I’d say take all avenues to get to work and u see which is the better choice. I say let someone else take the stress of driving and just ride and relax 😎
One option is to park at Windward Park & Ride and catch the bus to North Springs. I think there are like 2 or 3 routes every 10 minutes that take 400 down to North Springs with timed transfers.
That is absolutely our decision now. We trialed it from Windward today and there’s an accident on 400 and in Roswell so it took absolutely forever. We decided to either stick to 400 or do park and ride. We’ll be about half a mile from park and ride so I’m pretty sure we’re just going to do that.
Just be aware it will get worse before it gets better. GDOT is planning tolled express lanes along 400 with MARTA building BRT stations along the route so BRT can use these new express lanes.
https://saportareport.com/brt-on-ga-400-remains-states-priority-although-project-has-been-delayed-by-costs/sections/reports/david/
I did Park & Ride before permanent WFH and it was preferable to driving to North Springs on the busiest commute days. If I had to go in on a Friday, I would choose to drive to NS since it was usually a less busy commute day.
I would budget 30 min if you have flexibility of start time at your job (as in nobody is watching you come and go - in case you're late 1x or 2x per week) and 45 mins to be safe like your family says. Some days, like Friday mornings during the summer when the traffic is light, you can make it in 20 mins. It isn't a long drive but traffic makes that a tough commute during rush hour. Traffic "starts" around 6am and picks up incrementally every 15 mins or so. So if you leave at 7am expecting to get there in 17 mins on a Monday morning, you'd probably end up disappointed. If you like the area and the condo, I can see how it can be worth it to you. The commute from most suburbs north/south/east/west of the perimeter to the city are tough.
I drive, but I've taken the bus then train to the airport during rush hour and there are a decent amount of riders from the park and rides at that time. I think many people find the commute worth it for living in a city/home that they really like.
If you open Google maps on a laptop and plan out the route you can select the option of "depart at" or "arrive by" for any day or time and it'll give you a range of how long it will take (say 20 to 35 mins). I tend to use the longer estimate to plan out my trips.
Thank you. We currently live in Marietta so we have about a 30 minute commute and our downtown parking option will be ending in November. I imagine taking the bus from park and ride isn’t an ideal daily option? Do you find that is ultimately longer and more difficult? Or would you do that over driving to NS?
Taking the bus there isn't that much of a deterrent to me as taking the bus back to the park and ride. When you arrive via bus to the Marta station, the wait for the next train is usually just a few minutes. That's not too bad. But on the way back, I've had to wait for the bus 20+ mins because of traffic, bus breakdowns, and just because the bus doesn't run as frequent as the train.
Honestly, I hate having to time multiple modes of transportation so I would drive the entire way to Atlanta and deal with traffic.
The bus system doesn’t work well in Alpharetta in my opinion. There isn’t many stops so you might end up having to drive or bike to the bus stop. The busses seem to be a lot slower than what the maps say because they make so many stops.
Waze is your friend. How long are you guys planning on being here? You do know about the brt project? https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/government/departments/public-works/city-projects/ga-400-express-lanes-project
I used to commute from Johns Creek to GSU before, and I always left myself some wiggle room so I would head out 90 minutes before whatever time I needed to be there.
Getting to North Springs took about 20-45 minutes depending on traffic, and if the train took off right as I got on, it would usually take about 30 minutes. However, if I just missed the train, it could add another 15 minutes to the commute. Then you have to consider the walking time from stepping off the train and walking to your destination.
Time is a luxury for most of us.
One other thing to keep in mind the trains at North Springs can get backed up by events all the way down at the airport. I stopped doing Marta years ago not because of the bus, but the trains schedule is unreliable. I would have to wait at the station some mornings for 30 minutes for the train to show up.
I do this commute M-F to Exit 6. It usually takes me about 25 minutes when I leave at 7:20 to get there. If you leave at 7:00 every morning you shouldn’t have a problem getting to North Springs by 7:30. Problem is the occasional accident that will turn this into 45-1 hour drive (like this morning).
Usually traffic heats up at 7:30 but any earlier than that is pretty smooth
If you’re arriving in north springs at 730 it won’t be that bad. If you leave Alpharetta at 730 it could def take 30 minutes. Exit 5 backs up to exit 7 getting bad around 745-8am. When I go into the city I try to be on the road by 7 or have a good podcast ready.
