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Articles by Doug Turbull
Gridlock Guy: A harrowing firsthand account of a wrong-way driver
A wrong-way driver in a stolen car crashed in the express lane on I-75 in Henry County on Friday, May 28, 2021. WSB 24-hour Traffic Center Credit: WSB 24-hour Traffic Center Credit: WSB 24-hour Traffic Center Plans change quickly and snap decisions by some can gravely affect others, as one man and his family learned en route to vacation on the Friday before Memorial Day. “Heading down to Hilton Head.
Gridlock Guy: Helping ease the load for our heroic dispatchers
Last week was National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, a time to annually reflect on and appreciate the people who are just as vital to the first-responders community as the men and women who drive up to relieve our problems. Dispatchers are the calm voices on the other end of the phone during usually some of the worst moments in the callers’ lives. And those phone calls roll in sometimes constantly in a 12-hour shift.
Gridlock Guy: Posture and settings are key to driving comfort and safety
Sunshine in the middle of last week obliterated both the cloud cover and the lighter-than-normal traffic conditions around metro Atlanta. We predicted in the previous column that it would. Unfortunately, the last few days on our city’s roads have seen vicious wrecks and long delays and we pray for those involved. And we have covered time and again the different driving habits, behaviors and attitudes that can both cause and prevent these snarls.
Gridlock Guy: Sunshine underrated in its role in Atlanta traffic delays
As the dreary throes of winter begin playing their last, whimpering minor chords, the sunshine of springtime is clearing its throat for a bold song. Atlanta weather has produced some popular episodes in recent weeks, with Old Man Winter still stepping in to direct some shows, driving the show’s ratings down to a shady, dark corner under some Spaghetti Junction flyover ramp. But fair weather bears with it some sour news: people hit the roads when going outside feels nice.
Gridlock Guy: COVID-19 didn’t stifle iATL’s 2020 rollout
January 10, 2020 feels like six years ago. That actually was just over a year ago when the coronavirus seemed like some foreign subject in the “international news” section. But the dreaded COVID-19 had already washed in from the shining sea then and by mid-March, people swarmed to gather amber waves of grain (and white rolls of paper). Then most of the United States hunkered down, as the nation changed its approach to almost every facet of everyday life.
Gridlock Guy: Distracted driving, I-20 work zone jams, and a great citizen
Getting distracted from distracted driving diligence: October is, among many other things, National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The National Safety Council actually delayed this observance six months, because traffic volume was so low in April. And considering the coverage that COVID-19 rightly garnered then, anti-distracted driving stories simply wouldn’t land in the spring.
Gridlock Guy: MARTA development continues, despite present lack of demand
The grinding Atlanta commute is nearly as out-of-fashion as cargo pants these days, given the pandemic-driven habits many have assumed. Working from home has lightened the traffic load both in automobiles and on MARTA trains and buses. And the lack of delays on the roads has made the need for MARTA less for those who don’t work from home, but have vehicles. A consistent reliable trip time to work or home is often possible behind the wheel these days (in morning drive, anyway).
Gridlock Guy: Meditating on “good traffic”
As this is being typed, many are gathering at Ebenezer Baptist Church to honor the late civil rights hero and longtime congressman John Lewis. Lewis’ most famous phrase was “good trouble,” which essentially refers to the type of civil disobedience and protest that Lewis and many that joined him in the struggle for equal rights deployed. This is the kind of trouble that doesn’t inflict harm like rioting and looting does.
Gridlock Guy: Meditating on “good traffic”
As this is being typed, many are gathering at Ebenezer Baptist Church to honor the late civil rights hero and longtime congressman John Lewis. Lewis’ most famous phrase was “good trouble,” which essentially refers to the type of civil disobedience and protest that Lewis and many who joined him in the struggle for equal rights deployed. This is the kind of trouble that doesn’t inflict harm like rioting and looting does.
Gridlock Guy: I-75 flooding an avoidable debacle in Cobb last week
Summer storms are no surprise occurrence these days, and they undoubtedly dampen and slow the commute. But one such storm did more damage to the ride in Cobb County last Tuesday than it should have. Storms started popping like popcorn on July 21 all over Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Most areas got some kind of rain, but the random showers varied in intensity. And since they weren’t driven by a front, they moved slowly.
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