Peach Pass Express Lanes.

General automotive discussion. If you can read and write... this is the place.

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andysapp
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Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by andysapp »

I'm really upset with this. To a point, I've always been pretty understanding of Atlanta's traffic problem. The city was never built to accommodate this many people, and certainly was never planned for expansion. While I often say the traffic sucks... I never really complain about my commute. It is on average an hour in the morning, and 30-40 in the evening.

Yesterday, I spent 3 hours in my truck going to and from work. I work 26 miles away from my house. When I read up about how the Express Lane worked... I thought... hey this might actually help. What I didn't realize is that they've now changed HOV to 3 people, and you can't HOV in the Express Lane without a Peach Pass. And even if you have a Peach Pass, you have to log into your account online and change your status to exempt for HOV so you don't get charged.

So, basically - everyone without a pass... HOV included, are now forced to leave the lane - making traffic infinitely WORSE. When I left my house yesterday... traffic was backed up on Old Norcross PAST my house. Those of you who have been to my house know how stupid that is. Then, coming home... I hit gridlock 1 mile north of North Druid Hills. All the way home.

I don't know what this post is, other than an excuse for me to bitch and whine and probably not feel better. I don't know what public official thought this would be a good idea and set this into place... but they should reconsider changing jobs to something like stuffing envelopes because they're ability to make important decisions has obviously been compromised.

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Greg
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by Greg »

worse idea Georgia has had for traffic since I've been here, 2001.

the Northern Arc would have eliminated tons of pollutions and thousands of trucks off 85 and 285, employed hundreds of people. Thanks Governor Perdue.

to quote someone from Twitter "This new Peach Pass lane on 85 is literally highway robbery. #moneygrabbin"

do a search on Twitter for peach pass. 99.99% are pissed off tweets
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bradystrib
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by bradystrib »

I am now apart of the crowd that has to commute on 85 once a week to take callie home. its the fucking worst. I spent 40 minutes going 10 miles last night. fuck that mess.
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by charlie »

Anybody remember when they tried that weird shit on 85N/75N at the 400 ramp? Traffic was backed up to the fucking AIRPORT every single day until they changed it back. I don't even remember what they did but it was a toooootal fuckup.

I know people love their cars, but having a good PT system is the shit.
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by Greg »

that's part of the problem too Charlie, Marta isn't as good or as big as it needs to be.
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jsquared
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by jsquared »

I posted this on the ODt a little while ago:
I dont like it. I dont know a whole lot about it, but...

- It seems to be converting the carpool lanes on I85 into toll lanes
- It will allow for different tolls based on traffic congestion, as much as $8 or so from what I have read. Lame.
- The 400 toll plaza is still collecting money, despite the 2011 expiration of the bond. We are using the next ten years of 400 toll money to fund...another toll road?
I was mostly pissed about #3 but #1 had me irked too (not necessarily that they changed HOV to 3+ but because people have to have a Peach pass thingy to use the lanes, regardless of if they have 3 peeps in the car). So youre making me register my carpool so i can use the lanes without paying? Thats junk.
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CodyW
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by CodyW »

As much as I hate my commute, I am glad I'm going against the flow in the morning (my afternoons suck regardless; there's no helping the connector or 285). That crap has been backed up for miles heading south every day this week, I feel bad for everyone putting up with that. Definitely not a fan so far either.
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by Treefish »

I guess I'm that 0.01% that like it, because I have a peach pass and it only costs me $1.25 to get use that lane all the way from 285 to the end up 85N and I get to drive past all the idiots driving at 60 in the fast lanes forming rolling road blocks.

And if you're not carpooling, you wouldnt be able to use an HOV/HOT lane anyway so no real loss there. I guess it sucks if you are carpooling and want to use that lane. Also if you know you're gonna have 3 people at least in your carpool all the time, then you can have the toll thing set as continuously "free" instead of having to do it each time you're leaving the house.

