Atlanta traffic is not that bad. Why keep harping about it? (Dallas: mall, move to)

[testa50]

This is by far the first report to come to this conclusion.

Take INRIX's traffic scorecard as another data point. Atlanta ranks #10 out of the 15 "very large" cities in the country, using a pretty mixed and diverse methodology:

http://d2dtl5nnlpfr0r.cloudfront.net...2015-wappx.pdf

It appears accurate that, comparatively, Atlanta's traffic isn't all that bad on the whole.

[residinghere2007]

Due to Atlanta having a limited amount of side streets in comparison to other cities in the Northeast and Midwest in particular, I actually do feel that Atlanta traffic is worse.

FWIW, I think that if you compare only freeway traffic, that Atlanta isn't bad compared to many other cities like NYC, LA, Houston, Chicago, DC, and others, but metro Atlanta is not connected very well and so people are forced to take the freeways due to not having many alternatives, which causes lots of headaches in traffic for Atlanta.

In Chicago for instance, I very rarely take the freeways at all. They have a very well connected street grid, as do most Midwestern cities and Northeastern cities. If you are a native or long time resident, you will find other alternatives of getting around that won't have you stuck in traffic on major thoroughfares or freeways/interstates.

Other cities also have the option of having many more transit offerings. NYC, Chicago, and DC especially come to mind. There are trains in Chicagoland that go all the way to Fort Wayne, Indiana and to Wisconsin, they have a really extensive transit system into the suburbs and people do utilize those options. NYC hands down has an extensive transit system. DC Metro is very extensive as well so even though the freeways have issues for those who like driving on interstates, those who know their way around side streets can and do use them in those cities. Also those who want to sit back and take transit from 30-50 miles away from their jobs, can and do use those available services.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

Due to Atlanta having a limited amount of side streets in comparison to other cities in the Northeast and Midwest in particular, I actually do feel that Atlanta traffic is worse.

FWIW, I think that if you compare only freeway traffic, that Atlanta isn't bad compared to many other cities like NYC, LA, Houston, Chicago, DC, and others, but metro Atlanta is not connected very well and so people are forced to take the freeways due to not having many alternatives, which causes lots of headaches in traffic for Atlanta.

In Chicago for instance, I very rarely take the freeways at all. They have a very well connected street grid, as do most Midwestern cities and Northeastern cities. If you are a native or long time resident, you will find other alternatives of getting around that won't have you stuck in traffic on major thoroughfares or freeways/interstates.

Other cities also have the option of having many more transit offerings. NYC, Chicago, and DC especially come to mind. There are trains in Chicagoland that go all the way to Fort Wayne, Indiana and to Wisconsin, they have a really extensive transit system into the suburbs and people do utilize those options. NYC hands down has an extensive transit system. DC Metro is very extensive as well so even though the freeways have issues for those who like driving on interstates, those who know their way around side streets can and do use them in those cities. Also those who want to sit back and take transit from 30-50 miles away from their jobs, can and do use those available services.

Atlanta lacks arterial roads system. Too many of our roads are left to be 2 lane roads, instead of being upgraded to at least 4 lanes. It appears that during suburban expansion in DeKalb County, they did not invest enough in arterial road network and depended too much on the existing 2 lane road network to move vehicles.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Atlanta lacks arterial roads system. Too many of our roads are left to be 2 lane roads, instead of being upgraded to at least 4 lanes. It appears that during suburban expansion in DeKalb County, they did not invest enough in arterial road network and depended too much on the existing 2 lane road network to move vehicles.

Very true. And DeKalb is the epitomy of the suburban cul-de-sac subdivisions. Freight railroads also limit north/south connections.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Don't you live in Buckhead?

Do you just not leave your house between 3 and 7pm?

About the only time I run into significant traffic in Buckhead is during rush hour. That seems like what you'd expect in any major urban area.

The rest of the time it's easy to zip around.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by testa50

This is by far the first report to come to this conclusion.

Take INRIX's traffic scorecard as another data point. Atlanta ranks #10 out of the 15 "very large" cities in the country, using a pretty mixed and diverse methodology:

http://d2dtl5nnlpfr0r.cloudfront.net...2015-wappx.pdf

It appears accurate that, comparatively, Atlanta's traffic isn't all that bad on the whole.

That's the TTI report I was referring to. I've lived in Dallas and Houston. They aren't nearly as bad as the bad parts of Atlanta. They have bad traffic in more directions, but really can't match north and northeast Atlanta. I was in Seattle recently and don't see how it rates so high. I found it moving ok during rush hour.

Now DC, NYC, LA, SF, Chicago, Boston-yes they are probably worse.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

About the only time I run into significant traffic in Buckhead is during rush hour. That seems like what you'd expect in any major urban area.

The rest of the time it's easy to zip around.

I find it difficult at lunch time. And often on Saturdays.

[st3mpy]

I don't understand. Are we saying that, since the nation as a whole is not addressing our transportation problems, that I should be complacent about our traffic?

That's like walking up to an impoverished man and saying "Don't complain about not eating in 3 days, there is a guy on the next block that hasn't eaten in 4".

Or, "Yeah, I got a D on that test, but 3/4 of the class failed."

It doesn't mean you're in a good spot, it just means everyone is doing really, really poorly.

No wonder our nation is swirling down a toilet...

[ATLTJL]

Precisely.

We could all decide to do nothing about out traffic problem. Because hey, Bombay, Beijing, and Sao Paulo are worse!

[JoeP]

It's easy to say that for people who don't work in areas like Perimeter where those of us in the Ravinia complex wait as long 30 minutes just to cross the traffic light by the complex... only to be forced in the wrong lane by traffic officers and the fight to wait to get on 285 WB.

Think about that. 30+ minutes to get just beyond the door. The journey beyond the parking lot hasn't even started yet.