Avoid Atlanta ?

[MrZappo]

Next month I will be heading down to Daytona from Chicago ... I am doing some route planing and we will generally have long days to get down there with minimal sightseeing ...

In planning the GPS route, I am looking at Atlanta and wondering if I should just let the GPS route me through or do some planning on my own to get around the main city and its traffic etc etc etc ... I am from Chicago and know that I would avoid the city at all cost on a bike so am wondering if Atlanta is also that way ...

Any advice would be appreciated especially as it relates to routing etc ....

 

[BullCBX]

A lot depends on what you plan is. Do you intend to stop in/around ATL or just push thru?

 

[MrZappo]

A lot depends on what you plan is. Do you intend to stop in/around ATL or just push thru?

Our goal will be to just get through .... Need to make it to Daytona from Nashville so it will be a long day without much time to stop for anything other than gas ...

Easiest and fastest way through while avoiding big city traffic ... If possible ...

 

[ionbeam]

IMO, Rt 285 is the ring of death. Rt 285 and anything inside the ring is in the frozen traffic zone. Going around Atlanta (split at Cartersville and reconnecting at Forest Park) will take just as long as going around Atlanta on 285, the only difference is the rate you will be moving and traffic density. If you can find a way to get through the area between 10 pm and 4 am you should be able to pretty much buzz on around Atalanta on 285. I was fortunate that leaving our homes in Decatur and Tucker I was heading east in the morning and missed the worst of the traffic.

 

[Bounce]

285 - Atlanta Motor Speedway

Last time I was there lane position was critical. Each lane (right to left) is meant to be driven/ridden at certain speeds. The inner-most is called "The Wall Lane" because it's closet to the retainer wall. You better be ready to do 90+ in that lane.

Top that off with everyone tail gating and you'll have a very focused experience.

Last time I was there I was going 95 in the wall lane and had someone about 6" off my back wheel. Local explained this is normal.

I had a car pooler ranting about his experiences on 285 when he was there to support the NWS during the Olympics. He was (only) doing 75 in the wall lane and someone came up from behind and started pushing his back bumper. When I talked to local friends they pretty much reacted with "and...". He was only doing 75 in the 90+ wall lane what did he expect?

Right to left lanes (corrections invited)

1. Entrance speed to 65

2. 70 - 85

3 (wall). 90+

Keep in mind it was posted 55 but that would get you killed.

Many places do bumper-to-bumper. Some places to 95. Few do BtB @ 95. 285 is one of them.

 

[Cav47]

Go right through as long as it is not rush hours. HOV lanes are okay for motos. I have buzzed through there before during high traffic. It is really not that bad. Especially if u have to make time quickly. Leaving Nashville in the morning at 7 puts u there at 11. But remember Nashville is still in central and Atlanta is in eastern time zone.

 

[BullCBX]

Best advice I could offer would be to just plan on going straight thru town on I-75 and make use of the HOV lane. I would not even consider the I-285 bypass. There is nor reason for the additional mileage and/or risk. Would do your best to leave the Nashville area (where ever you stop) so you hit Atlanta right around noon. As a few others have mentioned, speed limits in Atlanta are only suggestions. Most locals (myself included) have learned to minimize spacing between vehicles. Some people are uncomfortable with this and feel like they are being tailed, but it really is nothing personal (again as long you keep up with the flow or move to the right and get out of the way). As long as you stay in the general flow of traffic the LEOs are considerate. If you out-pace the traffic, then you become easy targets. If you have experience with Chicago traffic, I'd bet you'll find our traffic similar. At least here the road surface is a little bit better.

Again, timing is everything. Traffic volumes pick up on the south side of town and can start earlier than you think. Getting thru downtown between noon and 1 o'clock would be your best bet as far as Atlanta traffic is concerned. Not sure how that will play into your overall schedule for the day, but keep in mind the Macon area is not cake walk either. Once you get to the far side of Macon, then you should have smooth sailing.

 

[MrZappo]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions ... They are greatly appreciated ...

We will go straight through ... From what I am reading, the 285 bypass sounds like a bad situation .. Ill take the advice and avoid it ...

Regards ... Hope to see a few of you in Daytona ...

 

[Bounce]

285 can be fun. It's definitely an experience. IF you go in knowing the lane rules and get the heck out of the way (move right) to let other traffic around you (or move left to go around people only doing 80).

 

[Uncle Hud]

MrZappo, I've lived in Atlanta for the past 15 years, and lived around here for most of my life. Good advice above. My 2 cents:

1) You just can't avoid this town. There are no viable alternate routes.

2) No shit about speeds, especially in the left two lanes. If traffic is moving, those lanes will be 80+ mph with 8-foot spacings. Only saving grace is that the drivers in those lanes are pretty skilled at slowing and stopping. Avail yourself of the HOV lane; you can create and sustain space ahead of you, but you'll still need to move along at 70 mph.

3) If you can come through after 7 pm or before 7 am, you'll find conditions much easier than at any other time of day. Professional truckers will stop outside of town rather than attempt to drive through between 3:30 and 7 pm. Friday afternoons are usually epic fails.

4) Straight through on I-75 is best, unless there's been an incident. Overhead message signs are good, and they'll keep you well-informed.

