Atlanta has made another top 10 list, but this time it’s a dubious one. The city has the eighth-worst traffic in the world, according to a recent study.
The findings, published in February by Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard, show that that ATL commute is just as bad as you thought it was.
The rankings have some economic ramifications as well: Because of the congestion, the city lost $7.1 billion or an average of $2,212 per motorist.
If there’s any consolation, it’s that ATL is only the fourth worse in the United States. Gridlock in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco was rated worse.
So why is ATL traffic so bad? There are many reasons, but one of them is that some say the city is in a virtual no-man’s land with no natural way out.
Tom Weyandt, ex-Mayor Kasim Reed’s former transportation adviser, told WABE this:
“There’s no mountain chain; there’s no desert; there’s no water – we’re here because of the railroads. The railroads came together right in downtown. The zero mile post is in Underground Atlanta. And the city grew out along the railroads. That’s why we have these eccentric five-point intersections in many different places in the downtown area.”
Another reason is urban sprawl, which Atlanta has become a poster child case. And it has been called “a strip mall in a forest,” which means that it has long catered to parking rather than getting around.
Why do YOU think traffic is so bad in Atlanta? Let us know in the comments.
