Quote:
Originally Posted by tredici
Atlanta's freeway system, while vastly superior/modern in general quality to virtually any other very large metro in the countr, still is disfunctional. The Connector is the biggest cluster fuck on Earth, and I don't think that will ever change. I mean, a 12 lane wide freeway between two interchanges in Huntsville does nothing to ease congestion.
Yay Southern Freeways...
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I don't really agree that Atlanta's freeway system is disfuntional/dysfunctional especially when you consider the amount of traffic it carries and the distances that people commute daily on them. I think the secondary streets are lacking in function more than the freeways but a lot of that has to do with topography and politics/jurisdiction.
The winding streets (especially outside of Midtown and Downtown) creates odd intersections with other winding streets and may cause confusion. Also the seemingly constant changing of street names may also add to confusion. This situation sometimes make some certain streets underutilized even when the freeway is congested.
I have lived in Atlanta many years and know it pretty well but I still find out things on how streets connect here. Until recently, I didn't know that Juniper Street, Courtland Avenue and Washington Street share the same road alignment (same street - name changes) through Midtown/Downtown. It's an excellent alternative to a congested Downtown Connector if you are traveling south. I have never had a terrible commute living in Atlanta but I've always lived inside the city or inside/near the Perimeter. I also seek and utilized alternatives to the freeway like the secondary streets and MARTA.
Also, GA400 and the Northern Arc of 285 are bigger "cluster fuck" to the Downtown Connector IMO. They carry just as much traffic, their exits are further apart, and they have less alternatives.