Okay, let’s get this year started! I just read an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle about a big pow-wow Wednesday about the future of transportation in Georgia hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). I like the people at the ARC. I believe they have very good intentions and direction. But what I don’t like is that we’re not anywhere near enough to 
recognise the “little things” in transportation that, when added up, make a big d*mn difference! I’m talking about traffic light synchronization. I’m talking about permanent funding for the TRIP program (more on that later). I’m talking about enforcing the traffic laws other than speeding, ie., people stopping in the middle of an intersection blocking traffic trying to get through when they couldn’t make the light; or “steer it and clear it.” I’m talking about leading edge programs into variable speed limits to control traffic flows and accidents. And guess what? None of what I’m talking about costs very much when compared to some of the other “shovel ready” ideas some of politicians want to shovel down our throats or give lucrative contracts to btheir cronies. Start at the beginning. Manage what you got!
Sometimes there are times when you should not spend any time in a car, truck or on a motorcycle. Case in point: Tuesday afternoon in Roswell. A man driving his SUV southbound on Ga.400 at speeds over 120mph wrapped it around a bridge abutment at 
Holcomb Bridge in the middle of the day! Today in the newspaper investigators say the driver had been arguing with his wife before she left on a trip out of Hartsfield-Jackson. Anger can so color your judgement that you make bad judgements about your next course of action. I know. My anger got the better of me on the road early last year. And 7 months worth of traffic court dates is what I now consider anger management. I don’t ever want to go through that again. All because I got mad. Not “Madman” mad. Just a mad, man. Anger is misplaced at the wheel. In the case of that Roswell man Tuesday afternoon his anger cashed a check his driving abilities couldn’t cover.
Once again we’re being told to watch for Halloween traffic. It’s gonna’ get SSSCCCAAARRRYYY!!! But, once again, we’re being told mainly by people who don’t have a clue about what’s going on. Sure, traffic’s gonna’ be tough today. But guess what? If it wasn’t that’sthe exception to the rule! Many of these 4-wheel doom-sayers are just regurgitating stories written months or years ago, then trotted out every Halloween so they won’t have to do as much work. I guarantee you traffic will not be as bad as last Friday evening when it rained. That was a disaster. The only real difference this evening will be on neighborhood streets where the little kids will be running around in their costumes, many wearing masks with limited visibility. That’s where you have to be careful. But “Madman’ you say! What about early this afternoon? Everyone’s gonna’ try to get a jump on gettin’ home to get ready?!? Once again I’m not worried. Did you see the back-up yesterday afternoon, before three, after a truck wreck took out a right lane on 85 northbound near Shallowford? Past North Druid Hills. Now that’s ssscccaaarrryyy! So, take it from me, when you hear these prognosticators of rolling doom tell you it’s gonna’ be bad just keep in mind they probably work from home. Or ride MARTA. They’re not a true rush hour warrior like you and me.
Once again we’re seeing more ramp meters going on-line around Atlanta. Ramp meters are those timed traffic lights on interstate on-ramps. In casual conversation I’ve heard many people, friends and family included, criticise the ramp lights. And ya’ know, up until earlier this year I would have been right with them. Then I found out something. They really work!
Yep. A relatively inexpensive method that actually does what it’s supposed to! I know it doesn’t seem like it. Initially. But local traffic management people have seen very good results.In some cases double digit improvements in traffic flow! The key has been management. The meters pace traffic through the use of sensors in the road and cameras. They’ll time you down the ramp so when you get there you’ll have some space to merge, rather than slowing or speeding up creating hazardous driving conditions. They adjust according to the flow, including the amount of traffic on the ramp. People at the Traffic Management Center are also watching the cameras and can override the system or can even shut it down manually if they have to when things just get too heavy. The only thing about em’ that can be frustrating is, under Georgia law, if you run a ramp light it’s the same as running a red light and you can get a ticket. So, give em’ a chance.
In light of the DOT claiming poverty on road improvement projects etc., it’s one fairly inexpensive idea that goes along with my traffic mantra of: “Manage What You Got!”
While your waiting in line for gas make use of your time to ponder the answers to the questions about making things better for your commute. Improvements that could improve your gas mileage. The hot topic at the DoT is “HOT” lanes. “HOT” stands fo High Occupancy Toll” lanes. The difference between HOT and HOV is you can pay extra to drive by yourself legally in a HOT lane. A kind of express lane. The problem is the idea has problems yet to be worked out. How much will it cost per day? Per week? Per month? If there’s a guarantee of “no traffic” what happens if an accident or stall blocks the HOT lane? Will there be a refund? What about barriers to keep non-complying vehicles out? And, if so, what kind of barriers? Rubber? Concrete? Your good looks? All legitimate questions that need legitimate answers so you don’t get hot under the collar!
Nightmare on 14th Street
Thursday 08-28-2008 6:57am ET
IT’S GOING TO BE A NIGHTMARE OVER THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND ON THE DOWNTOWN CONNECTOR. ONLY THIS TIME WE CAN BLAME THE 14TH STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT AND NOT THE CONNECTOR REPAVEMENT PROGRAM. AS A MATTER OF FACT, FOR ALL INTENTS & PURPOSES, THAT’S DONE! OVER 2 MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!
NO. THIS TIME THEY HAVE TO REMOVE WHAT’S LEFT OF THE BRIDGE AND PREP THE AREA FOR THE NEW, LONGER & TALLER BRIDGE OVER 75 AND 85.
SO, THAT’S GOING TO MEAN MULTIPLE LANE CLOSURES HEADED INTO TOWN ON A WEEKEND WHERE THERE’S GOING TO BE OVER 150-THOUSAND ADDITIONAL PEOPLE HEADED INTO TOWN!
