I-85, Clairmont, and Briarcliff Road (Atlanta, Decatur: landscaping, maintenance, living)

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Edit: Most of the delays are just for a few hours a day. Reworking the intersection so the buses get to bypass the queue and get their own priority light are the solution if the delays end up being more than 5 or 10 minutes getting through that area at peak times. But that could still come after the initial ART implementation. It also could be a good phased approach towards a long term plan of BRT operating in that corridor.

How do you rework the area so that busses get through the rest of the traffic? Close other lanes to cars, leaving the road to one lane each way?

Originally Posted by jsvh

Correct. Which would also bring additional traffic to the area. No thank you.

This is truly pathetic thinking. By this measure, we should never fix any road issue whatsoever because it might bring more people. Instead, we should leave bottlenecks and inefficient intersections as is, in order to try to persuade people into something else? The area is already clogged. Even increasing time to get through by 100% isn't going to suddenly entice twice as many people to go there.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Hear, hear!

People get way too hung up talking about commuter traffic. That's just a small sliver (about 20%) of the people on the road. The vast majority of drivers are shopping, going to the doctor, picking up kids, visiting friends, transporting goods and services, and a million other things.

Exactly. I have used that intersection hundreds of times and it has never been for commuting. There is not any conceivable mass transit solution that would replace my driving through that intersection. Its a key route in Dekalb County.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by architect77

Get Professional Help!

You'd be kicked out of any serious meeting of engineers or any mobility study.

Effed up interchanges and backed up clpouds of exhaust fumes does not inhibit or encourage more people to drive!

You're supposed to make the best of what you have not leave dangerous conditions trying to discourage travel by car

I'll bet you know nothing about this area or even use public transit daily.

His opposition to cars can sometimes be frustrating, but its good to have different viewpoints and he's never rude with it.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

How do you rework the area so that busses get through the rest of the traffic? Close other lanes to cars, leaving the road to one lane each way?

Clairmont has ten lanes of traffic crossing under I-85. I have minimal concerns about finding a way to give up a couple of the four turn lanes or two separated "U-turn" lanes for buses to flow through the area quicker when the area needs more capacity.

Originally Posted by samiwas1

This is truly pathetic thinking. By this measure, we should never fix any road issue whatsoever because it might bring more people.

What road issue are you trying to fix? I said I support some incremental safety improvements. The only "fix" you appear to want is more cars funneled into this area. You don't even seem to be proposing anything in particular, just supporting whatever increases the number of cars. Do you think Clairmont @ Briarcliff should be rebuilt with an overpass as OP proposed? Maybe you should throw out some specifics of what exactly you are advocating for here.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Clairmont has ten lanes of traffic crossing under I-85. I have minimal concerns about finding a way to give up a couple of the four turn lanes or two separated "U-turn" lanes for buses to flow through the area quicker when the area needs more capacity.

Okay...so you're going to remove lanes from an area that is not adequately serving current demand in order to put in a "higher capacity" option that likely fewer people will use. Sounds like a solid plan. The problem isn't getting through the intersection, it's getting TO the intersection. Where are you going to have the special lanes for these busses to even get to the intersection?

What road issue are you trying to fix?

Really? Really, jsvh?

The only "fix" you appear to want is more cars funneled into this area. You don't even seem to be proposing anything in particular, just supporting whatever increases the number of cars.

No, I want the roads to adequately serve the existing demand (and that which had been demanded for many years). If it backs up for 1/2-3/4 of a mile and takes 15 minutes to get through a single intersection, that is a problem that should be dealt with. That intersection under 85 deals with over 40,000 vehicles per day, one of the busiest roads ITP. Seeing that it's one of the few routes you can take to get from in-town to the Chamblee area, I don't know what alternate routes people are taking that they would suddenly switch to this route if we could get 45,000 cars through at 5 minutes each instead of 15-20 minutes each. I now work up there, and take this route often. I have yet to find another that is worthwhile.

[/quote] Do you think Clairmont @ Briarcliff should be rebuilt with an overpass as OP proposed?[/quote]

No. I specifically stated so just a few posts back.

Maybe you should throw out some specifics of what exactly you are advocating for here.

I did. I don't know how many times I can repeat the same thing.

[jsvh]

And what if the wider roads are still not enough to serve this demand? Are there any limits to how far you will take this attempt to widen your way out of traffic congestion before you accept it is not the solution?

Edit. Too relevant to resist:

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

And what if the wider roads are still not enough to serve this demand? Are there any limits to how far you will take this attempt to widen your way out of traffic congestion before you accept it is not the solution?

Can you quote where I said we need to widen the road? I'll be waiting.

[Beretta]

Folks - please be civil so that this thread doesn't have to be closed down. This is not directed at any particular poster. Thank you all!

[jsvh]

Sam- You are proposing rebuilding the roads / interchange in that area to increase the number of cars, correct?

[architect77]

It is insulting to get the same tone-deaf statements over and over.

It has been stated a million times that solving congestion is not the reason for road capacify to stay commensurate with population.

The thread is about making an exit to an arterial road function better and smoother that it currently does. No expansion of capacity is involved, but rather dealing with the same traffic better with less pollution from idling.

A fifth grader reading the original post would get that.

********
Only here in Georgia would GDOT crews come and install a brand new sign and not shore up the posts that are falling over from the old sign.

Unbelievable how little they care about doing their jobs well with at least some effort.

These enormous signs are no match against the forces of the wind and the posts are too skinny and the wrong shape to grip to the soil.

They need a beefier standard post shaped like maybe a hat channel that would grip the earth better when there's no concrete footing.

But this sign needs to be like the other shoulder signs through downtown using wide flange steel posts bolted to concrete footings.

I sent the above to District 7 office of GDOT.

Georgia will continue looking shoddy with its infrastructure until instances like this are unheard of.

What a waste of everyone's time and efforts to come install a new sign that's falling over exactly like what it replaced.
IMG_0023 - Copy by Stephen Edwards, on Flickr