JOHNS CREEK: Officials: Plan is a smart way to battle traffic

Motorists idling on congested roads in Johns Creek certainly have muttered “Stupid traffic” a jillion times.

The smart guys at City Hall think they may have at least a partial solution to the endless view of brake lights: an Intelligent Traffic System that automatically makes subtle adjustments to traffic lights as needed and is tied to a manned control center overseeing it all.

All they need is $5 million.

“It really works,” said City Manager John Kachmar, who has implemented similar systems in counties in Maryland and South Carolina. “It keeps traffic moving. We just have to find the money.”

Kachmar said he implemented a similar system in Maryland, which uses mounted cameras to monitor traffic flow, and it cut wait times to a Navy air station from 45 minutes to seven minutes.

The city has inherited about six cameras mounted by the state on Medlock Bridge in 1994. Although some of the fiber optics are in place, the cameras were never hooked up and sat idle for more than a decade.

Ultimately, city officials hope to have more than 30 cameras scattered around the major roads and intersections in the city, said Ken Hildebrandt, public works director. The city also could use advanced traffic sensors buried in the asphalt, he said.

If the devices detect a back-up, they tell the traffic lights to stay on a little longer. But if there’s an accident, the traffic guru at the command center takes over and tweaks the timing of the lights to move cars more efficiently.

Kachmar said he also hopes to have vans that can help move stalled cars or help them get started again, similar to the state HERO program for major freeways.

Bob and Cindy Mossey are often part of the up to 51,000 people who drive through the intersection of Medlock Bridge and State Bridge roads every day. They live in Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County but do much of their shopping and business in Johns Creek.

“I think it [the new system] would be a tremendous help,” Cindy Mossey said. “This is a great area to live except for the traffic.”

Bob Mossey observed that congestion is now fairly constant.

“It’s become an area where there’s no down days,” he said. “Sunday is busy because of church and other activities, and Saturdays are busy with commerce and people running around.”

Johns Creek also wants to coordinate its Intelligent Traffic System with surrounding cities with similar programs. Alpharetta, for example, is hoping to build its own system and has set aside $800,000 for the estimated $3 million price tag. Council member David Belle Isle is hoping to acquire some state funds related to projects already in the pipeline.

Kachmar acknowledged the big sticking point is going to be money, and until the funding source is identified, the project remains a dream, even if it is one officials want.

The Johns Creek project would cost about $5.4 million. State and federal grants are drying up. The city doesn’t have the cash, although it could include the Intelligent Traffic System as a part of a bond issue in the next couple of years.

Brian Gardner, who lives on the Johns Creek-Alpharetta border, often travels Johns Creek roads in his job with an automotive wholesaler. He said anything would help. “I’m encouraged they’re thinking about something,” Gardner said. “They realize what we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis.”