The Traffic South of Atlanta
 

Last weekend we traveled to Georgia Southern University and traffic flowed well until we got south of the airport. It didn't let up for 2 hours--we crawled. Same thing happened when we were returning and it was miserable! So were we!

And there weren't any wrecks or construction either! I don't get it but it happens every time we go south of Atlanta! Does anyone know why this happens or what time of day you can go to avoid this?

Avoid it? Don't you live in Atlanta? There is no avoiding it.

The commute from Newnan (85 south of the split) to Buckhead was recently ranked by someone to be the worst in the country. Every time I drive from Athens to Auburn its terrible, because you finally get through all the mess downtown, only to get stuck again around Coweta.

The Jonesboro area is the worst. I went through there when I drove from Atlanta to Orlando. I sat there in that mess for over an hour. It wasn't even rush hour!

I have some co-workers who live in Newnan, Carrollton and Jonesboro and travel to work in Midtown. I don't know how they do that commute everyday. It's terrible.

As bad at 85 is, I've heard that 75 south is even worse, and I suspect that's what Carnation was on.

I think that there's ongoing, poorly planned road work, especially on 285. So I think what happens sometimes it that people work really hard to avoid certain parts, and it makes things much harder in the sections where they have to merge back in to get on 75 after having driven around on local roads. Additionally, there's been crazy growth in Henry County, so things may get backed up on the entrance and exits ramps.

Carnation, you weren't there the weekend of Atlanta NASCAR race, which was March 18th, were you? (I don't mean actually at the race; I mean the day you were driving through.) Traffic related to that event is apparently so bad that some people who kind of like NASCAR won't go to the race because it means four or five hourse of traffic on race day even though it's close.

My neighborhood is off highway 92, which is a major road to get to AMS, we generally either go to the race or stay at home all day.

It's Spring Break season. It's extra bad now. Also, like Alphagamuga said, if it is race weekend, STAY AWAY.

The general rules, IMO:
The best times are the middle of the night any day, 10-11AM and 1-2:30PM on M-Th, and in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday assuming that there are no major events going on. The absolute worst times are 7-9AM and 3-7PM weekdays (on Fridays, that'll be 2-7PM in the afternoon). Just don't do those times if you can help it.

The only good thing about trying to get a job in biglaw in ATL is that I'll never get off early enough to get stuck during rush hour(s).

Personally, I'm just not a commuting person. It's a waste of 2-3 (or more!) hours of your life everyday, if you live in Atlanta. Yuck. Just live in the city if you work in the city. If you live in the suburbs, get a job there or telecommute. I know this isn't practical in every area, but in the Atlanta area, there are places to live in a variety of price ranges in the city and out. (And even if you have a job downtown and prefer the country, when do you get to see the country if you have to leave so early and get home so late? Just live in town and take weekend trips out or something ...) JMO. :)

I agree the better option would be to live downtown. Unfortunately I can't afford to live in N. Fulton yet, and I don't want to blow a lot of money on rent.

We have to go to Valdosta next weekend and to Florida in June. Let me tell you that we'll be planning our departure times carefully...Mr. Carnation's cousins live just south of Atlanta and I don't know how they function with traffic like that. DSTRen, we'll take your advice on the slow times!

Have you thought about buying a condo property near Georgia State or GT? After you move out to N. Fulton, you can rent your place out to college students for years to come. (I think I have been influenced by working with too many aspiring real estate tycoons, lol.)

Not a bad idea, although I'd prefer not to live around 10th. Buying a condo in Atlantic Station or one of the other buildings like those (spire, twelve residences, same development company) is something I've thought about and would consider if I ended up staying here. To be honest, I simply don't like Atlanta anymore. The only reasons I have any desire to stay are because I've lived here my entire life (which at 23 years is about 20 years longer than the average resident), family, and the legal market. We'll see what happens. I've watched my dad to commute to Buckhead every day for 30 years, and I certainly don't want to do that.

It could be worse.

http://www.forbes.com/logistics/2006...07traffic.html

How is public transportation in LA and SF? To be honest, I think that DC ranking is nonsense. Traffic is bad, but living in DC, i thought it was better than in Atlanta. Plus, the Metro is pretty good.

Unfortunately Atlanta has no public transportation. I've lived here my entire life and never met a professional who takes MARTA to anywhere but major sporting events.

