What If: "Super Corridors" in Atlanta Metro

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Traffic signal optimization, not wider streets

Actually more so what I mean, especially near interstates, is to eliminate or subsidize intersections nearby major interchanges, and like you noted to optimize traffic signals to give exit ramps a priority green signal over the surface arterial. Finding ways to keep as much traffic moving as possible at any intersection we can if phases could be in some way combined, ect. Keep moving / Only lanes (you'd be surprised how many intersections really need this and don't have only lanes) and in some cases even overpasses to keep thru traffic flowing at major intersections.. once again its likely impractical at this point. The most recent and very successful project I remember occured with Gwinnett County's Buford Hwy / Pleasant Hill Rd interchange conversion. Used to be a stop light and a railroad crossing and it just completely WRECKED Pleasant Hill and today its pretty free flowing around that area.. so its implying that.. the road HAS the capacity.. it just wasn't optimized.

Same for our Interstates, we really need to segregate local and inter-regional traffic.

I personally believe Pleasant Hill Rd could be much more free flowing near Gwinnett Place Mall if GDOT did the following:

-- Convert to SPUI (converging the interchange to one signal controlling all traffic)
-- Eliminate all signalized intersections from Pleasant Hill Rd into Gwinnett Place Mall, except maybe one - same for the adjacent shopping center to the left.
-- Eliminate Venture Dr intersection right by the interchange...
-- Reroute Venture Dr and converge Venture Dr and Gwinnett Place Mall intersection to the traffic signal just before Satelite Blvd.
-- Eliminate the Breckinridge Blvd intersection with Pleasant Hill Road, install slip lanes that allow entry from Breckinridge directly to I-85 North, All southbound Breckinridge traffic uses Steve Reynolds Blvd. Traffic wishing to merge onto Pleasant Hill Rd uses Club Dr.
-- Eliminate the Koger Blvd intersection - Install feeder road behind the offices, access feeder road from Sweetwater Rd.

That will eliminate about 5 - 6 traffic lights in that area with the only MAJOR inconvinience would be Breckinridge traffic trying to get onto Pleasant Hill Rd which could still be accomplished using Steve Reynolds or Club Dr.

[cqholt]

The most recent and very successful project I remember occured with Gwinnett County's Buford Hwy / Pleasant Hill Rd interchange conversion. Used to be a stop light and a railroad crossing and it just completely WRECKED Pleasant Hill and today its pretty free flowing around that area.. so its implying that.. the road HAS the capacity.. it just wasn't optimized.

And how is the pedestrian experience for grade separation projects like that?

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by cqholt

And how is the pedestrian experience for grade separation projects like that?

Well lets look at it this way. That intersection even before grade separation incurred maybe 5 pedestrians day at the very most versus the thousands of cars impacted... who do you think they're going to cater to? That was a fairly rural intersection at one time and still KIND of is but the general pedestrian traffic was further southeast toward Gwinnett Place Mall (and even that is virtually none) so certainly there is going to be almost no pedestrian traffic walking between Gwinnett Place and Alpharetta which is the general purpose of commute on that road, its way too far to walk.

I do recall sidewalks being installed on the ramps however if you must ask... I'm not 100% sure on it, haven't paid attention but I think they are there.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by bu2

Last figure I saw there were 700 commuter cyclists in the Atlanta metro. We spend way too much on that miniscule number while hampering the 97% (including bus riders) who don't take a train or bike.

And I'd be surprised if half those 700 didn't commute to one of our area universities.

The most recent (2016) census estimates have the share of bike commuters at 5200 people in the metro.

That said, there were approximately 27,700 miles of roadway within the Atlanta metro in 2012. In contrast, there are 575 miles of dedicated bike facilities, 2 miles of bus only lanes, and roughly 50 miles of rail transit in the metro.

Is it any wonder that biking is such a small share of the travel mode when it's so under-built compared to other modes? The reason car-riders are such a huge portion of the commute share is because they are prioritized so heavily. Reduce that priority, and people shift to transit, or walking, or biking. We know this. We've observed this.

When you build more roads for cars, all you get is more driving. That is observed, measurable reality. There simply isn't enough room to continue to try and treat cars with so much hyper-prioritization, though. They are not efficient enough to handle travel demands.

So, what can you do? You can shift efforts to those modes which are much more space-efficient. Bus-only lanes instead of general travel lanes, or even HOT & HOV lanes, converting streets into transit-ways, converting lanes into bike facilities, and expanding sidewalks are all far better uses of space than more cars.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

The most recent (2016) census estimates have the share of bike commuters at 5200 people in the metro.

That said, there were approximately 27,700 miles of roadway within the Atlanta metro in 2012. In contrast, there are 575 miles of dedicated bike facilities, 2 miles of bus only lanes, and roughly 50 miles of rail transit in the metro.

Is it any wonder that biking is such a small share of the travel mode when it's so under-built compared to other modes? The reason car-riders are such a huge portion of the commute share is because they are prioritized so heavily. Reduce that priority, and people shift to transit, or walking, or biking. We know this. We've observed this.

When you build more roads for cars, all you get is more driving. That is observed, measurable reality. There simply isn't enough room to continue to try and treat cars with so much hyper-prioritization, though. They are not efficient enough to handle travel demands.

So, what can you do? You can shift efforts to those modes which are much more space-efficient. Bus-only lanes instead of general travel lanes, or even HOT & HOV lanes, converting streets into transit-ways, converting lanes into bike facilities, and expanding sidewalks are all far better uses of space than more cars.

To some decree this is true yes... But I have lived in cities with all of these options as well and I just must note while it definitely helps, it didnt eliminate traffic.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I-85 in DeKalb is 2 miles from the MARTA line, and it's not particularly accessible. And Armour would be a more useful connection point than Doraville.

But anyway, that wasn't the point. The point is that you could run a light rail right in the median of the freeways, with minimal construction, and losing only the HOV lane and one other lane.

Heavy rail is a little trickier, and less flexible, and requires more space and all that. So for that you'd have to delete even more lanes (even less feasible).

I noticed that CFPT has asked whether we will connect the Beltline, Amtrak, and the Red/Gold lines with a new infill MARTA station at Armour Yard.

That would be interesting.