ISSUE IN-DEPTH: TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Working together, we can find smart solutions to our traffic woes

Smarter transportation systems have the potential to enhance our daily commutes.

Atlanta traffic is unbearable, if not downright dangerous, on roads choked with cars driven by frustrated, tired and angry commuters. We are so vexed by traffic that a large percentage of us are staying home, according to a May 2008 study. Of the 4,000 drivers surveyed in 10 U.S. major metropolitan areas, Atlanta drivers experienced the second-highest level of commuting difficulties, behind only Los Angeles.

At the same time, the U.S. Census Bureau ranks metro Atlanta number two in the nation for total population growth of metropolitan areas in the past year. The Atlanta Regional Commission recently reported explosive growth for the city of Atlanta, which has seen its population increase 15 percent in just eight years.

While this speaks well to the region’s success in attracting new residents and business, this level of growth comes at a heavy price when we’re driving across town to go to work, shop at our favorite mall or enjoy a nice dinner with friends.

Atlanta’s congested roadways are costing us more than $2.5 billion in wasted hours and more than 96 million gallons of excess fuel every year. Some of the biggest waste is just driving around downtown looking for a place to park.

State and local officials have made clear their intent to tackle the region’s traffic issues in 2009. The state Legislature is considering a sales tax amendment for transportation in metro Atlanta, and the state will benefit from the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package to provide much-needed funding for regional transportation projects.

This presents an unprecedented opportunity for the Atlanta community to come together and develop smarter solutions to our traffic problems with an eye toward the future.

No doubt, the causes of Atlanta’s burgeoning traffic congestion are many and complex. As such, we need to stop focusing on pieces of the problem by simply adding a new bridge, widening a road, establishing commuter lanes or encouraging carpooling.

While all of these traditional methods are still critical, we need to look at relationships across the entire system. Traffic isn’t just a line of cars; it’s a web of connections. By infusing intelligence into the entire system —- our streets, bridges, intersections, signals and tolls —- we can improve our commutes, give better information to city planners, increase our productivity and raise our quality of life.

You’re wondering, how does this work? Data collected from cameras and sensors can be linked to databases that track information on speed, traffic volume, incidents, weather or emissions. This information can be analyzed and leveraged to produce new capabilities impossible only a few years ago such as predictive traffic modeling, congestion charging and real-time monitoring.

Smart traffic may not yet be the norm, but it’s not some pie-in-the-sky concept we’ll see only in the movies. IBM is working with cities such as Stockholm, Singapore, London and Brisbane to better manage congestion and pollution through initiatives ranging from traffic prediction and modeling to smart, dynamic toll systems.

Already in Stockholm, congestion has been reduced by 25 percent, pollution has been reduced by anywhere from 8 to 40 percent depending on what kind of emission is being measured, and public transportation usage has increased by 40,000 riders per day.

The benefits of a smarter transportation system are within Atlanta’s reach, too.

With the combination of public policy, innovative thinking and collaboration among government, business and individual citizens, we can find smart solutions to Atlanta’s traffic problems that will ensure our continued growth and will serve as an example to the rest of the country.

> Shedrick Harrison Jr. is senior state executive for Georgia for IBM.