A wreck, driver confusion and just way too many cars caused many commuters today to doubt whether Gov. Nathan Deal has much of a traffic plan.
The governor, with much fanfare, announced a plan during his state of the state address in January to turn a portion of the Ga 400 shoulder into a traffic lane. From 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday the shoulder would be open from Holcomb Bridge Road to the North Springs MARTA exit. The plan was to get traffic moving faster than a snail's pace during the so-called rush hour.
It didn’t work Monday.
“Traffic was worse today than normal,” said Amitabh Singh.
It may have been because there was a wreck.
The southbound lane north of Northridge Drive still resembled a parking lot after 9:30 a.m. as police worked the wreck near the interchange. Drivers said they were confused over where to use the extra lane and where they were prohibited from using it. They described traffic that was either "the same" or "worse" than any other commuting day. More than one used the word “nightmare” and others used more lurid descriptions.
Michele Goldstein traveled from Windward Parkway and used the shoulder lane but still took an hour to make her exit at Abernathy Road near the Sandy Springs MARTA rail station.
As a seasoned Ga. 400 driver she was philosophical. She didn’t expect a miracle of a clear path from a gubernatorial act.
“I did drive it and it was O.K.,” she said. “This is traffic in Atlanta.”
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