T-SPLOST: Is traffic really a problem in Atlanta?
The problem the proposed transportation sales tax, or T-SPLOST, purports to solve would seem obvious. Here’s how the first advertisement by a group pushing the tax framed the issue:
“Metro Atlanta, we have a problem: one of the longest average commutes in America, over an hour a day. Five hours a week you don’t spend with your family; 260 hours a year.”
But what if the length of our commutes isn’t a problem we can solve? At least, that is, not by building new infrastructure to relieve congestion.
That’s the implication of new data from INRIX, a private company that tracks traffic information.
The latest INRIX Traffic Scorecard, updated this week with data through April, shows traffic congestion increases the average commute in metro Atlanta by only about 10 percent — less than six minutes a day.
Let me repeat that: Congestion adds less than six minutes to the average metro Atlanta commute. And to reduce — not eliminate — that six-minute problem, we are asked to tax ourselves an extra $7.2 billion in 10 years.
If you’ve driven a car around here, right about now you may be thinking these figures are baloney. So let me briefly explain where they come from.
INRIX, based in Washington state, tracks traffic data in America’s 100 largest urban areas, including metro Atlanta (it defines each region the same way the Census Bureau does). It does this by collecting information about drive times from 100 million truck drivers, taxis, airport shuttles, delivery vehicles and motorists who use its smartphone app in 30 countries. It then sells the relevant data to federal and state transportation agencies, including the Georgia DOT, said Jim Bak, co-author of the scorecard.
INRIX compares drive times when traffic flows freely to those at rush hour, then calculates the amount of “wasted hours” congestion adds to the average commute.
In Atlanta, based on the latest data, commuters would drive 241.9 hours each year — almost 56 minutes each workday — even if traffic always flowed freely. Congestion adds 25.4 hours a year, or almost six minutes a day.
What’s more, our “wasted hours” are decreasing even as employment begins to recover. Fuel prices, Bak said, are offsetting the return of commuters to the roads.
So, while the INRIX data show metro Atlantans have the sixth-longest average commute in America, we rank only 14th in “wasted hours.” The clear takeaway is that the chief reason our commutes are so long is that so many of us live so far from our workplaces.
Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on where you live. Certainly, in some parts of our region the average commute tends to be longer.
But another interesting INRIX finding is that, while metro Atlanta is 14th in overall congestion, our worst corridor ranks only 114th nationwide. Twenty-six other cities have a stretch of road more congested than Ga. 400 south between Old Milton Parkway and Holcomb Bridge Road.
This reinforces the idea our congestion is evenly applied to numerous roads. And that may explain why there’s so much disagreement about where T-SPLOST funds ought to be spent.
Now for some optimism: We may be able to improve conditions even without building new lanes — by relying on data from INRIX or its competitors, such as NAVTEQ and TomTom, to better manage traffic flows.
Bak gave an example from Washington: A curvy stretch of I-5 from the airport north to downtown Seattle. Washington’s DOT installed electronic signs on which they can adjust the speed limit according to real-time traffic information.
“It slows the cars that are coming into congested areas, which delays the gridlock, which allows traffic to flow better,” he told me by telephone. “People would be flying at 65 miles per hour, and all of a sudden they come across the curve” to find stopped traffic, often causing wrecks — and more delays. The variable speed limit signs have reduced accidents there by 30 percent, Bak said.
One mile of a highway lane can handle only so many cars an hour. Gridlock occurs, often for a disproportionate length of time, if that threshold is surpassed. Slowing oncoming traffic as roads become congested may prevent the worst traffic.
So, maybe the questions we ought to ask ourselves are not how much to spend, and where, but whether we can afford to subsidize people’s choices to live far from work — and, if so, whether there’s a cheaper and smarter way to do that.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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136 comments Add your comment
Cutty
May 24th, 2012
9:49 am
Let the OTP folks suffer. They hate Atlanta, Dekalb, MARTA, and everything else they have no control over. Meanwhile Cobb and Gwinnett are screwing them just the same, but somehow they’re ok w that. I’m voting no bc Fulton/DeKalb shouldn’t have to pay an additional penny to support infrastructure for people that despise us. All the suburban folks clog the roads during rush hour, and I’m supposed to feel sorry for their commute. After all the hateful remarks, screw em. Let them sit in 75/85 til their hearts content. Hope you enjoy the new toll coming to an interstate near you!
