Contact:
Judy Parker, APR
770.206.1477, office
Tisa Moore
770.206.1473, office
For Immediate Release
Traffic Signal Timing Improvement Yields Significant Benefits
Drivers in Perimeter Area Has Saved $3.1 Million Study Shows
Release Date: 1/29/2007
In November 2006, the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCID) came together with the City of Sandy Springs and DeKalb County to complete a major signal-retiming project. The PCID project included Glenridge Connector, Abernathy/Perimeter Center West, Mt. Vernon Highway and Peachtree-Dunwoody Road. In the months since project completion, study results show numerous benefits to motorists, including a $3.1 million total annual benefit of all corridors combined.
“The money saved represents an aggregate total on traveler delay, emissions, stop/start costs on vehicles and costs on infrastructure, for example,” said Mayor Eva Galambos. “This is not hard currency out of any one person’s pocket, but what it represents are the total savings by making changes to the signal timing.”
The other main benefits to motorists include travel time in these corridors improving by 22 percent and a total reduction in delays by more than 34 percent. The number of stops also improved by 27.6 percent, which increased speed by nearly 29 percent. These figures also have an impact on the environment: hydrocarbons were reduced by nearly 8 percent and carbon monoxide was reduced by 1.5 percent.
“This fairly low expenditure has yielded high results,” added City Manager John McDonough. “The next place we want to work on is Roswell Road. We have made small changes, but now we really want to get in there with the Georgia Department of Transportation and make significant changes that will have similar outcomes.”
Other performance highlights include:
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The daily cost benefits of the new timing plans pay for this project in just 7 days.
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Travel times for motorists on Glenridge Connector decreased by 18 percent. Total delay for those same motorists decreased 27 percent and their average speed increased 20 percent.
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Travel times for motorists on Peachtree Dunwoody Rd decreased by 13 percent. Total delay for those same motorists decreased 22 percent and their average speed increased 15 percent.
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Average travel time on Abernathy/Perimeter Center West decreased by 43 percent.
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Average travel time on Mt. Vernon decreased by 33 percent.
For more information on Sandy Springs’ Public Works Department projects, please call 770-730-5600 or visit www.sandyspringsga.org. More information on the Perimeter CIDs can be found at www.perimetercid.org.
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