ATP Quiz: What Is This? Where? Whose?

Atlanta Police Chief Creates Task Force on Traffic after Harrowing NBA Jams. this web site lenox square mall

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News February 12, 2003 By Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 12–Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has put together a police task force to look at the problem that vexed the NBA All-Star weekend — traffic.

Crowds, limos and SUVs paralyzed the city during the weekend, causing traffic jams and forcing the closing of several area shopping centers, including Lenox Square mall.

Pennington said northbound traffic on Peachtree Street must be addressed and said he would consider a plan that would open all four lanes to vehicles heading north.

“There were two lanes of traffic going from the Underground to Buckhead. We can’t have that,” said Pennington. “You cannot, with that many people going up two lanes of traffic, have a regular flow of traffic. It is impossible.” Pennington’s announcement came at press conference held by Mayor Shirley Franklin, who declared the weekend a success but apologized for the traffic problems. She said her office underestimated the crowds.

“We didn’t warn people that the crowds would be so large,” Franklin said. “The chief and I said, ‘We think we have it under control.’ We were wrong. But we can learn from this and improve.” Based on projections from the last two NBA All-Star games in Philadelphia and Washington, Franklin said the city expected about 100,000 people for All-Star events, the Southeastern Flower Show and the Pro Bull Riders rodeo. Nearly 200,000 visitors showed up.

The city at times seemed unprepared for the level of traffic that clogged downtown, Midtown and Buckhead along Peachtree Street.

“We were caught off guard, and that caused a level of frustration,” Franklin said.

The NBA All-Star Game was the first crowd-control test for Franklin as mayor and Pennington as Atlanta’s police chief, although both have dealt with crowds before. As chief of the New Orleans Police Department, Pennington dealt with similar crowds during Mardi Gras.

“I had to see this first-hand,” said Pennington. “And we actually did well. The only thing that I saw and the major concern was traffic.” Franklin was involved in planning the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

“For the Olympic period, you had events at specific times, people used MARTA to get to an event and MARTA was free,” said Franklin.

Franklin said planners did not spend enough time warning people about the potential traffic problems and should have been more vigilant in persuading people to ride MARTA. It wasn’t until Sunday that MARTA went to 24-hour service. go to web site lenox square mall

“If we had anticipated an additional 50,000 people, we could have done some things totally different,” Pennington said.

The gridlock also affected the Southeastern Flower Show. After years of trying to relocate to the Georgia World Congress Center, the show got its wish this year — on the worst weekend imaginable. The five-day show drew about 40,000 visitors, about the same as last year at the Atlanta Exposition Center, show director Rebecca Wellborn said Tuesday.

“We really feel like if it hadn’t been for all this mess we would have well exceeded that,” she said.

In two months Atlanta will be tested again, when it hosts the NCAA Women’s Final Four in March and the first Hip-Hop Summit in April. Pennington said a report should be completed within three weeks.

“Two months is more than enough time to finish the report and have a plan in place,” Pennington said. “We will be ready.”