one man's opinion (Atlanta, Dallas: transplants, rental, crime)

[cqholt]

We can never build more lanes to solve traffic congestion. All those cities listed have more freeways, but also worst congestion. Transit wasn't expanded into the suburbs because the state refuses to step up and do anything, outside of commuter buses. The suburban counties have refused to join MARTA and provide inadequate local bus service.

[NC2ATL60]

GDOT is planning on building truck only lanes from Macon through McDonough I believe, however I am not sure how that will help traffic through the metro, specifically 285. Atlanta's transportation future will consist of mainly new HOT lanes, as well as hopefully a MARTA expansion. No more new freeways will be built here.

[fieldm]

Beautiful story! Are you Shakespeare??

[The QC]

I know many of you are critical of my comments. I know that Atl is not going to build more interstates. I am saying that Atl could have built its freeway system a bit different and congestion may not be as bad. Some of atl's traffic woes may be due to poor land use planning. Also, I know transportation planners like to present the image that freeways are bad and create traffic congestion. That may be true to a degree but not entirely. Some of you are failing to realize that Atl doubled its population from 1985 to 2020 with no new interstates except GA 400. You can add capacity but that is not enough without significant improvements in transit. Look at seattle, Portland and Austin. What do they have in common with atl? Their freeway systems are inadequate for their populations. They do not have transit systems that are large enough to make up for their inadequate freeway systems. They, like Atl, rank higher in congestion than population. The point is if you have an inadequate freeway system then you must compensate with a large and effective transit system. All these cities including Atl do not compensate for their inadequate freeway system with a large transit system and they all rank high in congestion comparative to their populations.

[The QC]

Above I stated that Atl doubled its population from 1985 to 2020 but I intended to say from 1985 to 2010. I do not buy that freeways create congestion. Freeways are clogged because of demand due to population growth. You cannot compensate for that population growth by doing nothing and that is basically what Atl has done since 1985. If you build enough freeways and capacity then congestion will be minimized. But the do nothing approach is not the answer. And poor land use is not the answer. North NJ has kept their congestion minimized with NJ Turnpike, GSPkwy, i78, i80, i76, i287, i278, and transit. But do not discount the importance of those freeways in Nj. Without any of them, there would be more congestion. In my humble opinion, it takes a good freeway sus and transit system in metros of 5 million and up. And no DFW does not rank higher in congestion than Atl. Atl is 9th in population and 4th in congestion the last time I checked. DFW is 5th innpopulaion snd 9th in congestion.

[The QC]

Atl should have considered adding new freeways while the land was available. Instead Atl kept adding capacity to its existing freeways. This coupled with its poor land use and inadequate transit have combined to create a bad situation. I know all big cities have bad traffic. But will these traffic issues begin to eventually impact growth. I believe all
Top 10 metros have cross town freeways but Atl. I believe atl's freeway system is the least effective of the top ten metros. And the Atl transit dies not compensate for the inferior freeway system. The Atl rail system is only four lines? Denver with a metro of 2.8 million has 8 rail lines in place with plans to build more. I like Atl and still visit there occasionally but it seems to me Atl has much work ahead to get its transportation straightened out. This coupled with shrinking transportation dollars and competition for those dollars, many municipal governments that do not agree and a still rapidly growing population makes the problems seem gargantuan. It is troublesome that Atl is a city that has always looked to transportation for solutions to problems not the other way around. Atl has been rich in its transportation history so it is hard to understand how the traffic woes got to this low point.

[The QC]

I will say once again that I believe a modest improvement to atl's transportation congestion is both transit and freeways. Build more rail lines and extend them
To outlying counties but continue to improve the freeway system at the same time. Build new freeways when possible such as cross town freeways and become creative with truck lanes and create local/express lanes when possible. Scrap expensive subway construction for light rail and build 10 or more lines. Improve land use planning.

[Atlanta Scientist]

You are not offering novel ideas and realizations. Everything you have stated from the past to the present to the future has been hashed out on this forum over and over again. It is actually quite patronizing.

No new interstates will be built.
The city is planning on building light rail lines( Clifton Corridor and the Beltline) along with infill heavy rail stations.
Atlanta is making more if its streets complete streets while emphasizing biking.
Atlanta has higher ridership than Denver and Dallas. Atlanta moves more people with less.

I think you should balance you criticism with actually looking what Atlanta is currently doing.

[arjay57]

Atlanta traffic is not bad for a big city.

[NC2ATL60]

Hell what major city doesn't have traffic woes? This has been beaten to death