Clark Howard: Traffic could kill Atlanta (Marietta, Smyrna: job market, quality of life, living)

[ATLTJL]

Just wondering if anybody else heard Clark Howard's take on Atlanta.

He said something along the lines of how great Atlanta is, that your money buys more here than in most other places, the weather is great, and we are a city in forest. The quality of life is so good here that no wonder so many people want to come.

But he also said that traffic is completely awful and we absolutely have to get a grip on it. If we don't, Clark said, it will trump everything else and people simply will not want to live in a traffic nightmare regardless of how great everything else is.

Clark didn't make any specific recommendations...I don't know if he's pro-highway, pro-transit, or if he even has an opinion.

The point is, he thinks traffic can single handedly ruin everything else we have going for us if we don't get a grip on it.

I tend to agree. What do you think?

And I don't really care how we do it. But we have to do something.

[afdinatl]

I disagree for the city of Atlanta. If he includes the people OTP then I also disagree because they think traffic is great since theyvoted down the ttransportation bill last year

[jsvh]

Yeah, the city proper will be fine. Those of us that both live and work in the city limits have many growing transportation options to chose from.

Those in the suburbs deal with the brunt of the traffic and I see the suburbs suffering in the coming decades. I know many who deal with 2 hours plus every day in their car and are miserable and looking to escape it. And who can blame them?

[hautemomma]

I think he's got a great point, but L.A. continues to attract people and grow, and they have horrendous traffic as well. On the other hand, I know people who left Atlanta because of traffic - at least, it was among their top three reasons.

Plus, if the suburbs go down, then so too will the COA, which is co-dependent on the 4 million+ suburban residents and the many suburban employers to make the city what it is. Why some city evangelists cannot see this is lost on me, unless they are content to function as a mid-sized town of 400,000.

There needs to be a massive transportation project undertaken to connect all the suburbs and surrounding counties by rail. The suburbs will continue to grow, as will the COA; there's little getting around that. ETA: I've seen estimates that 3 million more people are expected to come to the Metro Atlanta area in the next 20-30 years. The COA cannot contain them, nor would many of them necessarily want to live there, so this needs to be a broad-based regional effort for true impact and sustainability.

[netdragon]

I think traffic is already starting to hurt the metro area as a whole, however it's also helping to concentrate population in the inner metro, so it's a double-edged sword.

There really is NOTHING we can do to improve traffic congestion much long-term. At the Cobb CtP planning session, that was the consensus. Things like toll roads and more transit can provide alternatives and concentrate development into smart-growth TOD. However road traffic will also increase in those areas. Intersection re-alignments and upgrades along with signal coordination can improve traffic flow (not congestion) and improve trip times.

One major weakness in the metro area that probably can be reolved is that the Cobb/Fulton boundary on the Chattahoochee river is a bottleneck. The only areas where there are adequate crossings are in Cumberland and from Marietta Blvd to I-20

[sedimenjerry]

As long as there's a strong economy here the Atlanta region will be fine. Places like Charlotte and Nashville may begin to attract people away from Atlanta but as a whole they can't compete right now. Atlanta traffic has been bad for a while but it hasn't stopped people from moving here (well, I'm sure it has deterred some but not enough to stop Atlanta from growing). NYC and LA traffic is much much worse as a whole but people aren't leaving in droves because they have so much to offer. You can get a great commute in Greenville, SC but can you get a job to support your family and the get the same quality of life as in Atlanta? Sometimes you can, but more than likely you'll be better off in Atlanta. You can even look at the metro area, you don't see everyone leaving the northern suburbs to fill up Fayette County or Newnan County. 85 on the south side is a breeze compared to the north side if you work downtown. But it's not filling up like north Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb or Forsyth county. If Atlanta has LA like traffic with every freeway going to downtown backed up then maybe, but it'll be a long long time before Atlanta will have a job market or population that large (if it ever does). Might have driverless cars by then who knows.

[noah]

Will it stop growth completely, probably not. Will it play a major role in how fast Atlanta can grow? Yes. Anyone who pretends like there is no problem to address isn't looking at it right. Traffic will always be an issue, but Atlanta like any large city has to be proactive about solutions. This is coming from someone who has only lived ITP and Clark by the way also lives ITP.

[hautemomma]

One thing I'd like to also add is that traffic seems to be pretty nightmarish almost no matter where you live here. I know people who live downtown, and sometimes it still takes them 30 minutes to drive a few blocks. Several times I've been in Smyrna, trying to get into the Cascade area during rush hour, still a nightmare. Coming from the south into town, it's still horrendous. Sometimes, it's been as little as 30 minutes from Kennesaw to midtown; other times, up to one and a half hours to reach Marietta from downtown.

Many people I know who live in the city work elsewhere - Alpharetta, Duluth, Kennesaw, Marietta; their evening reverse commute can still stink.

I guess my point is that everyone here, practically is screwed when it comes to commuting, if you have to. Moreover, it's incredibly short-sighted to assume that "living where you work" is a long-term solution, given job changes, company relocations/closures, etc.

[JoeP]

But he also said that traffic is completely awful and we absolutely have to get a grip on it. If we don't, Clark said, it will trump everything else and people simply will not want to live in a traffic nightmare regardless of how great everything else is.

It already is and it's not being addressed seriously. It's not taken seriously. There is little political will to make the major changes needed. I would never recommend anyone moving here.

[AnsleyPark]

Personally, I think traffic woes are over rated. Just my little 'ol opinion...