An ongoing traffic plan would involve having employers submit, via the Internet, a list of license tags to the regional transportation authority (GRTA in Atlanta's case), along with a flex time window that that each employee can choose from.  The traffic simulator would respond with a color coded selection of traffic windows to choose from.  The employer would then determine the best window to assign an employee, given the employee's expressed needs and preferences, and the results of the simulation at that time.

 It is a well known fact that a traffic patterns depend on the level of congestion that a roadway is subjected to. For example, at 80% of capacity, all traffic will begin to slow down significantly.  Since the total number of vehicles per 15 minute window is known a priori by the traffic simulator, any change to that total will result in a variance in the percent of utilization, and therefore the traffic flow can be computed, even though not all commuters would choose to participate.   The pattern will vary according to the actual commuter traffic plans that are in the system at any one time.   

Participants would be shown an optimal  "commute window" by the GRTA traffic simulation,  which would take into consideration not only the expressway traffic volume at any each 15 minute commute window, but also the access road congestion, which potentially can be as time consuming as the expressway trip itself. 

The four elements that must be balanced in this complex system are the needs of the employers, the desires of the employees, the non-work commitments of the employees, and the reality of the traffic patterns of the metro area.  Employers must give participating employees a wider range of flex time hours in which to begin and end work.   Employees must adjust their free time schedules to meet their chosen traffic window.  Non work commitments such as taking one's children to school need to be taken into account by the planning system. 

 By interaction with the traffic planning website, employers can find the most convenient commute window for each of their employees.  The commuter windows can be assigned to employees on whatever basis suits the employer and employee best.  Seniority may be applied, if it is convenient, or workgroups may be assigned to the same flex time schedule.

 If the commuter traffic windows are expanded from the present four (from 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 am) to a wider set,  perhaps every 15 minutes from 7:00 am to 12:00, for a total of 20, the result will be a five fold decrease in the traffic congestion, which should result in a smooth commute for everyone who reserves their traffic window.  

If enough of the metropolitan area's employers agree to follow the plan, and provide more flex time for their employees,  then immediate progress can be made in solving our critical commute problem. 

Non-work traffic patterns are also important.  Some suburban business hours may need to be expanded to accommodate early or late arrivals.  School schedules may also be expanded to allow for some children to start on staggered periods.  There is nothing written in stone about school schedules, school boards should answer to the People.

The net effect of this cybernetic commuter traffic plan would be similar to widening all of our expressways and access roads to several times of their present capacity, without raising taxes.    The republicans would have us believe that only more expressways, more commuter trains,( i.e. more money), can solve this problem. There are better ways to solve it, but they require the political will of the People to demand change.