INTERSTATE 85 WILL BE CHOPPED DOWN TO JUST 2 LANES HEADING INTO THE CONNECTOR. THE REDUCTION WILL BEGIN AROUND GEORGIA 400. INTERSTATE 75 WILL BE CUT DOWN TO JUST ONE LANE HEADING INTO DOWNTOWN WITH THE TAPERING BEGINNING AROUND THE HOWELL MILL/NORTHSIDE EXIT.
THEY’VE SHIFTED THE MERGE OF 75 & 85 ALL THE WAY DOWN BY 10TH STREET IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS PROJECT. ONCE PAST THERE THE CONNECTOR WILL BE WIDE OPEN. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING THERE. IT’S GOING TO BE A MESS. IF YOU’RE COMING DOWN 85 YOU NEED TO BAIL NO LATER THAN THE PEACHTREE EXIT AND TAKE THE BUFORD/SPRING CONNECTOR. IF YOU’RE CLOSER TO SPAGHETTI JUNCTION THEN IT’S THE EASTSIDE PERIMETER TO I-20. ON 75 YOU REALLY DON’T HAVE MANY CHOICES EITHER. THE WESTSIDE PERIMETER WILL BE THE BEST BET. OTHERWISE YOU’LL HAVE TO WAIT YOUR TURN ON NORTHSIDE DRIVE.
THERE’S NO GETTING’ AROUND IT. IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. IT’S GOING TO BE BAD. BUT, ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE AT THE D.O.T. IT WAS EITHER THIS OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR THE NEXT 4 OR 5 WEEKENDS. AND WITH BRAVES, FALCONS, TECH AND OTHER EVENTS RAMPING UP IN SEPTEMBER THEY DECIDED TO JUST GO AHEAD AND MAKE CLEMSON AND ALABAMA FANS PAY FOR OUR PROGRESS.
I read with interest this weekend about continuing efforts to privatise a portion of our highway system in Atlanta. It’s a subject I’m familiar with having met and talked to some of the players. I am totally opposed to this idea for one big reason. Any effort at privatising roads is an admission by our elected representatives, etc., that they are incapable of running state government and providing for the health and welfare of the citizens of Georgia. If you think you don’t 
have anywhere to go now then you’re really not gonna’ like what’ll happen if the state unconstitutionally gives some of our highways to private racketeers. And that’s just what they are. You will not have any redress of your grievances. You’ll have to try to use the civil court system rather than the ballot box to force them to comply with the law. Plain and simple, it’s a money grab. And an opportunity for some elected and appointed officials to have nice cushy jobs when they’re run out of office. Instead we need to hold our elected and appointed people accountable for their actions or lack thereof. We need better management of available resources. Not people in state & local offices that are only looking to leap frog into bigger jobs and houses by feathering their nest on the backs of the hard-working commuters of this region.
Once again, my acute powers of observation and empirical evidence gathering have led me to another possible answer to the question of how to solve some of our traffic problems. GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE! I cannot believe the number of vehicles that ride in the “hammer” lane with a screw loose. I drove up to Athens, TN., Sunday to go scuba diving with my crew from Atlanta Scuba. On the way up & back I was taken aback by how many times I would get caught in the back of a line of cars only to find that it wasn’t congestion it was just a slow moving vehicle that needed to be in the right lane to let faster traffic pass by. This lack of situational awareness is appalling. It causes other vehicles to swerve and dodge trying to get around. When it’s not necessary! GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE! And, once again I’m not just going to point the finger of blame, or another finger I think I might have used a few times Sunday. I think it’s time law enforcement enforced the laws. Not just speeding, but violations like impeding the flow of traffic. I found out that Gwinnett County used to do it. If a GCPD officer spotted a vehicle on 85 on the left side with more than 2 vehicles behind it the lead vehicle would be pulled over and ticketed for impeding the flow. It’s time to go back in time and bring that initiative back. Otherwise the back-ups will just keep getting worse.
Well it looks like we’re getting another town in Atlanta. Like we need one. Residents of Dunwoody voted for secession from DeKalb this week. They think they can do a better job. The problem is drivers along the Top End Perimeter between I-85 and Georgia 400 already have their hands full of local cops and will get jobbed by even more. If you drive that stretch of highway you know it’s chock full of the law. Or they could be better characterized as revenue agents. And the Dunwoodians are all about the taxes, or lack thereof, passing all kinds of rules about not raising taxes on the fine citizens. So, that means another layer of law out on 285 trying to pay the bills! The argument that if we slowed down, etc., then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police performing their duties is nuthin’ but noise. They’ll find other ways. License plate brackets. Blinking taillights. Window tint maybe a little too dark, etc. Then they’ll heap the court costs on ya’, etc., and maybe throw in a fuel surcharge too. It’s time the Georgia state legislature steps in and bans local jurisdictions from interstate highways. Other states have done it already. Now it’s our time. Let the Georgia State Patrol work the interstates. That’s their job. And the state can cut a deal to allocate a portion of the ticket revenue to the local jurisdiction. That frees up officers to do what they took an oath to do. Protect and serve. Not cash and carry.
I learned a new trick this morning in how to save gas during the morning commute. I actually got up early enough in the morning to get a proper start on the commute and didn’t have to hurry! What a concept! Only problem is, you wouldn’t know there’s a gas crunch ’round these parts. I was tryin’ to do the speed limit this morning but people were goin’ ’round me like I was standin’ still! It all goes back to, “If you can’t keep up, get out of the way; and if you can’t get out of the way, keep up!”
