AMATS | Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study | Planning for Greater Akron

The news that traffic congestion is improving in the Greater Akron area may bring some sense of relief to the area’s motorists as they pay higher fuel prices.

The 2010 Existing Congestion Study compiled by AMATS shows a marked improvement on area roadways when compared to a similar study compiled just four years earlier.  Existing congestion studies measure the capacity of the area’s freeways, arterials and intersections to accommodate traffic volume during busy travel times.

PRATER

The area saw significant declines in congestion compared to 2006, according to AMATS Engineer Amy Prater.  A combination of people driving less and the completion of a number of major improvement projects, such as state Route 8 in northern Summit County, may be the reasons for the improving numbers, Prater says.

These findings are consistent with other agency analyses such as crash studies and volume trends.  Crashes and traffic counts have been much lower in the last few years as the economy has continued to struggle and fewer cars and trucks are on the road.  Possible reasons for declining congestion.

“However, this is probably welcome news to motorists who are spending less time in traffic.  It also means that communities will have the ability to devote more of the area’s increasingly scarce funding resources to maintaining what we have rather than taking on costly expansion projects,” she observes.  Study carries project funding implications.

While the Greater Akron area saw improvements, the latest totals do not mean that the area does not have its share of congestion problems.  Prater notes that the analysis identified a number of freeway and arterial segments as deficient.  “While congestion improved overall, clearly it will continue to be an issue in some locations well into the foreseeable future,” she says.

Unique to the latest study is the inclusion of “weave” analyses of 19 area freeway segments.  The agency believed that the analyses were necessary because of the high number of vehicle lane changes in these locations due to closely spaced entrance and exit ramps.  The two most closely spaced interchanges, Wolf Ledges/Grant Street and Main Street/Broadway in Akron, were among the segments analyzed.  These segments, together with the Central Interchange, rank as the region’s top congestion and safety concerns.  Prater explains weave analysis.

The 2010 Existing Congestion Study is available by clicking here.  Summary tables of the six most deficient freeway segments under the weave analysis, the five most deficient arterial segments and a capacity analysis of seven intersections are available by clicking here.

AMATS hosted the first of two of its Public Bike Meetings at the Highland Square Branch Library on April 13.  The meetings are part of the agency’s outreach to the Greater Akron area’s cycling community.

The agency’s goal in hosting the meetings is to gain new insights into strategies that encourage cycling as a means of transportation.  Planning Administrator Curtis Baker says that, if the first meeting is any indication, AMATS is well on its way to meeting that goal.

A crowd of more than 20 residents and representatives from various cycling groups attended the evening meeting to share their thoughts with the planning agency.  Attendees included policy makers such as Summit County Council Member At-Large Sandra Kurt.

LIKE TO BIKE: The April 13 Public Bike Meeting hosted by AMATS drew many area cyclists who were more than willing to share their views on the region's roads and trails.

“We heard suggestions regarding the need for improved amenities, such as bike racks and stations, and calls for more education and safety awareness.  One idea that we liked was the idea of ‘benchmarking’ our efforts with what comparable communities and regions are doing to promote biking in other parts of the country.  We can learn from those areas,” Baker says.

He says that AMATS will use the input that it garners from the Highland Square meeting and an upcoming meeting in Kent to develop a comprehensive Bike Plan and Bike User’s Map for the Greater Akron area.  During his presentation, Baker announced to the audience that the agency will launch a new web site, Switching-Gears.org, in the coming weeks.  The site will be tailored to the unique needs of the area’s cyclists.

MAPPING IT OUT: Andrew Williams studies the draft Summit County Bike User's Map.

Angelo Coletta, the general manager of the Summit Cycling Center, said that he was pleased that the meeting drew many attendees from the cycling community.  Coletta added that more needs to be done to promote biking as a form of transportation beyond recreation.  Separate bike lanes and paths shouldn’t be necessary because the area’s roads should be shared by motorists and cyclists, according to Coletta.  Listen to Coletta’s observations by clicking here.

GOING GREEN: Christopher Fullerton, left, and Transportation Planner Phyllis Jividen discuss the AMATS Area Greenways map prepared by the agency under its bike initiative.

The next Public Bike Meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27 at the Kent Free Library located at 312 West Main Street in Kent.

To view Baker’s presentation, please click here.

Please visit our Biking in the Region page to learn more about AMATS and cycling in the Greater Akron area by clicking here.