It's about time

As a daily sufferer of the commute on this route, I had high hopes for improvements. However, I think that the work is better identified in this description:
The project will begin where the highway narrows from four to two lanes before McFarland, or Exit 12.

Instead of shedding two lanes, a third lane will extend north to the bridge over the Big Creek Greenway.

“It’s really just a matter of changing the shoulders and the drainage structures to get us three lanes up to that point,” said Teri Pope, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “We’re trying to get some congestion relief to that area.”

(Quotes from: http://www.forsythnews.com/section/1/article/12971/)

After reading this, I have to wonder if GDOT has actually ever LOOKED at the problem. Given that the congestion point occurs NORTH of the move to two lanes, then this change is likely to offer little improvement.

I hope that I am wrong with my expected result.

Another cheap band aid fix to a much greater problem. All this will serve is pushing the bottle neck half a mile up the road. Along with the mornonic idea of opening up the sholder from Holcomb bridge to North Springs, traffic has actually gotten worse.

There is only one way to ease the traffic problems suffered in and around Atlanta is to get people out of their cars. Widening roads has never worked to make traffic flow it just means more people use the road and as areas grow over time we are back to square one.

At the center of any transportation plan should mass transit but who will pay for it? and to get people out of their cars they need to be given one almighty nudge.

A few possible solutions

1) Make all major routues into Atlanta 100% tolls e.g GA 400 toll all the way from exit 11 to exit 1 say 25-50 cents per exit travelled. You get a ticket stating where you joined the road and pay at the exit as you leave the road.

2) The revenue generated from the tolls goes to fund a massive expansion of the the rail network troughout Metro Atlanta where the tolls are enforce. Then over time further a field. This will negate the need for transit transport taxes. Over time when people start use the transit system it any drop in revenue from the tolls will be taken up by the increased ridership on the transit system.

3) Privatize MARTA. Create a proper state wide transit authority that is only a regulartory body setting ticketing prices. Franchise the running of bus routes and rail to private companies. Subsidies can be granted for low ridership routes that are deemed nessecary for the community etc.

A radical change in thinking needs to occur in this state if we are to solve the problems we have.

1) More lanes mean more cars and more cars mean more jams.
2) Public transport is not just for the poor
3) There is no evidence that that suggest mass transit brings more crime.
4) There is no major infrastructure project in the world that isn't financed or underwritten by the taxpayer. Smart thinking may reduce the taxpayer burden such as the toll but the initial projects still need the seed money.

"Bill Evelyn
6:50 am on Monday, April 9, 2012

Random - the total cost is $73 million. GDOT and SRTA have stated they will never widen GA 400 without a toll. 87% of residents in Fulton reject the toll. The widening of GA 400 will most likely drop off the list and you will send that money to Hall County to widen 129/11 to White County."

Bill - Whether or not you support the T-SPLOST bill, please realize that as a active blogger in the community, residents are likely to percieve your responses as accurate and truthful. Regardless of our feelings on the issue, it would be a sad day if a resident votes for or against the T-SPLOST bill because they thought that all future expansion on GA-400 must include a toll. Ignorance spreads like wildfire when people look to justify their preconceived notions.