Posted on Jul 8, 2003

Is it the imagination or has the traffic volume in Montgomery's downtown increased in the past couple of years? While exact numerical comparisons of downtown traffic growth or decline do not exist, longtime business owners, managers, police and the city's certified planners say traffic in the central business district seems to have picked up in the past several years. "Things are better than they used to be," Chris' Hot Dog restaurant owner Theo Katechis said. "I'm sure the RSA tower helped bring a lot more people down here. There's more activity along the river, the train shed." Frequent downtown visitors and city officials say the renewed interest in downtown development and tourism are major reasons for the rise. But quantifying the multiplication of motorists is far from scientific. The city hasn't conducted a traffic volume study of Montgomery's downtown, Traffic Engineer Locke "Bubba" Bowden said. However, Certified Planner Steven Harrison of the Montgomery City Planning Department said traffic volumes in some parts of downtown Montgomery have come close to or exceeded those recorded by the Alabama Department of Transportation in 1959 for a study released the following year. Traffic volumes were high during that bygone era because the downtown area was the retail and entertainment center of Montgomery, said Harrison, a 15-year city employee. But in the four decades following those benchmark, bumper-to-bumper years, city growth shifted to the east. Retail, restaurant and entertainment business all but abandoned the city's core. In the past few years, though, the chrome and rubber parade has escalated downtown, according to studies by the Transportation Department conducted in 1999 and 2001. Madison Avenue, the busiest downtown street, had a daily average of 22,100 vehicles near the intersection of Hull Street in June 1959. The average daily count in 1999 was 22,524. The count on Madison near Ripley Street was even higher, at 24,440, according to Alabama Department of Transportation reports. But other streets continue to show lower traffic counts than in 1959. Jefferson Avenue showed 8,600 in June 1959. The busiest location on Jefferson Avenue in 1999 averaged 6,071 per day. The most recent traffic count figures available also do not show the effect of renewed downtown revitalization efforts, which did not begin in earnest until early 2002. Some say the revitalization effort, which has become a major focus of Mayor Bobby Bright's city administration, should be credited for bringing more traffic into the downtown area. "You are seeing more traffic because of all of the interest in downtown revitalization efforts," said Hobson Cox, owner of Affordable Eyewear at 324 Madison Ave. He said the traffic increase also has caused an increase in auto accidents. "People go 60 miles an hour," he said. "If a policeman could sit behind the bushes (and clock speeders) they would make a fortune." Montgomery Traffic Police Sgt. Richard Soder said he has noticed an increase over the past few years. "Anytime you start doing new construction, it will increase interest," Soder said. He has noticed more traffic because so many people are interested in development along the river. "Curiosity is bringing them downtown," Soder said. "Wait until they open the new civic center and downtown hotel," he said. Although downtown traffic volumes are rising, planners are not worried about congestion. Harrison said Montgomery's downtown was designed for heavy traffic decades ago because it was the hub of activity. The city plans to adjust and coordinate signal lights to keep traffic from backing up at intersections. Technological advances also will help keep the lines of vehicles flowing smoothly. An "Intelligent Transportation System" that will use sensors, cameras and remote controls will someday automatically set traffic lights to keep vehicles moving smoothly. The system eventually will become part of the Intermodal Transit Center planned for construction within the next two years near Union Station, Harrison said. "I don't see a problem in the near future," he said.