MrLiberty
May 24th, 2012
9:49 am
And if you actually believe that nobody could ever manage to build roads and highways and operate them, maintain them, etc. EXCEPT the government, please read Walter Block’s “Privatization of Roads and Highways.” Not your typical republican “privatization” scheme in which a government monopoly is simply turned over to a private company so they can rape the consumer, but a thoughtful, well-researched look at the history of roads (most of which have been privately owned and operated) and the free-market competitive alternatives that could put road construction and maintenance back in the hands of the consumers rather than the failed bureaucracy of government.
Mark in mid-town
May 24th, 2012
9:50 am
I’m a concervative who lives within city of Atlanta. I think cities in general would be much better off if conservatives ran them, but not the kind of conservatives who say NO to everything involving government because it’s not perfect. TSPOLST is not perfect. There is undoubtedly waste involved in it. But if it fails to pass, then I will make every effort possible to move out of this city and state. I’ve no desire to go to the northeast but I will have cities such as Charlotte and Dallas on my radar as they seem to be a lot more far-sighted with regard to the need to invest in transportation infrastructure. The issue is not just about lowering commute times, it’s about being able to attract smart young people and businesses to the region. If this goes down, then the Atlanta area will pay a large price for decades.
Steve
May 24th, 2012
9:50 am
MARTA suffers because we are one of the only states that doesn’t fund their transit system. You know, because we cut taxes on the wealthy instead.
big t
May 24th, 2012
9:51 am
Don’t Trust the people with my money……. VOTE NO
iggy
May 24th, 2012
9:55 am
Cutty
May 24th, 2012
9:49 am
Thanks for the vote of NO.
big t
May 24th, 2012
9:55 am
Mark in mid-town, I hope you like Dallas or Charlotte
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:00 am
” guess the Georgia GOP wants another Detroit”
We already have it. Its the democrats making decisions regarding ATL that has screwed it up. Its no wonder the populace run for the outlying counties. But ATL has no financial problems when they can use Hartsfield airport as their own personal ATM machine.
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2012
10:00 am
maybe the questions we ought to ask ourselves are not how much to spend, and where, but whether we can afford to subsidize people’s choices to live far from work — and, if so, whether there’s a cheaper and smarter way to do that.
Oh my God, Kyle, you’re gonna get kicked out of the fake conservatives club. Pointing out that McMansion ‘burbanites are subsidized? Heresy.
Cutty
May 24th, 2012
10:02 am
No problem iggy. That’s the least I could do for you people. I live 10 minutes from work and could take MARTA if I chose.
DawgDad
May 24th, 2012
10:05 am
“I completely believe we should not subsidize people who choose live 70+ miles from where they work. If people chose to do so, then they should suffer the consequences for living an unsustainable lifestyle.”
And back to you, smartie. Trolleys? Beltlines? Light rail? No interest in subsidizing that stuff.
Unsustainable? Sustaining residence in the inner city costs MORE.
Tiberius - Banned from Bookman's and proud of it!
May 24th, 2012
10:06 am
Maybe it’s me, but I don’t see that any more information is needed for people to make up their minds about T-SPLOST. From what I can gather, most minds are already made up on this issue.
Cutty
May 24th, 2012
10:07 am
Iggy- if you were so astute, you’d know that any revenue made at the airport can only be spent at the airport. If Atl is Detroit, its only because those under the gold dome would rather take money from the city like it was their own ATM machine. Go Fish, Rock n Roll museums, etc. Maybe you should look into the DOT if you want to see real corruption. Or does any of that not count because of the hue of the leadership?
MrLiberty
May 24th, 2012
10:12 am
Thomas Heyward Jr. – Not just flying drone snitches, but we also have the pleasure of GATE RAPE courtesy of the TSA when we do fly on the government approved flying boats.
