Atlanta’s horrible traffic? Meh. It’s not that bad actually.
The region needs to stop focusing on moving more cars and instead work toward building places that accommodate a variety of transportation options.
When we think of traffic in Atlanta, it’s usually considered a BIG PROBLEM that MUST BE SOLVED. It’s more important than any other transportation issue, right?
For instance, if you want to fund transit expansion in the suburbs you’d better prove that trains and buses are going to help alleviate traffic on the roads for car commuters. As Alpharetta mayor David Belle Isle said during recent squabbles over a failed penny tax for transportation: “If you’re gonna do the penny, then it needs to be focused on where it’s going to have the most traffic relief efforts. And I don’t think MARTA is the answer to that.”
And if you want to spend a billion dollars on a transportation project, it had better be limited to moving cars on the interstate — such as the Ga. 400/I-285 Interchange redesign. Because that’s how crucial the issue is.
So when it comes to ranking our traffic congestion, you’d assume that this would be one of the biggest, most outsized traffic messes in the US. After all, Atlanta ranks as the 9th most populous region in the country. And growing! The Metro Atlanta regional population has now expanded to 5.7 million, growing by about 1.7 percent between 2014 and 2015.
With all those people stuck in traffic, Atlanta must rank at least at 9th — probably higher! — on a list of the worst congestion in the country, right?
Nope.
According to the new 2016 TomTom Traffic Index, Atlanta is the 13th most traffic-clogged region in the US. (Note: they use the word “city” in the report, but it’s obvious from the population count and highway miles included in the study that they’re talking about regions, not cities proper.)
As for where the region ranks in traffic congestion on a global level, Atlanta is number 96 out of 174 — on the bottom half of the list. Meh. We’re not doing that bad for a massive urban area beset with sprawl.
On average, the traffic delay in Atlanta adds 24% more time to a trip, compared to conditions where there is no congestion delay. Instead of a congestion-free 10 minute trip, you’ll have a congested 12 and a half minute trip (obviously, that average doesn’t reflect the congestion at peak travel times).
Yawn. So why the massive freak out about traffic congestion? Why the big focus on moving cars faster during peak commute times? Because people get panicked when they’re cornered by a threat and have no way out — so it’s understandable that commuters who have no option other than driving would feel anxious about the issue. But that’s a problem with the built environment more so than with congestion in itself. If you have no other option than to drive, it’s probably because you live in a car-dependent place that was built for that single transportation mode. And that’s the the problem that needs to be fixed primarily.
As TomTom’s own list of suggestions for beating congestion states: “Consider other modes of travel — maybe the fastest way to get to work is by bike, on public transport, or even by foot.”
Indeed. Build better neighborhoods, not bigger roads. Build inclusively for transportation options, not exclusively for one mode.
