Why do Atlanta drivers keep going the wrong way on highway/interstate on ramps? (Buckhead: 2014, store)

[PKCorey]

Most of our ramps aren't cloverleafs ramps so it makes it easy for these drunks to get onto the wrong side of the highway.

Feel sorry for the guy who was killed by this idiot...

[Tarzanman]

I have heard more than one person say that the signs around metro Atlanta do not lend themselves to idiot-proof comprehension. I am inclined to agree somewhat if you compare to other locales.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

Why do Atlanta transplants drive the wrong way on our roads? I pretty sure this driver was not born in Atlanta city limits

Yes, because native born drivers are so skilled at driving....of course.

Neither Atlanta nor any other part of the country has a monopoly on drunks or stupid people, and unfortunate crashes like these happen. In general though, if I were to put the south up against any other part of the country in aggregate (with obvious generalizations applying), the south would rank at the bottom or very close for driving.

You may disagree, but I drive all over the country throughout the year. Southern drivers in general and Atlanta drivers specifically are just bad drivers more than they're good drivers. If moving to the south turns you into a bad driver...fine, but the same driving styles are not as rampant in other places. My personal opinion is it's due to the lax enforcement of traffic laws in Georgia. Tolerating speeding, tailgating, lack of turn signal, and other traffic violations sets up the mindset that it's OK to break the law.

[RoslynHolcomb]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

I have heard more than one person say that the signs around metro Atlanta do not lend themselves to idiot-proof comprehension. I am inclined to agree somewhat if you compare to other locales.

I can't say it enough. I haven't been drunk since boot camp in 1982 and it's bloody difficult to navigate in this town due to poor signage. For a city that has as many visitors as it does I'm amazed the carnge is not significantly higher.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

Exactly...this is obviously not a problem unique to Atlanta.

Exactly. Seems like it happened on a semi-regular basis in Charlotte when I lived there, especially on I-485.

[ATLTJL]

It's true, Atlanta's entrance ramps are not always labeled well.

I was trying to get onto I-85 southbound from Camp Creek Parkway and couldn't believe how horrible the ramp was. I missed it the first time because even though there was a sign a few feet in front of it, my though was this couldn't be an entrance ramp. The way it angled, it looked too much like a ramp from the highway that was joining up with Camp Creek. You really feel like you're going the wrong way on it. Some of you may know the ramp I'm taking about, and it isn't really very clearly marked.

Also, the ramp to get onto Howell Mill from I-75...remember when teh truck driver careened off that? Left side ramps are NEVER a good idea.

Similarly, I can't figure out how people aren't killed every single day trying to merge onto GA 400 from I-285 on that ramp that joins 400 in the LEFT lane and gives drivers like 100 feet to try to merge from a 35 mph ramp onto the FAST LANE of GA 400. It's completely ridiculous.

It's true there are idiots everywhere. However, if you look at how Atlanta is laid out and how it's labeled, I think our roads are just inherently more dangerous.

[JonSavage]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Similarly, I can't figure out how people aren't killed every single day trying to merge onto GA 400 from I-285 on that ramp that joins 400 in the LEFT lane and gives drivers like 100 feet to try to merge from a 35 mph ramp onto the FAST LANE of GA 400. It's completely ridiculous.

I hate that ramp! I've always thought I was the only one.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I was trying to get onto I-85 southbound from Camp Creek Parkway and couldn't believe how horrible the ramp was. I missed it the first time because even though there was a sign a few feet in front of it, my though was this couldn't be an entrance ramp. The way it angled, it looked too much like a ramp from the highway that was joining up with Camp Creek. You really feel like you're going the wrong way on it. Some of you may know the ramp I'm taking about, and it isn't really very clearly marked.

It is marked and they have a couple signs warning you that is ahead but they need a bigger 85 South sign that is higher and points to the ramp after you cross under the bridges. If you followed the sign to get into the right lane for 85, I don't see how you could mistake it. It looks like most entrance ramps in Atlanta.

[erick295]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I can't figure out how people aren't killed every single day trying to merge onto GA 400 from I-285 on that ramp that joins 400 in the LEFT lane and gives drivers like 100 feet to try to merge from a 35 mph ramp onto the FAST LANE of GA 400. It's completely ridiculous.

That whole interchange is a disaster. Whoever designed it should also get an idiot award.

And there aren't even any street lights!

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Similarly, I can't figure out how people aren't killed every single day trying to merge onto GA 400 from I-285 on that ramp that joins 400 in the LEFT lane and gives drivers like 100 feet to try to merge from a 35 mph ramp onto the FAST LANE of GA 400. It's completely ridiculous.

And you've got people who drive that route regularly always trying to merge from 285 at the last frickin' minute...always irks my nerves. But yes, that interchange could definitely be better designed.