Why Are the Atlanta Expressways So Dark? (Savannah, Tucker: credit, living in)

[Atlanta-Kid]

lol nice quote "Acid Snake" (sounds like an anime quote)
but Whats the point of this
I mean look at all of the second teir cities
Macon only has lights near town
Augusta has lights on their little express into town
Columbus has 185 half lit and only for ft benning
Savannah isnt all that lit either, so basically Atlanta isnt the worst
and the cities I just listed are bigger than Atlanta land wise

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

WRONG! Street lights are paid for by the county or city in which they are located. If the city of Atlanta (or Peachtree City or Savannah or wherever) doesn't want to pay for them, they don't exist or are not turned on.

Nice try trying to blame -- AGAIN! -- the rest of Georgia for Atlanta's shortcomings. Quite frankly, I'm getting sick and tired of it. You arrogant ITP people need to take that freakin damn chip off your shoulder and plank out of your eye!

I actually agree with him, but I wanted to make clear my reason why.

As long as spending for gov't services like these remains in local control, it will always be spotty.

Local gov'ts are smaller and $100,000/yr can sometimes be harder to come up with. Some of our cities have really high taxes to get by, while some are very affluent and can get by with very low taxes.

The other issue is counties/cities might alter -where- they light a highway based on zoning around the highway. Commercial and industrial areas will like the lights and might even demand them, while a new residential townhome development right on the freeway (within view) will lobby against them. There is alot of new unbuffered residential zoning in Dekalb Co. in particular... increasingly along I-85 north.

When it comes to inter-county travel and it's safety a larger entity needs to take on the planning and cost of the route, whether it is the state or a larger regional entity we create (or give power to an existing entity).

The routes need better consistency in safety and planning. The state's lack of care to fund or take on these types of projects and pass them onto local governments typically gets the blame in my book. While local governments are spending money of them now at their choosing, it is by the state's choice to not spend the money and pass on the cost to local governments.

I also don't forget that our state shifts more tax money to rural infrastructure more so than most states. This comes at the cost of urban area's and the people in and around cities paying most the taxes.

A few quick things I'd like to mention to the overall picture.... we don't need lights on all of our freeways. It wasn't actually that long ago I-285 was a rural bypass. It is amazing how much things changer over 30-40 years! (People need to consider this when the ARC is creating 50 year plans)

These are some of the variables I feel that are important to consider:

-Tree/development buffer along freeway (aka lack of lights from the sides, so a driver's can adjust their eyesight to dark conditions... examples... I-75 entering in Cobb vs I-85 entering in Gwinnett; tree buffer vs. industrial district)

-Spacing between exits/ distance of on/off ramps and visibility and ease entering/exiting a freeway safely

-consistency on a whole corridor. There is no sense in switching between lights vs no lights too frequently

-Total amount of traffic

-Curves; grade changes

I think significant portions of 285 and some of the southern freeways south of 285 don't need many lights. I do think our most developed and congested corridors need lights consistently throughout the whole corridor. (ie 85 from 985 to downtown connector, 75 from 575 to the downtown connector, 285's north and northeast corridor, northern portions of 400 (inside 285 there is pretty good development buffers and few exits, except for the buckhead cbd)

[RoslynHolcomb]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

I don't see anyone can miss that exit at all. There are 3 huge 85 South signs before the exit and it's one exit past BrandsMart and Buford Highway. I just can't see this one .

Atlanta metro highways are lit as much as Baltimore/DC Metro area where I grew up. City limits, you have lights, you hit the suburbs and lights becomes few and far between on 95/695/895.

I do miss the lighted overhead signs though. I don't think many of the overhead signs here have lights on them.

Have you ever taken that exit in the dark?

[cqholt]

Great question! The lack of street lighting greatly detracts from the quality of life in the Atlanta area. Almost every major city in the United States has brightly lit roads for safe driving. Atlanta chooses to remain hopelessy backwards.

Several other southern cities lack lights. EG: Birmingham, Nashville, Montgomery, Chattanooga, etc. Florida does a great job with its roads, but its paid by one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. Major interchanges and congested corridors of metro freeways should have lights. Very surprised the Top-End Perimeter has none, even though its heavily traveled.

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

Have you ever taken that exit in the dark?

I'm not the person you're asking, but I have, and it's impossible to miss unless you're really not paying attention. The signs while not independently lit, do a good job of being illuminated by your headlights.

[RoslynHolcomb]

Originally Posted by MattCW

I'm not the person you're asking, but I have, and it's impossible to miss unless you're really not paying attention. The signs while not independently lit, do a good job of being illuminated by your headlights.

Obviously, it's not impossible to miss since I missed it and I was paying attention. The problem is when the exit splits into thirds. The one going south is very easy to miss.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Get tha freak over yourself, pal. If you're mad with my reasoning DEBATE ME ON IT! Anytime...anyplace! I won't hide from my opinions.

You're just upset that that guys like me actually FIGHT BACK against the UNreconstructed madness for a change. You are so used to Atlanta folks stuttering and stammering while everyone else gets to go all "Brokeback Mountain" on us.

Now that we pro-Atlanta folks are stepping up for a change you wanna cry like a baby. Pathetic. Go back to your Rush Limbaugh/talk-radio kool-aid, and refresh yourself on his daily natterings to make yourself feel better.

Me?

I'm gonna be AcidSnake, 24 hours, 7 days a week. This brotha ain't backing down from a doggone fight, and I can go at it until the end of time itself.

BELIEVE IT!

So you admit you were wrong? Good for you. Your Rush Limbaugh comment proves you haven't a clue about me or ANYTHING to do with this subject. You can "push back" as long as you want, march with Louis Farrakhan in the streets and start a new race war if you want ... BUT YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE. Because at the end of the day ... YOUR FACTS ARE 100% WRONG!

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

You arrogant ITP people need to take that freakin damn chip off your shoulder and plank out of your eye!

It's not ITP alone. Ever been on busy roads like McGinnis Ferry out in Forsyth/Gwinnett after dark? Unless you are near Peachtree Parkway, the roads, even 4 lane ones, aren't lit. That's the case all over the state. It's not just an ITP problem at all. But your outburst does raise a good question - why do the local municipalities and counties pay for the lighting of interSTATE highways? Seems to me that would be an appropriate roll for the state.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

Have you ever taken that exit in the dark?

No but I drive past it every day so its just seems weird that you missed it with the sign on the left side before PIB, the exit only signs at GM Plant and Buford Highway.

It's 7 lanes, 3 go straight and 2 each for 85 North or South so its puzzling that you could miss it with all the signs.

[cittic10]

Because.... Street lights ... thems-a european socialism!

Move to Gwinnett. Our roads are lighted. Even the backwoods roads.