In just over one year, a major signal retiming on Roswell Road has saves Sandy Springs motorists $11 million in terms of fuel and time.
The estimate comes from study findings released this month by the private firm Geostats and is calculated based on an average fuel price of $3 a gallon and motorist time valued at an average of $10 an hour.
According to the city, while motorists on Roswell Road between the City of Atlanta limits and the Chattahoochee River may still notice traffic snarls, they are also likely to spend significantly less time idling in traffic overall. In comparison to a year ago, drivers headed southbound in the afternoon rush hour and northbound in morning rush hour may experience, on average, a 40 percent reduction in their travel time during those peak hours. In northbound afternoon rush hour, a reduction of 11.47 percent travel time is average.
“Saving the average area motorist just a few minutes a day on Roswell Road, as this study shows, can result in millions of dollars in cost savings over the course of a year,” said Mayor Eva Galambos. “The end goal of signal retiming efforts is to get drivers to their destinations with greater ease, as well as reducing the psychological, financial and environmental costs of being stuck in traffic.”
Major state routes like Roswell Road that provide direct highway access can serve tens of thousands of motorists daily. As a result, traffic congestion can be a common frustration—especially during peak morning and afternoon rush hour. As the results of this recent traffic signal retiming study show, understanding problem spots and traffic patterns can help make significant improvements, according to the city.
Last year, the City of Sandy Springs hired Geostats to collect data on traffic patterns along Roswell Road. In April and May 2006, the company used a cutting-edge GPS system to analyze travel time data on Roswell between the Chattahoochee River and the Atlanta city limits. The information was used to retime traffic signals in an effort to improve flow and reduce congestion. A reassessment is planned for next year and improvements on Roswell Road will continue.