Yes, to protect its favored industries (mass transit, automobiles, the security state, etc.) government has destroyed the innovative spirit and freedom that was delivering huge advances in serious technology to everyone – including possibly flying cars. My father in law who was a pilot himself, envisioned a day when everyone would be flying their own planes or similar as casually as we drive cars today (this back in the 70’s). Now as you have said, the police state has taken over aviation and it is used mostly as a tool of oppression now, rather than as an enhancement of our lives, our liberty, or our freedom.
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:12 am
Hue of leadership? Nice! I shouldve stated the ATL city govt.
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:16 am
“you’d know that any revenue made at the airport can only be spent at the airport.’
And you believe that actually occurs? MMmmmm k
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:16 am
I Report @ 9:07: I firmly believe we need better driver education in this state — it’s a bigger problem than distracted driving imo (which is not to say distracted driving is OK). That said, we’re also getting much closer than a lot of people realize to cars that drive themselves, which may be the best way to cut down on accidents and thus traffic jams.
retiredds
May 24th, 2012
10:20 am
I ask, what do all the great cities of the world (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. have that Atlanta does not (and probably never will)? An integrated (and many options) transportation network.
While Plan A is not perfect, there is no plan B (and if you believe the fools who tell you so I’ve got a great bridge in NYC to sell you).
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:25 am
yuze @ 9:23: Thanks. I personally am very skeptical of the idea that the young people who now say they enjoy living in higher-density, mixed-use developments are going to feel the same way when they start having kids. I haven’t done a thorough investigation of the data, but I suspect some of the trend you described owes more to delayed parenthood than to starkly changed preferences.
One anecdote along these lines. My wife and I had dinner a couple of weeks ago with three other couples. One couple had lived only in Atlanta since college, but one had lived in NY for 4-5 years, one in D.C. for 4-5 years, and we of course lived in Brussels for 4.5 years. The latter three couples all had lived in the types of places these urban planners described — apartment, close-ish to work, frequent use of public transportation — and then moved to Atlanta just after or just before having kids. I asked the other two couples how much thought they’d given to continuing to live in that type of setting when they moved here. Like us, their answer was: zero. Good school systems, safety, having a yard — all these things are still desirable for the kinds of young families these urban planners think they’re targeting, and in Atlanta, at least, all these things preclude them (us) from living the way they think we’re going to live.
Maybe we’re not representative. But then again, maybe we are…
Rafe Hollister
May 24th, 2012
10:25 am
Kyle, Great column, very well said. I agree, don’t tax ourselves for this poorly thought out fragmented attempt at a repair.
I didn’t expect a column on traffic, as I read a headline yesterday that said, “Obama economy solves traffic problems”. It has for me.
BW
May 24th, 2012
10:26 am
Kyle
You just know people will not surrender control of their cars to a computerized system to do what you propose…come on man!
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
May 24th, 2012
10:29 am
Marta seems to be constantly in the red and is waste deep in fraud, employee pilferage and from top to bottom incompetent/STUPID employees.
I know about the red ink but do you have a link to those other claims?
BW
May 24th, 2012
10:30 am
Kyle
The good school systems argument trumps those other two….you can be safe and have a yard alot of places ITP or even just OTP…but there are only a handful of good school systems and we all know where they are. So perhaps the true fix is to focus on improving all the lagging school districts in the area so that growth is a bit more evenly distributed instead of basically between I-75 and I-85 north of I-285.
MrLiberty
May 24th, 2012
10:30 am
Wow, an endorcement of cars that drive themselves. Meanwhile a basic virus shuts down my computer, a minor software error can cause any of a number of electronics to fail, etc. Man you are naive. I hope that computer controlled cars are force to drive on their own highways when deployed so the rest of us can be safe.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:32 am
Aquagirl @ 10:00: I’m not sure to what degree they’re subsidized now — I-75 and 85 would be there anyway, you know — or, at least, how much we subsidize them in comparison to MARTA. But there is an argument to be made that the T-SPLOST is a way for people who chose to live close to their jobs to subsidize those who chose otherwise.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:33 am
Tib @ 10:06: The opinion polls — even the dubious ones — suggest otherwise, that there’s still something like 13-15% who are undecided. But they might not be the blog-commenting types.