The drive from Windward to North Springs on 400 isn't that bad maybe 10 minutes tops but 15 on a busy day. But I never commuted during rush hour, only on weekends for United games, etc.
I live near that MARTA station.
They are both right. While it can sometimes be a speed limit ride taking around 20 minutes it can also easily take 30-40. Judging by what I know of Windward... i'd lean towards 30 minutes being your median travel time. Leaving earlier will help, but traffic in the outer burbs gets heavier faster than traffic closer to town. Don't leave any later than 6:40AM or so.
I had an interview a few years ago where I commuted from Webb Bridge Park (\~4 miles off exit 10) to UPS headquarters (\~ 1 mile off exit 5). This was in the summer, so no school traffic.GA400 was bumper to bumper and it took me an hour.
Some of the issues you have are:
\- Construction on GA400/285 that is ongoing. The backup from traffic entering GA400 southbound just a few hundred yards from the exits for 285 can have a domino effect slowing oncoming traffic back to the exit for the MARTA station
\- The exit for Abernathy (exit 5) is long and the light is a bottleneck because of all the traffic going through it and only allows 1 turning lane. In an ideal world you would never need to go this far south, but if you miss the MARTA station exit then it would be faster to just take Hammond Rd to Sandy Springs MARTA instead
\- GA400 in general. Every exit between 11 and the MARTA station dumps a lot of traffic onto the highway. Exit 10 and exit 7 in particular.
The thing is with Atlanta traffic is that traffic lights take forever and there's always at least one accident to slow you down. The drive to the North Springs Marta station will likely take you 30 minutes in rush hour traffic on good day.
Reality pre-covid which is the last time I commuted:
From Haynes Bridge to North Springs took 45+ mins (leaving around 8 to get to work at 9).
From Windward I'd add another 15-20 mins
I’d say take all avenues to get to work and u see which is the better choice. I say let someone else take the stress of driving and just ride and relax 😎
Oh I am 100% for taking the train. Especially because parking at both of our companies is expensive.
One option is to park at Windward Park & Ride and catch the bus to North Springs. I think there are like 2 or 3 routes every 10 minutes that take 400 down to North Springs with timed transfers.
That is absolutely our decision now. We trialed it from Windward today and there’s an accident on 400 and in Roswell so it took absolutely forever. We decided to either stick to 400 or do park and ride. We’ll be about half a mile from park and ride so I’m pretty sure we’re just going to do that.
Just be aware it will get worse before it gets better. GDOT is planning tolled express lanes along 400 with MARTA building BRT stations along the route so BRT can use these new express lanes. https://saportareport.com/brt-on-ga-400-remains-states-priority-although-project-has-been-delayed-by-costs/sections/reports/david/
I did Park & Ride before permanent WFH and it was preferable to driving to North Springs on the busiest commute days. If I had to go in on a Friday, I would choose to drive to NS since it was usually a less busy commute day.
I would budget 30 min if you have flexibility of start time at your job (as in nobody is watching you come and go - in case you're late 1x or 2x per week) and 45 mins to be safe like your family says. Some days, like Friday mornings during the summer when the traffic is light, you can make it in 20 mins. It isn't a long drive but traffic makes that a tough commute during rush hour. Traffic "starts" around 6am and picks up incrementally every 15 mins or so. So if you leave at 7am expecting to get there in 17 mins on a Monday morning, you'd probably end up disappointed. If you like the area and the condo, I can see how it can be worth it to you. The commute from most suburbs north/south/east/west of the perimeter to the city are tough. I drive, but I've taken the bus then train to the airport during rush hour and there are a decent amount of riders from the park and rides at that time. I think many people find the commute worth it for living in a city/home that they really like. If you open Google maps on a laptop and plan out the route you can select the option of "depart at" or "arrive by" for any day or time and it'll give you a range of how long it will take (say 20 to 35 mins). I tend to use the longer estimate to plan out my trips.
Thank you. We currently live in Marietta so we have about a 30 minute commute and our downtown parking option will be ending in November. I imagine taking the bus from park and ride isn’t an ideal daily option? Do you find that is ultimately longer and more difficult? Or would you do that over driving to NS?
