Atlanta traffic (Duluth, Buckhead: sales, real estate, crime)

[PKCorey]

In my experience in Orlando and Tampa last week was that even with traffic, you have so many options with the various toll roads and surface streets that you can avoid the traffic congestion.

Coming back from Clearwater on Saturday, it was an accident on I-4. I jumped off at 417 and going onto John Young and driving the surface streets back to the hotel.

If it was 75 or 85, you would be stuck in the congestion unless you had a parallel state highway.

[ATLTJL]

A lot of it seems to be a matter of priorities.

$9.9 billion of Florida's $77 billion 2015 budget goes to the dept. of transportation, or 12.86% of the state's spend.

Rail News - Florida DOT to receive $9.9 billion in state budget, Gov. Scott says. For Railroad Career Professionals

In contrast, $856 million of Georgia's $20.8 billion 2015 budget is earmarked for GDOT. That's only 4.12% of our spend.

http://gbpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2...t-Overview.pdf

So Florida spends more than 3x the percentage of its budget on transportation than Georgia does. Not bad for a state without an income tax.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

That NS line is absolutely perfectly situated, and in fact, MARTA mirrors it in much of Atlanta, presumably taking advantage of the right of way. I know because both tracks went right behind my apartment in Buckhead and I used to watch them go by all the time. My big question is why can't this extend further up, at least into Duluth and maybe beyond? Everyone says the right of way is the most expensive thing….well, in this case, it's RIGHT THERE! All you have to do is lay down some track, and I know that's not expensive, and build a few bridges. Maybe that's pricey, but I know it ain't no $200 million per mile.

So please explain to me why this beautiful right of way is laying right there, the land already graded for rail, and we act like it would be such a big deal to throw down some MARTA tracks alongside it….just like we already did in Buckhead.

What's the big hold up?

Good point, ATLTJL.

I also agree with your post about spending priorities. If Florida can spend more on transportation why can't we?

[PKCorey]

Plus their gas was .30 cheaper than here!

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

In my experience in Orlando and Tampa last week was that even with traffic, you have so many options with the various toll roads and surface streets that you can avoid the traffic congestion.

Coming back from Clearwater on Saturday, it was an accident on I-4. I jumped off at 417 and going onto John Young and driving the surface streets back to the hotel.

If it was 75 or 85, you would be stuck in the congestion unless you had a parallel state highway.

I tend to find the same options in Atlanta...maybe not toll roads, but definitely surface streets. Whatever my destination, I always know at least 2 routes that will take me there and different ways I can avoid the freeways altogether. It's really not hard, and I challenge all of the folks complaining about traffic to try it.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

I tend to find the same options in Atlanta...maybe not toll roads, but definitely surface streets. Whatever my destination, I always know at least 2 routes that will take me there and different ways I can avoid the freeways altogether. It's really not hard, and I challenge all of the folks complaining about traffic to try it.

It depends on your part of town and its not one straight shot either. You have to turn onto numerous other roads to make it to your destination since so many of the roads end. I know about 5-6 ways home from the Perimeter area or North Druid Hills and none of them are straight shots.

In Orlando, you can use 1 road that continues which leads to another and make your way home.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

It depends on your part of town and its not one straight shot either. You have to turn onto numerous other roads to make it to your destination since so many of the roads end. I know about 5-6 ways home from the Perimeter area or North Druid Hills and none of them are straight shots.

In Orlando, you can use 1 road that continues which leads to another and make your way home.

I didn't say it was always a straight shot (sometimes it is), but just a better alternative than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It's good that you know several routes - I'm sure that is helpful. But some people commenting here don't seem to realize that alternate routes are possible here and follow the other lemmings into traffic hell.

Many of Atlanta's roads are centuries old and more similar to a Boston than to an Orlando...which has probably had roads created from scratch rather than from ancient Indian or wagon trails. I imagine that is part of the difference you find between the two.

[evannole]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

A lot of it seems to be a matter of priorities.

$9.9 billion of Florida's $77 billion 2015 budget goes to the dept. of transportation, or 12.86% of the state's spend.

Rail News - Florida DOT to receive $9.9 billion in state budget, Gov. Scott says. For Railroad Career Professionals

In contrast, $856 million of Georgia's $20.8 billion 2015 budget is earmarked for GDOT. That's only 4.12% of our spend.

http://gbpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2...t-Overview.pdf

So Florida spends more than 3x the percentage of its budget on transportation than Georgia does. Not bad for a state without an income tax.

Agree that Florida does a much better job on transportation, and that Georgia should spend a greater proportion of its budget on it.

That said, Florida has multiple metro areas that have populations of over 1M, while Georgia has only one:

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach: 5.9M
Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater: 2.9M
Orlando/Kissimee/Sanford: 2.3M
Jacksonville: 1.4M

Additionally, Georgia's secondary metro areas (Augusta, 584k; Savannah, 370k; Columbus, 314k; Macon, 230k) are mostly much smaller and much less numerous than Florida's secondary and even tertiary ones (Sarasota, 749k; Cape Coral/Fort Myers, 680k; Lakeland/Winter Haven, 635k; Daytona Beach, 609k; Melbourne, 557k; Pensacola, 474k; Port St. Lucie, 444k; Tallahassee, 376k; Naples, 349k).

Large metro areas typically require much more intense transportation infrastructure investment than areas that are not heavily built up, and so it is not surprising that Florida would spend a greater percentage of its budget on transportation, even if Georgia's network were adequately funded.

Again, though, I agree that Georgia could, and should, do much better.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

I didn't say it was always a straight shot (sometimes it is), but just a better alternative than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It's good that you know several routes - I'm sure that is helpful. But some people commenting here don't seem to realize that alternate routes are possible here and follow the other lemmings into traffic hell.

Many of Atlanta's roads are centuries old and more similar to a Boston than to an Orlando...which has probably had roads created from scratch rather than from ancient Indian or wagon trails. I imagine that is part of the difference you find between the two.

I agree with you. Main issue are the lights aren't timed well either so most of the time, you may as well just stick with the traffic jam on the highway because the surface streets lights are so out of whack.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

I agree with you. Main issue are the lights aren't timed well either so most of the time, you may as well just stick with the traffic jam on the highway because the surface streets lights are so out of whack.

Not all of them are out of whack...I know of several that I use almost daily that are very helpful in avoiding traffic. I agree that some of them could use some help in moving traffic along and making them a more convenient option.