.

"Ease the congestion"- highly doubtful.

Expanding metropolitan and regional transit will speed up average commute times, and decrease average commute stress. It will not have any noticeable effect on vehicle congestion.