Atlanta Forward transportation readers responded on our blog to two recent columns: In one, MARTA CEO Keith Parker described how the agency was seeking new initiatives such as transit-oriented developments (TODs). The other focused on the fact that metro Atlanta's congestion, while bad, is at least predictable; in other words, you should be able to plan your way efficiently around the mess. Here is a sampling of their comments:
Road Scholar: Our congestion is predictable? So is the air quality, and as congestion continues and gets worse, people are moving to Atlanta. Like it or not, we have to try/expand transit as a solution.
Chris: Timing red lights would be a commen sense cheap start.
Andrew: I think we've opted for the de facto transportation plan which is "Enjoy Your Car!" Because there is almost zero relief coming your way.
Zeke: All it takes is a little common sense, knowledge of the area and intelligence. I moved to Atlanta in the mid-1980s. I lived in Marietta and worked in Doraville. The only time I was ever delayed or late was when there was a big wreck on the perimeter. Then I lived in Mableton and worked at the CNN Center. It never took me more than 30 minutes to get to work, unless there was a major wreck on I-20. You have to learn the area, the roads and, if you do not have a reasonable sense of direction, use a map!
Sawb: I applaud MARTA in their pursuit of new revenue streams and hope that by doing so they can improve services. However, while I like the concept of the live, work and play community, we really have to be realistic when it comes to their practicality. We are constantly told by urban planners that we should live and work in the same community, but most of these folks have tenured university jobs or lifelong government employment the average person does not. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of 2012 the average tenure on a job was 4.6 years. The average person cannot afford nor do they desire the hardship of moving every few years. Most people find a community that they wish to live in and then simply commute to wherever their job happens to be regardless of the distance – this is just reality. Work, live and play communities do provide a nice lifestyle for a few people, but are not and probably never will be practical for most of us.
Shamehia: We've had MARTA for years. It's not expanding' in fact it's shrinking when you factor in bus route shutdowns. So its role in Atlanta traffic management has probably maxed out. Ditto teleworking — most employers who were going to implement it have probably done so by now. Vehicle traffic congestion worsens every day. All those cars and trucks aren't going away. The only solution, unpalatable as it may be, is to keep pouring asphalt. And we need to get started, we're already way behind the curve.
DeborahinAthens: I was just out in San Francisco and San Mateo. Those two cities are robust and bustling. Atlanta? Not so much. I am a native Atlantan, and, in the past five to ten years Atlanta seems like it is slowly dying. The businesses we get to move here are not the types of companies that hire lots of people and pay very well. The people in Atlanta are angry and frustrated. It's almost like the whole city has road rage. Any moves to improve any sort of real growth is going to have to address our traffic problems. We will never have a vibrant rapid transit system. As soon as I retire, I am leaving this backward state.
