In August of 1988 the power ballad “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” by the rock band Cinderella was released. Five years later, on Aug. 1, 1993, the toll portion of Ga. 400 opened for business. To you, the two might be unrelated. One a sappy song by an 80s hair band, the other, the beginning of a 20-year long run of toll collecting between Sandy Springs and Buckhead. With the announcement last week from the State Road and Tollway Authority that the Ga. 400 toll would go away for good this November, the pessimist in me thinks, at least in the short term, we might miss it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not, and have not been in favor of the toll on Ga. 400. The only true tolls that I support, would be tolls that tax out of state drivers on Interstate 75, Interstate 85 and Interstate 20. To me, the revenue that could be raised from travelers that use our interstates to pass through town on their way to other destinations, is the only logical way to administer tolls in the metro area. Very few out of town drivers use Ga. 400. Of all the roads to toll in Atlanta, that one made the least sense to me.
However, the removal of the toll, while applauded by drivers unilaterally, might not be the best thing for traffic. At least in the short term. Traffic should and probably will, get worse.
Ga. 400 between Interstate 285 and Interstate 85 is no picnic now, with the toll. When the toll comes down, I expect a rather large surge of traffic between Sandy Springs and Buckhead.
I took an informal survey on facebook and twitter, asking area drivers if they ever changed their route to avoid paying the four-bits on Ga. 400. A large number of respondents said, yes, they often will take a longer route just so they don’t have to pay the 50 cents to use Ga. 400. Some cited financial reasons, other said it was a political decision after the tolls were left up longer than originally promised.
Once the toll is removed, these drivers will probably start using Ga. 400 more often. More drivers means more delays.
Another worry that I have is the lack of law-enforcement on the road right now. I’ve discussed this before in this column. The strip of Ga. 400 southbound between I-285 and the toll plaza is a no man’s land of speeders. There are hardly any police or speed enforcement units on the road and I routinely see people driving up to, or over 90 mph heading to the plaza, even though the posted speed limit dips well below 55 while approaching the tolls.
Bottom line: once the tolls are gone, there has to be more speed enforcement on the road.
Yes, I am happy that the Ga. 400 tolls are going away. Yes, I think they were no longer needed. But I can’t help but think back to my sophomore year of high school and that over played Cinderella song. We might not know what we’ve got, till it’s gone.
About the Author