MrLiberty
May 24th, 2012
10:36 am
There are no GOOD school systems run by the government. There are only ones that are relatively better than the other crappy schools run by the government. Once again blame government as their failed monopoly provision of this critical element of our lives forces parents to run away from various locations to try and find something better. But of course parents are equally to blame as they continue to actually believe that this government failure can be fixed with “more support from the community,”
Just imagine if there were great schools in every neighborhood, tens of thousands of them all over the city, competing for business by providing the best service possible for the best price they could rather than a limited number of options that are constantly forcing parents to relocate, communte long distances, etc. Again a free market solution to another govenrment created problem.
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:37 am
Here ya go…
http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2010/05/18/special-series-marta-put-itself-in-red-before-recession-hit/
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:39 am
BW @ 10:30: Yes, but let’s acknowledge that the safer, larger-yard homes ITP tend to be beyond the price range of most people. Even in my neighborhood, which fits your description (and which we could afford only because we got a house about to go into foreclosure despite its relatively low payoff amount), we pay off-duty cops to patrol about 100 hours a month — and still had several burglaries and two cars stolen last month. When we first moved back and were renting in another of those kinds of neighborhoods, our car was broken into once in just two months. There are only so many people who a) can afford that and b) are willing to put up with the downsides.
That said, one of the leading opponents of the T-SPLOST, Steve Brown of Fayette County, has said numerous times he thinks we’d be better off putting our effort and resources into improving APS and the APD.
Rafe Hollister
May 24th, 2012
10:40 am
Since the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I’m with Cutty. Why should the people of Fulton and Dekalb have to pay an extra penny to finance this boondoogle, when they alone already pay 1C more that is dedicated to transportation. They have a legitimate argument. They should vote against this thing.
Jefferson
May 24th, 2012
10:40 am
Being transfered on a job to metro Atlanta or losing your job and having to look for another with problems with age, markets and economy means you can’t really say you have choices where you live and work that are just cut and dried. That said, Atlanta should work to improve conditions for the taxpayers. Nothing wrong with paying for services, that’s the best use of taxes.
Glenn
May 24th, 2012
10:41 am
I agree with your conclusion on this but I think you are really reaching on the whole ” subsidizing ” issue . With as much as people change jobs & with as hard as it is to pick up and move if you own property , through no real fault of the owner , it would make sense to make it at easy as possible to get around town .
I simply don’t think T-SPLOST is a good investment .
I
Don
May 24th, 2012
10:41 am
Mark in Midtown: Bingo! I agree with you 100%.
I live in Gwinnett and work in mid-town and am “addicted” to the Xpress buses. T-SPLOST isn’t perfect, but it does provide ways for Metro Atlanta to grow, particularly within the existing core. Without it, stagnation, then decline.
If there was a reasonable probability of a better, “Plan B”, then maybe I’d be against it. But, our state gov’t is too chicken to attack this head on. That’s why they left the T-SPLOST vote to us. They couldn’t even figure out a simple, regional oversight mechanism for transit. There never will be a “Plan B”. This is it.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:41 am
MrLiberty @ 10:30: Well, I’ll judge them once I’m able to see one in action up close. But maybe you’ve seen the Ford commercials that shows the car (I think it’s the Focus, maybe the Fusion…I get them confused…never been much of a car guy) parallel-parking itself? There’s also extensive testing of these cars going on from California to Germany.
It’s coming. Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:43 am
Jefferson: No doubt, some people did choose to live closer to work, and then lost their job or had to change jobs for some reason. But do you know what percentage of people did that vs. simply deciding they liked the lifestyle better in the suburbs? I don’t.
Rafe Hollister
May 24th, 2012
10:45 am
Mr Liberty, I am looking forward to cars that drive themselves. If you have ever had an elderly relative, who should not drive, you would understand their and your frustrations. BTW, car engines have been controlled by computers for a long while now.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
May 24th, 2012
10:46 am
Shouldn’t they be able to use any funds where the tax is created? TSPLOST tax dollars coming from inside the perimeter should be spent inside the perimeter, tax dollars coming from Gwinnett county should be spent in Gwinnett county.
