Commute time: Alpharetta to Atlanta? (Buckhead: home, school, to live in)

[grnshdw]

Would be looking to live in Alpharetta, work downtown. How long would this commute take? Is it miserable? Any time to leave when it wouldn't be?

[atl1221]

Yes in my opinion it is miserable, one of the worst commutes in the metro Atlanta area. You are easily looking at 45 minutes each way (longer depending on how far off of GA-400 you live). There are simply no easy alternates on the road for this commute. Traffic starts by 6:45-7:00 on GA-400 so if you could leave before that in the AM you might be OK. The afternoon starts backing up before 4:15 PM most days. Don't forget you also have to contend with I-85 and the downtown connector if you are working downtown, which will provide extra delays.

One option is to use the Mansell Road Marta park & ride to take public transportation (bus to the N. Springs transit, train from N. Springs to downtown). You would need to budget probably well over an hour for this commute, but at least someone else would be doing the driving.

[tonygeorgia]

http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx


Drive to the North Springs Marta Station and take the train into downtown. (30 min ride) It's easier and less stress since that area is traditionally one of the worst areas for traffic in metro Atl

[SW30303]

During rush hour, that is a very crappy commute, both ways. Avoid it if at all possible. For the most part, leaving your residence after 7 AM is horrendous on school days ( and that goes for almost anywhere ). There are plenty of threads here with details to tell you even more than what I know personally about commute times, but it would depend probably quite a bit. Rush hours for that area (and most all over) run 7:00-9:30 am or 4:00-6:30 pm, and outside of those times, it can still be rather bad.

I would recommend MARTA if you live somewhat near the North Springs station as already mentioned. I would not do such a commute unless I could work outside rush hour times, either early or late hours, not sure how flexible you are, but the off hours are not a problem for the most part. I know some of my friends who have done this commute said you can easily spend over 90 minutes each way in rush hour, but I don't know all the starting and ending points to give you more details than that.

[dens]

Not that bad unless you have little tolerance for some traffic. I am 2 miles off exit 9 and work in midtown. Leave home at 6:40 and at my desk in 35 minutes. Now if you wait until 7am then 45 minutes. The evenings are worse unless you can leave before 4:30 but never more than an hour and on average 45 minutes. To me that is not bad so in my mind talk of bad traffic is overrated. I love the time in my car to think and either get ready for day or unwind.

[grnshdw]

Thank you all!

[CaniMove]

Originally Posted by dens

Not that bad unless you have little tolerance for some traffic. I am 2 miles off exit 9 and work in midtown. Leave home at 6:40 and at my desk in 35 minutes. Now if you wait until 7am then 45 minutes. The evenings are worse unless you can leave before 4:30 but never more than an hour and on average 45 minutes. To me that is not bad so in my mind talk of bad traffic is overrated. I love the time in my car to think and either get ready for day or unwind.

Does anyone know if it would take only 45 min to get to the 75/285 junction from GA 400 Exit 10 Old Milton Pkwy? Particularly if you left at 7:30am and had to be at work by 8:30am.

I guess that would almost be like going to midtown from Alpharetta.

[SAAN]

Originally Posted by CaniMove

Does anyone know if it would take only 45 min to get to the 75/285 junction from GA 400 Exit 10 Old Milton Pkwy? Particularly if you left at 7:30am and had to be at work by 8:30am.

I guess that would almost be like going to midtown from Alpharetta.

From 400/285 over to Cumberland is 10 minutes in the morning, but your whole deal will be how long it takes you to get down 400 and that all depend on traffic, but i would say 45 minutes- hr would be realistic.

[dichloromethane]

A popular option is to head straight to an Atlanta gym after work, wait for the traffic to subside and go straight home to dinner afterwords. It worked wonders for me, but I don't live in Alpharetta anymore. Maybe things have changed now. I do know that the Forum Athletic Center has a location in Johns Creek(off Medlock Bridge Rd, close to Alpharetta) as well as in Buckhead. I'm sure the larger chains do as well.

Morning traffic is more difficult to skip. Back roads help but not always.

If not? I recommend MARTA and a good podcast series.

[CaniMove]

The gym idea is awesome! Will definitely try that out. The club I go to has a location a couple of exits before the 400 connector, and I can definitely get a nice workout until 6:30pm and then hopefully traffic will be significantly less than at 5:30.