Getting around at the core of a center city needs to be based on transit

There was a thread amongst some colleagues, and one person who lives in Tampa commented about his experience living in Central Atlanta, stating that as it got more popular, the previous benefit of being able to get around was lost, because it became more congested. He opined that congestion goes back and forth, increasing in the suburbs, then in the city.

I countered that I am shocked that for the most part, except during rush periods, DC's streets are relatively empty of cars (not Adams-Morgan on a Friday or Saturday night). Note that I am not talking about parking, which is a different phenomenon which I don't care to discuss at the moment.

That because of the high quality transit system at the core of the city, 29 subway stations, bus routes, and the DC Circulator, which seems to be popular amongst market segments that don't appear to find traditional Metrobuses an attractive option, plus of course biking and walking, it's pretty easy to get around.

Atlanta doesn't have a comparable transit system, so of course as you add more people, you add more cars. And it only takes a 15% to 20% addition (or subtraction) of cars to degrade (or improve if cars are removed) significantly mobility speed and efficiency.

From "Buses, not streetcars, needed to solve downtown Dallas transit woes," in the Dallas Morning News:

As someone who works downtown and enjoyed a brief experiment in downtown living, I can tell you that a convenient, efficient way of getting around our sprawling downtown is, quite literally, the missing link. Downtown offers many hot spots of activity – the Arts District, Victory Plaza, the Dallas Farmers Market, the West End, Stone Street Garden. But getting from one to another is a pain. Add surrounding Uptown, Deep Ellum, the Cedars and the burgeoning Trinity development to the discussion, and the transportation gap is even worse.
The whole idea of living and working in a vibrant downtown is lost if you have to get in your car to go anywhere. And that's the sad reality at the moment.
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Speaking of transit marketing, I was at a holiday party last night at Banana Cafe and they had drink coasters marketing the Metro system.