Removing interstates ITP

[MichiganderTexan]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Speaking of which, what is the progress with the Stitch project?

There's a website for it but not sure how often they update it.

https://thestitchatl.com/project

[FriscoEGS]

Sadly GDOT would never let this happen, neither would the people living in Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, or any of the other northern counties. the only thing that is even in the realm of possibility is closing 400 south of the glenridge connector, with a parkway going in its place.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by KSM0984

How about getting better lighting on the interstates? So many dead areas that are dark and dangerous to drive in.

I tend to agree but unfortunately unlike many states, GDOT does not foot the cost of operating the night lighting, the local counties do and they would have to agree to foot the bill to keep them operating.

What would be nice is if they implemented solar panels and batteries in the fields of some interchanges and used LED's for the night lights.

[arjay57]

I would be okay with taking them out, although they do come in handy for running down to the airport.

[LTCM]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I tend to agree but unfortunately unlike many states, GDOT does not foot the cost of operating the night lighting, the local counties do and they would have to agree to foot the bill to keep them operating.

What would be nice is if they implemented solar panels and batteries in the fields of some interchanges and used LED's for the night lights.

The operating cost to the city/county includes resolving any damages. This came up when people where stealing the copper wire out of them a while back, the expense to fix the vandalism falls onto the municipality. That's why the Marietta lights were dark for so long.

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

We're too far deep into car-dependent society to make any meaningful impact by making a single adjustment (I.E. removing Interstates), simply put.. ..you need a feasible alternative in place before you can remove a major artery. The reason congestion tolling for example works in places like London is because they already have an excellent transit network.

Absolutely, and that's what people don't realize. You can't just cut down major roads overnight and expect everyone to adjust just fine.

In Atlanta's case, any transit feasibility pretty much ends once you leave Fulton County. Add onto the fact that the suburban counties are not dense enough or built in any meaningful way to make mass-transit practical when considering cost vs feasibility. They are very sprawly and unwalkable with no grid and that makes it difficult to commute to transit stations. *SNIP*

This is incorrect. The park and ride model works well. You don't need transit from a person's doorstep, especially when you're talking about alternatives to the interstates which are a natural funnel from the suburbs.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Absolutely, and that's what people don't realize. You can't just cut down major roads overnight and expect everyone to adjust just fine.

This is incorrect. The park and ride model works well. You don't need transit from a person's doorstep, especially when you're talking about alternatives to the interstates which are a natural funnel from the suburbs.

Yea but how many commuters are park and ride models really taking off the road? Park and Ride model is what DART relied heavily on but by the time you drive to a station you pretty much may as well drive the rest of the way. The only way I would use it is if it provided some meaningful advantage to driving which usually only happens when parking is impractical. The Park and Ride models in the suburban counties will still have the same or greater commute times. I suppose with a rail it would be better. I did use Park and Ride while I was in NJ and rode the train into Penn Station into New York but it avoided a ton of traffic and tolls, as well as defeated the high parking costs in Manhattan.

In Europe, the suburbs are denser and more walkable where as America suburbs focus on large streets, strip centers, isolated residential hoods with one way in/one way out entrances, ect. Its so much easier to walk to a transit station in the EU than the US making it possible for transit to more effectively serve direct residents and businesses.