About 30 miles of toll lanes (called Express Lanes in the parlance of toll lane politics) on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties have been open for month.
Motorists took about 471,550 trips in the first month of operation on the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes in the Atlanta region, reports David Wickert. The math figures out to more than 20,000 trips on an average weekday.
"That’s a fraction of the nearly 300,000 vehicles that travel I-75 near the Perimeter on an average day. But it’s enough that many commuters say traffic on one of metro Atlanta’s busiest highways has improved, even in the regular lanes," according to Wickert. While no official survey or scientific study is cited to back up that claim, Wickert does talk to one motorist who says the lanes have been a 'miracle' for his commute. There's also state traffic data showing the difference in traffic speeds between the toll lanes and the regular lanes. "On Oct. 5, for example, afternoon traffic averaged 65.4 mph in the express lanes, compared to 36.6 mph in the regular lanes."
The article includes more details about how the express lanes function (i.e., dynamic tolling) and the politics of express lanes after a month of operation in the region.
FULL STORY: New metro Atlanta toll lanes a hit with many commuters
Atlanta-Bound Bus Commuters Benefit from New Express Lanes
More evidence that express (toll) lanes benefit public transit when buses operate in the corridor. Riders on Georgia's Xpress buses, which use the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes, saw trip times reduced by 15 minutes.
Toll Lanes Improve Travel Times for Cars and Buses on Georgia's Northwest Corridor
Seven million drivers have used the toll lanes on I-75 and I-575 in Georgia since they opened a year ago.
Atlanta Toll Lane Project Gains Support From Cobb County
The Georgia Department of Transportation is continuing work on an expansion of I-285, claiming the new express lanes could cut travel times by as much as 39 percent.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association