OPINION: Picture-perfect proof of metro Atlanta’s road lunacy
By Bill Torpy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sept 23, 2021
The photo of three vehicles squeezed in together between a concrete road barrier and orange road construction dividers quickly went crazy online, a shot that aptly captured the obtuseness of our motoring ways.
Late last month, the drivers of those three vehicles — a Ford Mustang, a GMC van and a GMC SUV — all apparently had the same idea at the exact same moment. That is, they wanted to exit I-285 onto Glenridge Drive, a spot that is a very busy and complicated piece of concrete.
The photo that appeared on the Facebook page of the Sandy Springs Police Department (SSPD) seemed to catch the zeitgeist of what it is to drive in metro Atlanta. It was shared 23,000 times and drew 3,800 comments.
“This is the most Atlanta accident I’ve ever seen,” a fellow named John Carter chimed in on the site.
“This is a great example of the Atlanta real estate market,” Mark Faulkner noted, “everyone bidding for the same piece of space at the same time.”
People immediately speculated on the cause: The drivers were unaware of their surrounding traffic. They were playing a game of automotive chicken. They were functionally brain dead behind the wheel. One or more of the drivers made a last-second decision to veer off the interstate and onto the ramp.
If you picked choice #4 — ding, ding, ding — you’re a winner!
SSPD Sgt. Salvador Ortega said the department posted the photo to alert drivers to the dangers of the lane closures and exit reconfigurations that occur as the state undergoes a massive, multiyear construction project to remake the I-285/Ga. 400 juncture. Drivers are creatures of habit, so construction-related changes are causing high anxiety. This was just a nudge to the public to ask folks to slow down, and be alert and more cautious.
. Not taking this very seriously but she's got a Maria Taylor vibe going