How Downtown Atlanta Aims to Drive Alternative Commute Options

July 28,2020

Junior Knox, What's Next ATL (Atlanta Regional Commission)

Imagine an Atlanta that, as it grows, expands its mobility options to better accommodate movement in and around the city, beyond driving alone in a car. Although the reality of COVID has significantly changed commuting habits, it’s important for us to plan for a region that accommodates 2.9 million more residents and 1.2 million more jobs by 2050 without significant roadway expansion.

Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) has put such imaginings to paper with a study about what planners call Transportation Demand Management, or TDM for short (planners love their acronyms!). Think transportation alternatives like walking, bicycling, carpooling, transit, or teleworking.

The study, funded by a $100,000 grant from ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI), looks at mobility alternatives from a policy perspective in the City of Atlanta. Midtown Alliance and Livable Buckhead participated in the study along with CAP, and the recommendations apply to areas in the city limits. Atlanta is fourth nationally in travel commute times and nearly 70 percent of all trips are taken by individuals who are driving alone.

“To continue to grow sustainably while developing livable neighborhoods, we will absolutely need both TDM and enhanced smart commuting infrastructure,” said Shayna Pollock, Managing Director, Transportation at CAP. “The City is growing rapidly, so we have to ask ourselves where and how we want people to live.”

Read the complete article at the link above.