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Traffic continues to be a growing problem in metropolitan areas worldwide, but in the United States, Georgia leads the way in terms of traffic issues. According to a report by the National Transportation Research Group, 57% of Georgia’s highways are congested during peak hours. The average driver in Georgia loses about 50 hours a year to being stuck in traffic.
Things are particularly bad in Atlanta, whose traffic problems are somewhat legendary. Atlanta’s traffic issues rank as the eighth worst in the world, and the fourth worst in the United States. (The #1 most congested country in the world? Thailand.) The amount of time lost in traffic in the Atlanta area is even worse than Georgia’s — over 70 hours each year.
Why Is Traffic So Bad?
So what makes traffic in the Atlanta area particularly bad?
It’s a combination of population (Atlanta is the ninth largest metropolitan area in the US, and 75% of those people drive to work each day), as well as the convergence of three major highways: I-20, I-75, and I-85. This conjunction is notoriously difficult to navigate, and bottlenecks are common.
The Effects of Traffic Congestion
Traffic congestion can have a huge negative impact on our lives. There’s not just the issue of lost time, but also lost money — traffic problems cost billions of dollars in terms of productive hours lost every year, averaging out to about $800 per driver in the Atlanta area alone — not to mention things like fuel and maintenance costs. On top of that, there’s the matter of insurance premiums. More traffic means a higher likelihood of accidents, which means more claims, leading to higher rates — which could leave Georgia drivers scrambling to find cheaper car insurance.
There’s also the cost to physical and mental health. Traffic congestion and the resulting delays can cause stress, either due to potentially being late to work or taking forever to get home
afterward. Traffic makes travel times unpredictable, which leads to even further stress. Stress has been proven to lead to other health issues, taking a further toll on people’s well-being.
Another possible side effect of stress is road rage. The anger and frustration caused by being stuck in traffic or seeing other drivers break rules or flaunt the social contract can lead to poor decisions like tailgating, shouting matches, and reckless driving — which brings us right back to those car insurance premiums, as well as (quite possibly) the cost of medical bills and car repairs. And if you should get in an accident (road rage-induced or not), heavy congestion could make it more difficult for emergency vehicles to get to you.
Finally, there’s the issue of pollution from fuel emissions, which can not only affect physical health, but the health of the planet.
High-Tech Solutions
But what can be done about the traffic in places like Atlanta — or anywhere else? There are some technological developments on the horizon that could make a huge difference in how we handle traffic:
Autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars are not far from becoming commonplace. Although there is a way to go in terms of AI and adoption, smart vehicles could reduce congestion and accidents by taking human error out of the driving experience. They can also accelerate and decelerate more smoothly and dynamically, leading to a better flow of traffic overall.
Adaptive traffic lights. Smarter software for traffic lights could respond more dynamically to the flow of traffic, leading to less idle time and more relevant timing of traffic.
Drones. Many of the cars on the road are city vehicles, out checking water meters or power lines. Some of these vehicles could be replaced with automated drones, which would allow the city to monitor certain vital functions without putting another vehicle on the road. Drones are also increasingly being used for package delivery, further reducing the need for delivery trucks.
Specific Solutions for Georgia
Although the above solutions could be implemented nearly anywhere, there are some proposed solutions specific to Georgia and the Atlanta area that could secure the state as a high-tech leader of traffic solutions.
For example, there have been proposals of a “master app” which centralizes data on public transportation, ride-sharing, and traffic statistics to create a kind of all-in-one solution for citywide transportation. Atlanta already has an app called Applied Information which lets drivers know when a light is about to turn green, and the city has recently approved major funding for installing smart traffic lights to help improve traffic flow.
There are other apps which can also help alleviate traffic issues for individual drivers, such as the Waze app, which analyzes traffic patterns and suggests alternative routes or areas to avoid during certain times of day. The app even has community features so drivers can share tips and insights with one another.
