Atlanta needs to rethink the I-285 expansion.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) recently unveiled its plan to construct additional express lanes along I-285, ostensibly to enhance mobility in the Metro Atlanta area. This expressway expansion represents a misguided approach to addressing Atlanta’s transportation woes, flying in the face of sound reasoning and widely accepted principles governing infrastructure development. By doubling down on a car-centric solution, the proposal ignores Atlanta’s dire need for sustainable infrastructure that genuinely alleviates congestion and improves urban transportation.
Lane expansion does not work. The concept of induced demand, where the increased supply of a good leads to increased demand for a good, is a stark reminder of its inefficiency. A prime example is Houston, Texas, where its twenty-six-lane highway still grapples with congestion. The reality is, there will never be enough space to add enough lanes to accommodate traffic. This underscores why prioritizing transit is quintessential to addressing our congestion calamity.
Tech students can appreciate that the car versus metro debate comes down to simple math and a variable measured in p/h/d: people per hour per direction. Look at a stretch of highway familiar to many tech students: I-75 near Grady Hospital. On a weekday morning in July, the highway sees around 18,000 cars per hour. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average vehicle on the road has 1.5 occupants, meaning that the I-75 stretch would transport 27,000 people per hour. Compare that to a heavy rail system like the MARTA subway. TUMI, a transportation policy organization, found that a heavy rail system has the potential p/h/d of 40,000. This massive difference in the number of people that can be transported and the amount of space required to do it leaves little reason to support highway expansion.
The only expansion that should be occurring is that of MARTA. Major counties like Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton currently have limited or no access to public transportation. With improved bus routes and heavy rail, MARTA could evolve into an exceptional system, offering a more efficient, cost-effective and green way to reach Atlanta. The potential of MARTA should inspire hope for the future of Atlanta’s transportation landscape. Major investments in new routes both within and outside the I-285 perimeter are long overdue, and they would serve to solidify Atlanta’s national image as a city ripe for economic development and urban living.
We agree that our metro system isn’t perfect, but Atlanta has a strong foundation to build upon with it. One aspect of the system that needs to be improved is safety. A metro will never be successful if its riders cannot utilize the service without the fear of being robbed or assaulted. And while MARTA did meet its crime target of less than 4.15 incidents per one million passenger boardings, perception also matters. If people do not feel safe, they will not use the metro system, so ensuring security is essential its widespread use. On campus, we realize the benefits of improved transportation even in our alcove of the city. Tech’s investment in buses and systems like the Stingerettes improve student mobility and safety. Despite the abundance of resources, demand remains high. We need even more transit, especially at night when wait times can be unreliable. If our campus is a microcosm of the city and everyday students are served by improved public transit, why can’t everyday Atlantans?
Proponents of highway expansion, such as Georgia Policy, an independent think tank, say that improved connecting roads between highways, toll roads, mileage-based taxes on electric vehicles and targeted express lanes will alleviate congestion. They fail to address MARTA because they see our cities as unfit for public transit. Cities in Canada with similarly expansive metro areas have higher rates of public transit. With investments and ingenuity, even cities with suburban sprawl can have successful public transit systems.
We must disabuse Georgia’s state and local politicians of the belief that public transit is a welfare project not to be funded. Public transit is an incredibly valuable service that could act as the silver bullet in combating Atlanta’s congestion. As we experience the benefits of efficient transit on our campus, so too can the greater Atlanta area with a well-funded MARTA system. Let’s not pave our future with more lanes of traffic but lay tracks that truly move us forward.
The Consensus Opinion reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of the Technique, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.