GS 400 Express Lanes and Bus Rapid Transit

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by architect77

The express lanes have 1 purpose which is to offer an option to use a free-flowing lane(s) with a minimum speed of 45 mph or faster.

If you want that, you can pay for it.

Otherwise they will add some capacity if for nothing else removing those using them from the general purpose lanes.

And said capacity will just get filled right back up in the GP lanes

The Express Lanes are actually ingenious, because with variable pricing to discourage too many from using them at any one given time, they are immune to overload and backups like the fate that eventually comes to free, general purpose lanes.

Not worth it at a cost of $3-4 billion just for GA 400 alone.

The addition of 2 Express Lanes in each direction of Top End I-285 will help immensely. Those willing to pay $5-20 to traverse the NE to NW suburbs will gladly do it and I-285 itself should be less bogged down by a factor of 2/5 (2 extra lanes on 5 existing).

Until the GP lanes fill right back up again.

If you wanted to build rail that would help out the most, it's probably have to connect Cobb to Gwinnett passing through Perimeter Mall area.

Will never happen if express lanes are built on I-285.

There's likely more traffic traversing the Northern Suburbs than going downtown, though rail would be awesome going downtown also.

Again, will never happen as long as the state is blowing over $10 billion on these lanes (and other MMIP projects).

Ridership on Marta seems way down these days with Uber's popularity. The stations are noticeably less crowded from what I experienced.

MARTA ridership is down due to a myriad of factors, Uber is one but even now Uber is crap compared to just a few years ago.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by Gulch

And said capacity will just get filled right back up in the GP lanes



Not worth it at a cost of $3-4 billion just for GA 400 alone.



Until the GP lanes fill right back up again.



Will never happen if express lanes are built on I-285.



Again, will never happen as long as the state is blowing over $10 billion on these lanes (and other MMIP projects).



MARTA ridership is down due to a myriad of factors, Uber is one but even now Uber is crap compared to just a few years ago.

Bottom line is that each state is begging for more industry, jobs, and growth.

Yes, the GP lanes will fill up again, but capacity must be added in some form to accommodate soon-to-be 8 million residents.

Rail is awesome and I hope it is expanded, but it only carries people (not counting existing freight lines), and probably 40% of all interstate traffic is freight, goods, food, etc.

Until people are willing to ride rail transit sitting next to live chickens, mattresses, etc. roads will move the types of stuff that our economy depends on. I don't necessarily like it either.

The Express Lanes will generate revenue which will ultimately pay off the cost to build them.

Georgia's gas tax is now decently sufficient to bring in several billion a year and with a couple more billion in federal gas tax, the system works. Everyone indirectly pays for food to come to their table and products to be delivered to their door. Every business in the country relies on roads to bring their products and employees where they're needed.