Posted on 07/13/2009 6:27:35 AM PDT by La Lydia
I suspect that's the same problem in Atlanta.
Actually, the amount of "through" traffic in Atlanta is huge. The last study I saw put it at around 25% of all traffic over the course of a day (going from memory here). I-75 is one of 2 significant routes to Florida from the north, with the other being I-95. It's highly evident during spring break when the north/south traffic is much higher.
The I-285 bypass loop around Atlanta is essentially useless for travelers trying to bypass the city. Each interchange on the loop is a small city of its own, and commuter traffic is huge. It's faster to drive straight through the city.
I routinely drive through Atlanta on my way to Florida. I find that if I want to avoid major traffic jams and stoppage, I have to be through Atlanta by 0630 in the morning. In other words, I have to get up at 0300 hrs and be on the road by 0430 or I can easily add 1 hour to my drive time due to Atlanta's traffic.
The extremely limited access lanes on I-75 were an idea that was passed around several years ago. I-271 in Cleveland, OH has them and they work well there. But Atlanta's liberal politicians decided that the HOV lanes were a better idea so travelers get to mingle with commuters. Got to kiss the backside of the tree huggers once in a while, I guess. Even at the detriment of your own constituency.
It started out that there were not a lot of “park and ride” facilities...After a long while “park and ride” facilities started to pop up, and those places support both the bus ridershhip and the HOV lanes...Because at most of them now you can get up and on the HOV lanes from those places...
They learned, yet I still feel the efforts are under-utilized...
We can work some limits here for guestimating precisely how much of that traffic is from out of town.
What we have with this premise is that a local would generate 10 trips and an out of towner would generate but 2 trips. It would take 5 out of towners to equal one local.
With 5.28 million people in the SMSA, you'd need out of town traffic representative of 26.50 million people driving through every day.
Not likely that happens.
What that means is that out of town traffic is definitely less than half the traffic on the interstate in question, and probably more like 2%, just like the DC area, which is also on I-95 and which is much closer to a far higher population area than Atlanta.
:-)
Maybe I should start over. I can drive from my little place near Grapevine Bridge on the Hanover/Henrico County Line to Sterling, VA in 1 1/12 Hour if I leave at the right time and take the back ways along the way. (Different backways for different times of day.)
Sure has gotten complicated. Was just saying I can see how you make the trip into downtown Richmond in the time period you stated. Don't ask me what time period. I have lost that memory, LOL!
I don't doubt that in rush hour, local traffic greatly outnumbers through-traffic. But at other hours, it isn't that way. When I venture through Atlanta at 0530 or so, many of the vehicles that are travelling southbound heading into Atlanta have non-Georgia plates. More than half at that point. I would venture to say, and this is an educated guess based on observation, that in the wee hours of the morning, more than half the traffic travelling through Atlanta is out-of-state traffic passing through town.
I've made this trip 6 times this year already, so I'm not just passing through occasionally.
Think of how many thoroughfares funnel into I-75. I-71 brings Cleveland and Columbus into I-75 (although Cleveland can take I-77 to I-26 to I-95 if they're going to the Atlantic coast). Virtually all of Michigan must follow I-75 to Florida (and there are a great number of Michigan license plates on I-75 on any given day as a result). Chicago (and areas north) has to take I-65 south and either cut across I-74 from Indianapolis to Cincinnatti or across I-24 from Nashville to Chattanooga and I-75. Ditto for all of Indiana.
Pretty much all of Wisconcin, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and areas westward have few choices if travelling by car. From Memphis south, there are other reasonable choices, but even then, if they travel through Birmingham, Alabama, they will likely take I-20 into Atlanta and then take I-75 south from there.
The truck traffic is enormous as well.
There are changes outside of Atlanta that would certainly help. An interstate highway from Montgomery, Alabama to Tallahassee, Florida would relieve a lot of I-65 traffic from having to funnel into I-75 north of Atlanta. There was also talk a few years ago of an interstate highway from Knox County (Knoxville, TN area) to Savannah, Georgia. This would certainly accomodate some north-south traffic, but given the location, it will likely never be built.
It would appear the out of towners use those early morning hours to EVADE the locals!
Not true.
Dave, I live here and I know how to get there without getting stalled by traffic.
Dave, I live here and I know how to get there without getting stalled by traffic.
Absolutely! That is why I make sure that I leave early enough to get through Atlanta by 0600 Hrs. I mean all the way through and out the other side by 0600 hrs.
Incidentally, my afternoon rides through aren't as bad, but I tend to plan my trips to pass through Atlanta between 1 and 3 PM. After 3 PM, you get the afternoon rush hour traffic.
Texas finally squashed this over the Trans Texas Corridor and sell/leasing Texas roads to outsiders.
Contact Texas legislators and see what legislation worked there.
This has to be stopped in it’s tracks.
USA Taxpayer monies paid for those roads to be built.
They are selling roads that we all paid for. Not to be allowed!!!
In fact, they are going to encourage more travel, not less. “
Lots more gasoline usage, also.
Hard to be free of foreign oil when you are forcing motorists to drive separately.
They didn’t stop the monster, but they slowed it down. What a huge opportunity for graft and taxpayer cheating that sucker is. Isn’t the Spanish firm still involved? Did the Legislature outlaw their involvement?
During my fifty years in Virginia I knew a lot of wonderful people, and I was known by many people. I also knew lots of arrogant pups like you who only listen to their own voice. You have no idea who I am, nor do I know, or care, who you are. Your boastful and combative self is obvious, and probably masks some deep seated feelings of inadequacy, which you, no doubt, have in abundance.
You are a strange little whippersnapper ~ no sense of humor ~
You are correct. I assume you are avoiding them because of that fact?
Wow. If I did that on I-270 near DC where I live, I'd be looking at a possible $500 fine and 1 point. Ouch.
Bless your heart.
Just hold your tongue there sonny.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.