You’ve heard lots of information on traffic in Johns Creek.  Many of the conclusions I feel are based on erroneous assumptions and intuitions. The GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation) surveys data at locations throughout our state and you have access to that data for yourself to confirm or deny your very own assumptions about the traffic you personally experience.

Map of GDOT Traffic Survey Locations

Above is a local map of the Johns Creek area.  Each dot is a location that GDOT surveys traffic volumes.  By clicking on the individual dot, you will then be presented with a new window which includes three tabs which allows you to more closely look at the historical data for that location.

It is important to note that these surveys only measure through traffic at the locations specified.  The data is not collected at intersections but between intersections.  So, as my example will show, the data from 141 is collected for the directions North and South.

The new window will show you information about the location you have selected.  In this case it is Wilson Road.  There are two additional tabs that you will want to explore:  Annual Statistics and Surveys.

First the Annual Statistics:

The Annual Statistics shows traffic volumes as they were measured.  Be sure to not that on years where a survey was not done, GDOT estimates volume.   Ignore the estimates and only look at years with actual surveys.

For this station we have data going back to 1990.  Highlights for this station include 42550 vehicles in the year 2010, more than our most recent survey in 2014.

Looking back over the last decade, the volume at 141 just north of Wilson Road has been rather static and not rising as we are told it has been.  Keep in mind that the population of Johns Creek has risen sharply over the last decade, suggesting to me that we are having less through traffic and more local traffic than we had ten years ago.

The Surveys Tab is where you can drill down into the actual surveys.

Here is where we can “drill” down into the directions of the traffic by day, by hour, and by direction.

Selecting the By Day for 2014 you will see the following results:

It has been my experience that the surveys, while extending over three dates, will contain one full 24 hour period for the same date.  Here we can see the totals for both North and South Bound traffic for the station.

We are also able to see the volume by hour by direction:

Above is the volume by hour for North Bound traffic.

Above is the volume by hour for South Bound traffic.

If you choose you can also download all the data by clicking on the hard drive icon you see under the speed column.

There you have it.  Everything you need to know to look at and examine the data for traffic in your area as GDOT has collected and maintained on it’s website, which you can connect to here:

http://trafficserver.transmetric.com/gdot-prod/gdot_report.html

I encourage you to use this site, analyze the data, and draw your own conclusions about what you see and learn.

If you have any questions or observations, please leave me a comment.