Yeah, it's sad but Marta seems too erratic to depend on. If you are close enough in that you can go directly to the rail line, maybe. But if you're talking catching a bus to the rail, forget it. You might be able to walk the distance and get there faster for most routes, not that I have much experience. (and there's a perception that it's dangerous, but I don't know if that's grounded in reality or not.)

On the other hand, when my family lived outside of DC when I was kid, my dad could actually catch a Metro bus, take it to the rail line and get off literally at his workplace, and it was a reasonable method of commuting. It's really weird to think that my parents only had one car then.

Ok, I had the exact same experience last weekend (driving from Orlando to Atlanta). I went 30 miles in an hour, and there was NO ACCIDENT!

It was horrible, and I still haven't figured out why the traffic is so bad down there.

Marta isn't only trashy, its flat out inconvenient. Atlanta isn't exactly a walkable city unless you like getting mugged, so few people are generally willing to use it to commute.

I live in Newnan and HATE the road construction on I-85. DOT put up the concrete barriers on the right side and there is no shoulder for a few miles at a time. It is going to be going on for years.

C - coming from your house, I'd take I-285 and avoid d-town!

Oh wait..I was thinking you wanted 85, lol.

I work at the corner of I-20/285 east side. Heading west Exiting on I-75 South isn't that bad on my side but the other side is always bumper to bumper .

I'd put this link to the Ga DOT/Navigator site on your PDA or cell phone
http://www.georgia-navigator.com/ look on the left had side MyGaNAV

Plus the city was not laid out well for walking. Atlanta city blocks aren't like New York city blocks. Blocks in Atlanta are much longer and the sidewalks are very narrow and close to the road. I once walked from 13th Street to 5th Street thinking that it wouldn't be that bad. I've walked further than that in NYC and London and it wasn't a problem. It ended up taking an hour to get to 5th Street and I thought I was going to get killed by the crazy drivers who were zooming by me on Peachtree.

Spring break doesn't help, but that stretch is awful most anytime. We were stuck there on the way back from Savannah one time for hours. And I have a friend whose daughter actually missed her own bridal shower in her future husband's hometown because they could not get through there.

If we were anywhere else in the world there would be a high speed train to take us through there down to Savannah, St. Simon's or Florida.

I've lived here for 25 years and I've only been on MARTA twice.

That is so funny, last year my son was a page at the legislature and I went down to pick him up. By the time I had to get him, there was no parking left at the underground lot, so I had to find a lot a few blocks away. On our way back, we walked down two blocks of Peachtree that were downright scary. I pushed through like walking in NYC/Paris/Rome, etc. where you have people walking up to you trying to sell you crap, but my son didn't say a word until we got out of there and he said....."well, that was interesting".

Midtown....I don't mind walking around. Downtown...not so much.

I've walked all over downtown at one time or another (usually drunk), and although I've come through unscathed, I wouldn't recommend it.

When I was 23 I went downtown for a job interview. I had no money on me, no ATM card, no way to get my car out of the parking lot....no cell phones back in the olden days....and no way to get in touch with my fiance and roommate, who were both out of town.

When I think back on that, I just have to wonder what I was thinking. I wasn't even drunk.

The DC Metro is very good if you can use it. My D took Metro trains as a high schooler and I never worried about her using it during commuter hours. GEN Alum also took the Metro as do many Pentagon employees. Of course, not all jobs are Metro-accessible. Even worse, Dulles Airport does not have direct public transportation (although the powers-that-be are working on that).

I have to drive to various points of DC/Northern VA and plan my travel around the HOV times. Luckily I have the flexibility in my schedule.

Same here, there are just times you don't get on the road if you don't have to drive.

Luckily, we moved to a close in suburb that was practically built out 10 years ago, we bought an office building 1/2 mile from our house, and all the schools are on our side of town, so the worst of it is picking up kids after sports practice at 5:30 via neighborhood streets and back roads.

We spent 10 days in DC a couple of years ago and my daughter said that she could get anywhere in DC as long as we stayed at that hotel again!

Yeah, I when I was in DC for a summer I took GW to Cap south everyday, and it was really convenient (of course, i lived like a block away in foggy bottom). But another summer I was there i drove and parked at Pentagon City and took it in, and that was pretty good as well. I haven't used the NY subways as much, but I was pretty impressed overall with the metro.

LOL Consider myself a spoiled kid, live and work in Buckhead :D A proud owner of a Jeep.

But seriously, MARTA is only good if you need to go to the airport to catch a flight. Other than that, I don't think it's very convinient.