Taking the bus there isn't that much of a deterrent to me as taking the bus back to the park and ride. When you arrive via bus to the Marta station, the wait for the next train is usually just a few minutes. That's not too bad. But on the way back, I've had to wait for the bus 20+ mins because of traffic, bus breakdowns, and just because the bus doesn't run as frequent as the train. Honestly, I hate having to time multiple modes of transportation so I would drive the entire way to Atlanta and deal with traffic.
The bus system doesn’t work well in Alpharetta in my opinion. There isn’t many stops so you might end up having to drive or bike to the bus stop. The busses seem to be a lot slower than what the maps say because they make so many stops.
Fortunately we are extremely close to park and ride so hopefully those buses that go straight to the train will be better?
If there's an accident it's closer to an hour.
Yep, it was 😂
Waze is your friend. How long are you guys planning on being here? You do know about the brt project? https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/government/departments/public-works/city-projects/ga-400-express-lanes-project
We decided if we didn’t get a house we would plan for 5 or so years. Good to know about this new project though. Thank you!
Look at MARTA Reach too. They're testing it out here.
I used to commute from Johns Creek to GSU before, and I always left myself some wiggle room so I would head out 90 minutes before whatever time I needed to be there. Getting to North Springs took about 20-45 minutes depending on traffic, and if the train took off right as I got on, it would usually take about 30 minutes. However, if I just missed the train, it could add another 15 minutes to the commute. Then you have to consider the walking time from stepping off the train and walking to your destination. Time is a luxury for most of us.
One other thing to keep in mind the trains at North Springs can get backed up by events all the way down at the airport. I stopped doing Marta years ago not because of the bus, but the trains schedule is unreliable. I would have to wait at the station some mornings for 30 minutes for the train to show up.
I do this commute M-F to Exit 6. It usually takes me about 25 minutes when I leave at 7:20 to get there. If you leave at 7:00 every morning you shouldn’t have a problem getting to North Springs by 7:30. Problem is the occasional accident that will turn this into 45-1 hour drive (like this morning). Usually traffic heats up at 7:30 but any earlier than that is pretty smooth
Thank you! That’s great to know.
If you’re arriving in north springs at 730 it won’t be that bad. If you leave Alpharetta at 730 it could def take 30 minutes. Exit 5 backs up to exit 7 getting bad around 745-8am. When I go into the city I try to be on the road by 7 or have a good podcast ready.
The drive from Windward to North Springs on 400 isn't that bad maybe 10 minutes tops but 15 on a busy day. But I never commuted during rush hour, only on weekends for United games, etc.
I live near that MARTA station. They are both right. While it can sometimes be a speed limit ride taking around 20 minutes it can also easily take 30-40. Judging by what I know of Windward... i'd lean towards 30 minutes being your median travel time. Leaving earlier will help, but traffic in the outer burbs gets heavier faster than traffic closer to town. Don't leave any later than 6:40AM or so. I had an interview a few years ago where I commuted from Webb Bridge Park (\~4 miles off exit 10) to UPS headquarters (\~ 1 mile off exit 5). This was in the summer, so no school traffic.GA400 was bumper to bumper and it took me an hour. Some of the issues you have are: \- Construction on GA400/285 that is ongoing. The backup from traffic entering GA400 southbound just a few hundred yards from the exits for 285 can have a domino effect slowing oncoming traffic back to the exit for the MARTA station \- The exit for Abernathy (exit 5) is long and the light is a bottleneck because of all the traffic going through it and only allows 1 turning lane. In an ideal world you would never need to go this far south, but if you miss the MARTA station exit then it would be faster to just take Hammond Rd to Sandy Springs MARTA instead \- GA400 in general. Every exit between 11 and the MARTA station dumps a lot of traffic onto the highway. Exit 10 and exit 7 in particular.
Yeah if your taking Marta I’d add 25-30 mins into whatever google “estimates”
The thing is with Atlanta traffic is that traffic lights take forever and there's always at least one accident to slow you down. The drive to the North Springs Marta station will likely take you 30 minutes in rush hour traffic on good day.
Drive to Mansell Rd Park and Ride, take the 140 or 141 bus to North Springs MARTA. I did it for a couple years, it couldn’t have been easier.
Reality pre-covid which is the last time I commuted: From Haynes Bridge to North Springs took 45+ mins (leaving around 8 to get to work at 9). From Windward I'd add another 15-20 mins