5) If you have the gonads to talk on the phone while riding, call 511, option 9, and talk to a live person at the GDOT traffic management center. They can give you up-to-the-moment information about crashes, construction, and advise you on whether the Downtown Connector (I-75/85) offers a better option than the Perimeter (I-285).

............................

I really like the Downtown Connector late at night -- driving through the center of town is unbelievably pretty, and you pass right by the Holy Land of Georgia Tech.

 

[MojoGuzzi]

You could avoid CHA & ATL altogether with this route, which adds less than an hour and gives you a break from interstate:

 

[Uncle Hud]

You could avoid CHA & ATL altogether with this route, which adds less than an hour and gives you a break from interstate:

That's a nice route; almost all four-lane IIRC. You can also exit I-75 from Calhoun or Adairsville and use GA 53 to Rome. But call me skeptical about adding less than an hour. Lots of small towns and a half-dozen big ones, each with a handful of traffic lights.

If you choose this route, note that many small towns close up their gas stations at dusk, and don't open them at all on Sundays -- but you'll enjoy pleasant miles of pasture, cropland, and woods.

 

[bowtie_brain]

MrZappo, I've lived in Atlanta for the past 15 years, and lived around here for most of my life. Good advice above. My 2 cents:
1) You just can't avoid this town. There are no viable alternate routes.

2) No shit about speeds, especially in the left two lanes. If traffic is moving, those lanes will be 80+ mph with 8-foot spacings. Only saving grace is that the drivers in those lanes are pretty skilled at slowing and stopping. Avail yourself of the HOV lane; you can create and sustain space ahead of you, but you'll still need to move along at 70 mph.

3) If you can come through after 7 pm or before 7 am, you'll find conditions much easier than at any other time of day. Professional truckers will stop outside of town rather than attempt to drive through between 3:30 and 7 pm. Friday afternoons are usually epic fails.

4) Straight through on I-75 is best, unless there's been an incident. Overhead message signs are good, and they'll keep you well-informed.

5) If you have the gonads to talk on the phone while riding, call 511, option 9, and talk to a live person at the GDOT traffic management center. They can give you up-to-the-moment information about crashes, construction, and advise you on whether the Downtown Connector (I-75/85) offers a better option than the Perimeter (I-285).

............................

I really like the Downtown Connector late at night -- driving through the center of town is unbelievably pretty, and you pass right by the Holy Land of Georgia Tech.

Good stuff. Pretty much the same as my experience. I saw that ATL is playing with adjustable speed limits around 285 during certain times of day. Is that a real thing, or do the drivers still pretty much maintain the same pace as always?

 

[Uncle Hud]

It's a real thing, meaning the signs change speed limit for whatever unknown reason. As per the norm, no one slows down. Right now, they're only on the north side; I think GDOT is planning to install them all around the Perimeter and along the Downtown Connector.

They do serve as accurate warning of congestion ahead. If you see a speed limit sign saying 45, and the next one says 35, you should stop texting while eating your fries, and start paying attention. (The new signs are spaced about 1/2 mile apart.)

 

[BullCBX]

I-285 is still a Death Race 2000. People pretty much go as fast as they want (within a level of reason) with complete disregard for posted speed limit signs. It is just a way of life here and you get used to it.

I agree with Uncle Hudd above. That route would make for a nice ride, but would agree you will loose a whole lot of time going that way. Going thru ATL can be challenging, but not impossible. The whole issue with Atlanta is the lack of alternate paths to get around/thru the city. There are NONE and everyone is basically forced to use the major freeways. As long as traffic is flowing, it's not a problem. Once volume increases or heaven forbid and accident happens, then all bets are off and you are going to sit (sometimes for a very long time). That's just the way things roll here.

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^^^^^^^ or SNOW. Check the weather; snow here shuts down the city for a couple of days.

Unlike you Yankees, we enjoy our snowfalls. Why plow or shovel? Who needs a snowblower? It'll melt in 24 hours, so go build a snowman and toss a few snowballs at those punk-ass kids next door. "Work from home" is the way millenials describe it, I believe.

 

[RobertB]

I travel thru Atlanta often. I would suggest stopping outside of Atlanta and checking GA511 or Google maps for traffic conditions, then choose between I75 and I285. Beware of weekend road construction. These projects can turn the highways into parking lots around here.

 

[MojoGuzzi]

Another reason to head through Rome. Having ridden that area recently, I've noticed that gas isn't a problem--Wawa and such are plentiful. Call it the suburbanification of America or whatever, but the small towns still often have amenities.

That being said, yes, there's def an effect of changing speed limits. Still, it's an idea. If time and traffic are on your side, head through town on 75. If you want to be moving even if at 35 or 45 sometimes, head west of town.

 

[drjfjr]

every spring since 2006 two of us leave Kentucky and meet a third and then head to the keys for a week of surf and sun on our bikes. We try to be through Atlanta by 3PM and use the HOV lanes. Only once did we hit stopped traffic and it was due to an accident. Check for accidents before you get to the bypass just in case otherwise hit the HOV lanes and head on through. We have come back and went east to the mountains but it is much slower that way.