The tax revenue will show up where the most people are either living or using the roads to pass through.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
10:46 am
Mark in Midtown and Don: Doing something because we need to “do something” rarely results in a good use of resources. Could we get most of the benefits with a smaller project list that only needed half a penny, for instance? Why has there been zero discussion of a freight bypass, which could take an estimated 40% of the large trucks off I-285? How much do you know about the estimated benefits vs. the cost of the items on the list — and the ones that didn’t make the cut?
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:47 am
I saw a program the other night with an automobile that was 99% hands off. The auto tested fine on roadways etc and was deemed more efficient at interstate/freeway merge ramps. The passengers/drivers were, for the most part, along for the ride.
JDW
May 24th, 2012
10:49 am
No doubt choice is a factor. Traffic is one of the big reasons I live ITP. That said using average commute time and average time wasted is really a meaningless statistic. If 20% of the population has a 60 minute daily delay and the other 80% doesn’t the average delay is 12 minutes. The issue is crowded corridors that need to be relieved, especially when those corridors are stacked one after another like 400 (the study only rates a small piece of the route as a corridor). Additionally, as has been pointed out, the issue is far deeper than commuting times. The transit of goods, mobility between destinations i.e. airports and accessibility of commercial centers play just as big a role.
If your point is that the TSPLOST won’t fix all the issues I agree. It would have been much preferable for our erstwhile elected representatives to have done their job and developed and funded a proper plan. Fact is they have been sleeping at the switch since the last wave of Atlanta transit upgrades in the mid to late 90’s (I wonder what could have happened in the 2000’s to take their eye off the ball?). However, they did not and should TSPLOST fail they will not. As a result it seems this TSPLOST is the best this crew can do so the choice is it or nothing.
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:50 am
more efficient at interstate/freeway merge ramps than the normal driver. I shouldve stated.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
May 24th, 2012
10:51 am
Take a car that primarily drives itself along with fluctuating speed limits (based on up-to-the-minute density) that could control the car’s speed and you would have a very nice driving experience.
Jefferson
May 24th, 2012
10:51 am
The state veiws Atlanta’s traffic problems as Atlanta’s problems and let them pay for it, thus the regional tax vs gas tax. Charge an inside perimeter toll if you must.
I was just saying not everyone choose to move freely, some has little choices and bills to pay, life.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
May 24th, 2012
10:52 am
I say we let it go to pot – that will result in more companies whose managers are more accepting of working at home.
Woodstock
May 24th, 2012
10:54 am
I-575 should have another FREE lane in EACH direction from I-75 to Bells Ferry Road. This three-mile stretch is where traffic backs up on I-575 in the mornings and evenings, from I-75 to Bells Ferry. Fix that and you save me, on average, 15 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. I’m surprised the Town Center Community Disctrict hasn’t pushed for this. It’s really that simple. The single reversible pay lane will help, but two dedicated lanes would work much better. Besides, haven’t we paid enough in taxes to simply have three FREE lanes each way to Bells Ferry?
Cutty
May 24th, 2012
10:57 am
And you believe that actually occurs? MMmmmm k
Do you have facts that show otherwise? Thought not.
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2012
10:57 am
we pay off-duty cops to patrol about 100 hours a month — and still had several burglaries and two cars stolen last month.
Hmmmm…crime in the burbs, I didn’t think that happened. Maybe reform of the jail-everybody system would help. Jay is discussing legalization today, what a coincidence.
iggy
May 24th, 2012
10:59 am
That entire Towns Center complex, 575 75 and 41 is a disaster. Avoid that area at all costs.
Kyle Wingfield
May 24th, 2012
11:01 am
Aquagirl: For the umpteenth time: I live in Buckhead, not the burbs.
zeke
May 24th, 2012
11:11 am
VOTE NO TO THIS BOONDOGGLE! The vote should come in November! Why do they schedule votes at absurd times? TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME! Marta helps nothing! Does not, cannot reduce congestion or commute times! The beltline is nothing more than an agenda feel good boondoggle that will do nothing but rape taxpayers! VOTE NO UNLESS ALL MARTA, RAIL, TROLLEY OR BELTLINE PROJECTS ARE DELETED!!! What is need is THE OUTER LOOP AND SEVERAL DIRECT ROUTE VERY LIMITED INTERCHANGES AND ACCESS ROUTES TO KEEP TRAFFIC AWAY FROM THE CITY!