Atlanta, GA traffic...

[handmade34]

I just finished working in the Atlanta area and had to travel the area everyday... this piece (couple years old but relevant) is of great interest...

I found the traffic intolerable at times


https://www.quora.com/How-can-Atlantas-traffic-problems-be-solved

...The result is that the average commute for over 2.5 million Atlanta workers is 66 miles per day. That is over 165,000,000 miles of collective commuting per day. Many of those commuters travel from one suburban area to another via the I-285 ring.

Atlanta's public transportation system, MARTA, has a ridership of about half a million riders per day and has 48 miles of rail track. However, owing to racism during MARTA's development in the 1970s and 80s (as confirmed by responsible parties at the time), only two counties, Fulton and Dekalb, allowed track to be built. As a result, MARTA does not service the areas where most suburban commuters live and work.

Nor do counties other than Fulton and Dekalb support MARTA financially with a 1% sales tax. Furthermore, Atlanta is the only state capital in the United States that doesn't receive state funding for public transit.

The solution is to end racism and convince outlying areas to see themselves as part of a collective whole - that is, an urban identity and not a suburban one. Once that happens, the solution is dead simple....In other words, what we really need is a leader to end racism, unite Atlanta and then implement a sensible plan....

[shenmue]

1. Trains are cool

[relayerbob]

2. Yes, but ...

our friends on the right voted against the referendums that would have brought MARTA, as well as for road improvements in another election. They'd rather spend their time, money and gas out in the interstate parking lots fuming than give up a couple of bucks. There is no apparent leader in the state interested in any of that.

[Laffy Kat]

3. Wonder if it's worse than Denver? nt

[Travis_0004]

4. Not a surprise that only counties with trains fund them

1% is pretty steep to fund some trains, I can see why people would be against it

Where I live there are battles over 1/4% tax increases

[CurtEastPoint]

5. Since I moved to ATL in 1972, the traffic and growth has been unceasing. Now that...

I am near retirement, I cherish the thought of not having to drive during rush hour.

Race and politics will kill this region unless people get their heads together.

Marta is pitiful. It has been hamstrung from the get-go. By race and politics. Washington's Metro started the same year. Look where they are now. Marta's last station opening (rail extension) was in 2001. Pitiful.

Atlanta has so much going for it. The people, things to do and see but the fucking traffic. Jesus...

[greymattermom]

6. Washington's metro

is in bad shape compared to Marta. I ride Marta every time I go to the airport and moved to an OTP north area near Marta when I retired. They need to build more lines, but try living in some other cities before you say it's pitiful. The brand new Denver train to the plane is light rail and slow. Chicago is ok, but the trains are narrow and crowded. Other cities where I've lived have less traffic, but a very widespread population, so you drive 20 miles to get to anything and there is no public transportation to the airport at all.