revive285 top end | Discussion Forums

Just Say "NO" to toll lanes!

DavidP — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:37:03 GMT

Toll lanes and/or exchanges are NOT a viable solution. Visit any large city that has them (e.g.: Boston, NYC) during rush hours and try to count the hundreds (thousands?) of vehicles in long lines, spewing fumes and wasting fuel and time. The surrounding areas are ruined, as no one wants to live or work near them. Do we really want to do this to the Chattahoochee River basin and surrounding park lands? Light rail is the only environmentally and socially responsible solution to highway traffic congestion. Toll lanes, or even more non-toll lanes, are not the direction in which we should take our region. Lets not turn it into New Jersey.

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

PIB at Chamblee Dunwoody

SHonda — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:47:03 GMT

I regularly drive I285 top end to and from work. I noticed yesterday that the traffic getting onto I285 from Chamblee Dunwoody and off of I285 and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard was very congested. There was no traffic backing up from I85 yesterday afternoon, but the right lane to exit onto PIB North was still very backed up. Once past the PIB North exit traffic was free flowing. Usually the issue is slow traffic that is backed up from I85.

The new ramp metering from Chamblee Dunwoody does not seem to help anything either. I am not convinced that it makes anything worse but it does not seem to help the matter. Weaving onto and off of I285 is an issue in that location.

I don't really have any suggestions - this is just a comment on observations.

Forum: Are We There Yet?

pay-to-go-fast lanes

scott — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:37:25 GMT

I'm new to this issue, so I'm eager to hear counter arguments to this idea...

Why not have a fast lane with fees that adjust to ensure the lane remains fast? This gives an option for people whose time is very costly (on that particular day), and also could funnel a lot of money towards the creation of other lanes or transportation options (light rail, buses, tax rebates for companies that implement work-at-home policies, 10 hours days, etc). I'd love to know of any studies done showing just how much money a scheme like this could raise. This taxes the people that actually use the service, rather than the system we have now where people who don't drive that much pay a lot for fedex trucks' roadways.

Predictably, I'd also be in favor of tolls.

What if that money could somehow be transfered to drivers in the "slow" lanes? Pay to go fast or GET paid to go slow?

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

Cars cutting in line at interchanges

nedragon — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:06:35 GMT

I think the most frustrating thing are people who drive by 40 cars waiting in line for the interchange just to cut in way ahead of where they should be. An example is on the 400 interchange (400 S to 285 W). If it were one person that didn't know where they were going, it'd be acceptable, however it's a lot of people that seem to think they are special. There are some places in the metro where you can block the jerks off, such as idiots who try to pass on the shoulder (by blocking enough of the shoulder so they can't pass), but the 400 @ 285 interchange has no recourse except try not to let the one person in who decides to cut in right before you. They usually just skip you then and move onto someone further in front of you.

Of course, the 400 @ 285 interchange needs more lanes and flyovers with higher speed limits, but something should be done in the meantime. Maybe a jersey barrier could be set up to make it so that if you don't merge in early enough, you can't get in. Or maybe there should be police monitoring this and ticketing people who obstruct traffic to cut in or who cut across the solid lines. I saw an accident way up ahead a month or so ago caused by one of these cutters slamming on their brakes way up ahead of me because they ran out of room to cut in, and someone rear-ended them. It's sad they won't even get in trouble because they were rear-ended when they were the cause of the accident.

If some people are "too busy" to be bothered waiting in line like everyone else, perhaps we could have toll lane connections from 400 someday if there are ever going to be toll lanes on 285.

Forum: Are We There Yet?

extend study area?

nedragon — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:57:03 GMT

I believe it'd make sense to extend the study area to S. Cobb Drive and Stone Mountain Fwy since both those are in the same markets as the interchanges and contribute quite a bit to traffic at 75/85 respectively. For instance, I believe if improvements end at W. Paces Ferry and don't extend at least to Atlanta Rd and S. Cobb in Smyrna/Vinings, then any interchange improvements to 75 will be negated by back-ups that these two highly congested access points create, considering that people in those areas are much more likely to travel North than South in most cases on 285.

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

Balloons

BlueFord — Thur, 16 Aug 2007 19:19:30 GMT

My co-worker told me this morning that she saw 30 balloons tied to the side of I-285. I don't believe her, though. How would she have had time to count 30 balloons?

Forum: Funniest Thing Seen On The Top End

But what now?

beerman365 — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:49:15 GMT

I'm happy to see that there is some sort of effort to correct the many mistakes that were made when the 285 top end was first designed. In my opinion on-ramps that turn into exit only ramps are probably the biggest design issues the Atlanta interstate system has to offer. That and the total lack of capacity planning.

However are we to suffer for the next 4 -5 years? Once construction begins for improvements traffic will be exponentially worse until the project is complete.

