A new study indicates that metro Atlantans, including Fayette residents, are more concerned about traffic congestion and air quality than citizens in other parts of the country.

The study was commissioned by the Clean Air Campaign and shows that traffic and air quality ranked as Atlantan's top two concerns. Other Americans picked crime and education as their top concerns.

“After four years of public education, this research shows us definitively that awareness of the air quality problem is high, and, more importantly, that the public understands the connection between more traffic congestion and smog,” said Lucy Smethurst, director of the Clean Air Campaign.

Forty seven percent of the respondents believed lowering traffic congestion would enable them to save time, while 24 percent would be able to do other things and 17 percent would reduce their stress.

While the public is aware of the detrimental health effects of poor air quality, the research revealed that this is not a highly motivating factor in causing changes in commuting behavior.

Only 15 percent of those interviewed said that an emphasis on health messages would cause them to change their current commute behavior.

Instead, the respondents said the primary motivating messages should be to show the benefits to the individual and show what an individual can do to help.

The study was commissioned by the Department of Transportation as part of an $800,000 research program.

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