Its like the bus lanes in the UK, there arent that many of them, but where there are some, everyone that's not using them are pissed at them being there.

Personally, I down with paying for the convenience of bypassing all the traffic.

Also like Cody, I go up 85N in the morning so it's not a huge bonus but its significant enough that it takes a good number of minutes off my commute, and less traffic stress to boot.

I can only imagine that if you went and got a peach pass so you can fly down 85S in the mornings, that'd be worth it.
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bradystrib
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by bradystrib »

Treefish wrote:I guess I'm that 0.01% that like it, because I have a peach pass and it only costs me $1.25 to get use that lane all the way from 285 to the end up 85N and I get to drive past all the idiots driving at 60 in the fast lanes forming rolling road blocks.

And if you're not carpooling, you wouldnt be able to use an HOV/HOT lane anyway so no real loss there. I guess it sucks if you are carpooling and want to use that lane. Also if you know you're gonna have 3 people at least in your carpool all the time, then you can have the toll thing set as continuously "free" instead of having to do it each time you're leaving the house.

Its like the bus lanes in the UK, there arent that many of them, but where there are some, everyone that's not using them are pissed at them being there.

Personally, I down with paying for the convenience of bypassing all the traffic.

Also like Cody, I go up 85N in the morning so it's not a huge bonus but its significant enough that it takes a good number of minutes off my commute, and less traffic stress to boot.

I can only imagine that if you went and got a peach pass so you can fly down 85S in the mornings, that'd be worth it.
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jsquared
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by jsquared »

Treefish wrote:I guess I'm that 0.01% that like it, because I have a peach pass and it only costs me $1.25 to get use that lane all the way from 285 to the end up 85N and I get to drive past all the idiots driving at 60 in the fast lanes forming rolling road blocks.

And if you're not carpooling, you wouldnt be able to use an HOV/HOT lane anyway so no real loss there. I guess it sucks if you are carpooling and want to use that lane. Also if you know you're gonna have 3 people at least in your carpool all the time, then you can have the toll thing set as continuously "free" instead of having to do it each time you're leaving the house.

Its like the bus lanes in the UK, there arent that many of them, but where there are some, everyone that's not using them are pissed at them being there.

Personally, I down with paying for the convenience of bypassing all the traffic.

Also like Cody, I go up 85N in the morning so it's not a huge bonus but its significant enough that it takes a good number of minutes off my commute, and less traffic stress to boot.

I can only imagine that if you went and got a peach pass so you can fly down 85S in the mornings, that'd be worth it.
Doesnt the toll change depending on congestion? It can be as much as 90 cents a mile IIRC. Thats a lotta hooch!
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CodyW
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by CodyW »

I still wouldn't even want to pay $1.25 per way (and that's the lowest it is for that stretch). Doesn't sound like much per leg of the trip, but that's well over $600 a year if you use it 5 days a week for a year. I'm too cheap for that junk.
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andysapp
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by andysapp »

According to the sign today... it would cost me $5 to go from 316 to Shallowford Road (13 miles). That is $25 per week, and $100 for the month. That would only be ONE WAY. Double that for the return trip, and tack that $200 onto the $500 I already spend in gas to commute monthly, and this lane can thoroughly fuck the fuck off.

I shouldn't have to want to pay money to ride in a lane because they just made traffic worse. They need to be doing something to make the traffic flow better... not bottleneck everything more to make money.

Charlie, I do remember that 400 thing. I want to think they will do something similar in this case... but I know they probably invested millions into this lane, and the technology that governs it. So I'm sure it is here to stay.
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by charlie »

As Leo Getz would say... "That's how they fuck ya."
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by jsquared »

andysapp wrote: $500 I already spend in gas to commute monthly

Dude, go buy a CRX, youd save enough in gas to make your money back in 3 months.
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andysapp
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Re: Peach Pass Express Lanes.

Post by andysapp »

That's what operation 'Throw More Money at the BMW' was supposed to be. I can't afford to buy/insure another car.
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