But what do we do in the immediate future for relief until the issues are fixed? In my opinion the only thing we can do is to push companies into allowing more employees to telework. Atlanta's large Information Technology job industry lends itself to such a solution. Even if employees were allowed to telework 2 days a week that would reduce traffic quite a bit.

However, companies need to be convinced that this is not only a good option for traffic and environment related issues but for their own financial reasons. Tax breaks could be issued for companies that allow a certain percentage of workers to telecommute. Individual employee salaries could be reduced in exchange for the benefit of working from home. Facility and utility expenses cut drastically with a workforce that spends 2 or 3 days at home.

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

"BRT" is only an interim solution

nedragon — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:27:12 GMT

I'm sorry, but I'm extremely disappointed with the PR baloney being spread about BRT (or glorified bus routes). I will not ride on BRT -- only light rail. I'd also rather our HOV lanes not be choked up by busses.

I hope that Georgia and regional officials realize that BRT won't satisfy people enough for it to be a final solution. The only "final solution" is light rail along 285. I hope planners are considering the BRT as an interim solution and plan (meaning put aside the money and make sure the space is there) to later add a light rail line between 75 and 85 along the top perimeter by the time the busses are aging. Otherwise, why not get it right the first time?

http://www.lightrailnow.org/features/f_brt008.htm

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

Light Rail

nedragon — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:38:03 GMT

Please create a light rail (not heavy rail MARTA trains) connection between the Cobb Galleria and the N-S line near the North Springs station over the highway or taking advantage of some of the right-of-way. Top that off with a parking garage at the Galleria station, and I'd probably use that to get to work instead of the highway.

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

Construction!

nedragon — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:35:09 GMT

When construction is done, it is often done in ways that interfere with traffic or create road hazards -- either taking over more of the highway than is necessary, or not properly marked ahead of time with warning signs. I've nearly smashed barrels when on a ramp when there was no construction warning signs.

Also, what's with leaving barrels blocking a lane for a long period of time when no work is being done?

Georgia crews need to get better at working in congested areas without interfering so much with traffic flows. I've never seen anything like this when I lived in the Northeast.

Forum: Are We There Yet?

Car stopped in the middle of 285

nedragon — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:31:44 GMT

I saw a car parked in the middle of 285, with all its wheels gone and raised up on a jack. Cars had to go around it.

Forum: Funniest Thing Seen On The Top End

turnaround ramps

nedragon — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:30:09 GMT

As I mentioned in another post, I think one of the biggest contributors to traffic are people having to cut across lanes in order to frantically make an exit. If there were turnaround ramps, which did nothing but directed traffic to the exact opposite direction, people could be less scared about missing an exit and could turn around later on. It could also allow some people to use this as an alternative when one side of an interchange is backed up, and the other is moving smoothly... They can go past the interchange, take the turn around ramp, and return back to it from the other direction. I've used other roads to turn around, either as a tactic, or because I missed an exit, and in both cases, I have to turn around on some side road and come back, adding to the traffic on another road. I assume I'm not the only one that has had to do this.

Forum: If You Build It, They Will Come

Lane changes

nedragon — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:25:57 GMT

I think the biggest slowdown is lane changes. I wish you could force people to stay in the same lane in some areas with solid lines :-)

Of course, it's only realistic if people aren't going to need to cross lanes to get from where they enter to where they exit. For instance, a full turnaround ramp that does nothing but take East-bound travelers and allow them to shoot back to West-bound would make them less anxious about cutting across a line of cars to make an exit because they would know they could turn around later on.

There's multiple times I've missed an exit because I couldn't get through the traffic, had to go on another road to turn around and head back the other direction, and if I had to do it, I'm sure there are others that had to. Everyone that either has to turnaround because they miss an exit, or push through lanes to make their exit is contributing to the traffic problem.

I've seen turnaround exits work in other places. They normally aren't ramps but underpasses, but I don't think there's an option for an underpass in this case.

Forum: Are We There Yet?

RUBBER NECKERS!

Brandy — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:59:56 GMT

It makes me crazy when people get caught up in what's happening on the other side of the wall. Having a stall or wreck in your lane is bad enough, but when there is no obstruction other than people's curiosity.....

Forum: Are We There Yet?

Dec 7

dontdestroymyneighborhood — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 20:39:03 GMT

GDOT sent some very nice "consultants" to talk to people about "reviving" 285. The problem was they were very uninformed or very good liars, telling folks that plans previously announced by GDOT were "not true", because they weren't aware of them??? Over 450 people turned up to show their opposition to having their neighborhoods and health destroyed for the sake of commuters who choose not to live near their employment and the trucking industry. While this meeting was a disorganized joke, we must continue to show GDOT that we are serious about protecting our beautiful "in-town" neighborhoods and wetlands.

Forum: 2006-12-07 PIOH Chamblee Civic Center