Atlanta Worst Traffic in US

Forbes handed one to Atlanta this week announcing Atlanta as the worst traffic in the country. They came to this conclusion after comparing 75 metros in terms of traffic delays, travel times, and infrastructure. Atlanta passed, er failed, with flying colors, besting LA and Washington DC. Here are some reasons why:

• Commuters spend 60 hours/year stuck in traffic (second to LA)
• Infrastructure can't support the fastest-growing city in US
• Urban sprawl makes it so that only 29% of comuters can get to and from work in 20 minutes (3rd worst in US)
• 13% spend more than an hour getting to work (4th worst)
• Train system is virtually non-existent, or unused.
• Other commuting options are greatly limited due to the poor city planning

And we can vouch to the readers of this that, yeah, that is about right. I am fortunate enough to have a 10 mile daily, which requires a "mere" 30 minutes/day to drive.

Or I could bike, and it takes me 40 minutes/day. And that is where the solution starts. Only 1% of Atlantans bike to work. Can't we get this number a bit higher?

Other solutions: telecommute. I started a web development company in 1999 with an office in Atlanta while my business partner and I studied at Georgia Tech and UGA, respectively. The technology existed back then to allow us to be there without "being there", and it surely is well supported now.

Also, flex-time. Take your employees off the roads during peak hours. Allow them to come in earlier, or later.

Finally, shower installations. If the concern is that we will be dirty, simply installing a shower facility will rid of that excuse, and perhaps even promote the flex-time use as well.

With any solution, there will be naysayers of it. The reasons to continue this commuting downward slide are numerous, some of which make perfect sense (I transport heavy machinery). But most of us don't do that.

So Atlanta, why do we continue down this path? What will make us change -- $4/gallon gas? Because wasting an average of 45 minutes/day sitting in traffic hasn't stemmed the issue.

You can find the complete list of the best traffic and worst traffic in US. Hey, Atlanta, maybe you can learn something from Buffalo, NY?