Study: Atlanta traffic better than thought (move, freeways, central)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RandyWatson13

Honestly I think its pretty good and WE HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL ROADS compared to most cities. They are in great shape and kudos to GA for them.

Georgia spends less on its roads than most of the nation, so I think the good roads around here are more an accident of climatic conditions than anything else, but you're right that the roads in general here are fairly nice.

Must be nice to be able to afford codding yourself in your car. Me, I'm just happy to not have the car payment anymore...

[Jimmeh]

Not everyone has the luxury of choosing their hours. Probably is nice in traffic with a luxury car, but when I get ready to pay bills I have yet to see one come in from a dealership who wants their car payment and added interest.

[RandyWatson13]

And I knew my post would ruffle feathers but I don't understand doing the same **** over and over expecting a different result or being in a car for hours over and over and it doesn't help the traffic issue. If you are going to get stuck in traffic, might as well enjoy it with a great stereo, 20 way seats, etc etc.

Quite frankly now I understand people that get chauffeurs (and I LOVE to drive) b/c you can get TONS of stuff done now riding in a car instead of driving.

And mind you I am 100% for mass transit and use it.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by RandyWatson13

If you are going to get stuck in traffic, might as well enjoy it with a great stereo, 20 way seats, etc etc.

Quite frankly now I understand people that get chauffeurs (and I LOVE to drive) b/c you can get TONS of stuff done now riding in a car instead of driving.

It's hard to beat a good personal transportation pod. In today's world they are fast, efficient and safe. They're ready to go anywhere, on your schedule. You can easily haul goods, equipment and passengers. And in such comfort and luxury! It's no wonder that the rest of the world is scrambling to catch up.

I also use transit but there's no denying that a car rocks.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RandyWatson13

And I knew my post would ruffle feathers but I don't understand doing the same **** over and over expecting a different result or being in a car for hours over and over and it doesn't help the traffic issue. If you are going to get stuck in traffic, might as well enjoy it with a great stereo, 20 way seats, etc etc.

Quite frankly now I understand people that get chauffeurs (and I LOVE to drive) b/c you can get TONS of stuff done now riding in a car instead of driving.

And mind you I am 100% for mass transit and use it.

My feathers aren't ruffled as I don't have much of a commute myself, but even so I do like my car stereo. It plays MP3s, and that's all I need.

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by AtlantaTrafficSucks

For those of you saying CA is worse than Atlanta? You are wrong.

Have you ever compared actual MPH from point A to point B? I have. I have lived in Southern California for over 20 years and have never experienced traffic as bad as Atlanta.

10mi travelled in North Atlanta takes ~50 minutes. The worst I have ever experienced in LA/Orange County was 2x faster.

I wonder where you lived? I experience 10-15 mph commutes with some regularity. My normal commute to OC isn't bad (60 min for 30 miles), but sometimes I have to work close to home and it's 30-45 minutes even though it's only 7 miles away. Freeway or surface street, I can't avoid it. Sometimes it's even longer when there's an accident.

The difference are the commutes. People typically commute farther in California, because of the more direct freeway system.

If I remember correctly don't Atlanta commuters travel the farthest of any metro, or close to it? And similarly don't LA commuters have among the shortest commutes distance wise?

[jetter2]

Traffic here is slow, but it moves along. I will never forget being parked on the 405 in LA

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Georgia spends less on its roads than most of the nation, so I think the good roads around here are more an accident of climatic conditions than anything else, but you're right that the roads in general here are fairly nice.

Some of it is also because of local option sales taxes. Still, after having lived in the northeast where the roads are like lunar landscapes, the roads here are close to pristine in most places. Even the worst local roads in urban areas like Atlanta are generally no worse than average roads in cities like Philly, NY, Hartford, Boston, etc. I don't worry about dodging potholes here like I did up north. I don't have to take out wheel insurance to protect myself against bent rims and blown tires, like I did up north.

I've driven all over the country, and Georgia has some of the best roads and has been rated accordingly by 3rd parties in lists of the best roads.

[waronxmas]

Urban Mobility (who conducted the study last year this thread was based on) has released their latest data (which can be found here) and Atlanta's congestion and traffic still ranks 13th for all urban areas.

Top 15 Worst Congestion List by Metropolitan Area

1. Washington DC
2. Chicago
3. Los Angeles
4. Houston
5. New York City
6. San Francisco
7. Boston
8. Dallas
9. Seattle
10. Baltimore
11. Denver
12. Minneapolis
13. Atlanta
14. Philadelphia
15 (Tie). Miami, Austin, Orlando

[Dream Chaser]

This is late but Im from Chicago and traffic is worst.I think the reason people think Atl traffic horrible is because everyone is using the same road.The connector is in the center of the city, a large amount commuters in the metro area has the come threw there.Here in Chicago rush hour is from 6am-10am and 2pm-7pm.Chicago has traffic all over place.Lets not talk about downtown area streets.Chicago traffic is pretty much all day.NYC,DC and LA are also worst.