ATLANTA TRANSIT (Marta, Beltline, Peachtree Streetcar, LovJoy Commuter, etc...)

[lux]

Can anyone enlighten me as to why there is no transit plan for the northern segment of peachtree rd? It seems to me like having light rail running from the Arts Ctr station to the Buckhead station should be the ultimate no brainer besides beltline rail.
We all know that the design in this city is lackluster, but this seems like such a layup that it seems insane to me that it isnt a thing yet. I get frustrated every time I think about it so if anyone has some background or thoughts on this it would be great!

[PubliusAtGT]

Not sure what the current status is, but back in 2018 the following was planned to be funded as part of the More MARTA program:

Arterial rapid transit

*Route 510 - Peachtree Buckhead: Arterial rapid transit service from Brookhaven Station to Arts Center Station to serve denser residential development in northeastern Buckhead. $21.7 million.

https://www.ajc.com/blog/commuting/marta...ta-detailed-look/PyuO7EtPFU0N4TZEYqNP6H/

[Martinman]

Originally Posted by lux

Can anyone enlighten me as to why there is no transit plan for the northern segment of peachtree rd? It seems to me like having light rail running from the Arts Ctr station to the Buckhead station should be the ultimate no brainer besides beltline rail.
We all know that the design in this city is lackluster, but this seems like such a layup that it seems insane to me that it isnt a thing yet. I get frustrated every time I think about it so if anyone has some background or thoughts on this it would be great!

I think this is for two primary reasons. The first being that the Buckhead community strongly rejected the idea of a Peachtree rail transit plan many years ago. The second is that region does not work well together. So the pool of resources to fund transit expansion is just too small to get much done at all, let alone something that would be as costly as a Peachtree transit route.

[Username123]

The Buckhead community also rejected bike lanes on Peachtree fwiw. It’ll always be car centric unfortunately.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by Username123

The Buckhead community also rejected bike lanes on Peachtree fwiw. It’ll always be car centric unfortunately.

I would love to know the reasons why these have been rejected....

[lux]

Originally Posted by Martinman

I think this is for two primary reasons. The first being that the Buckhead community strongly rejected the idea of a Peachtree rail transit plan many years ago. The second is that region does not work well together. So the pool of resources to fund transit expansion is just too small to get much done at all, let alone something that would be as costly as a Peachtree transit route.

I know that it might seem a bit narrow-minded to want to funnel investment into the fanciest part of the city, but, in the entirety of metro ATL, that road segment has got to generate the most car trips that start and end in the same corridor (AKA local trips). Putting trams/light rail there would also make public transit accessible/appealing to a significant amount of professionals, the market segment that I am assuming has the highest growth potential for MARTA.
There has got to be tens of thousands of people who both live and work on Peachtree road, but that have to drive to the office/groceries because there are no alternatives.
Environmentally and financially speaking, not to mention traffic-wise, I have a hard time seeing how this is not a great play for the city (besides, of course, the Howell Mill/Westside and O4W corridors).

[PubliusAtGT]

Does the Arterial Rapid Transit option currently planned not go some way towards addressing that need?

[lux]

Originally Posted by PubliusAtGT

Does the Arterial Rapid Transit option currently planned not go some way towards addressing that need?

Arterial Rapid Transit (had to look that up) does seem to be the most sensible option. However, budget considerations aside, it does essentially nothing to relieve the stigma around transit and I doubt travel times would be a notable improvement over cars, especially if it does not get exclusive ROW. If you are to deter car dependence, this feels like the perfect first domino. I do believe that such a plan is realistic in the medium to long term as infill proliferates.
On another note, I would literally kill if the red line was deviated underground to track Peachtree. I would do terrible things. But that's more of a pipe dream.

[thegoatman]

262 pages of discussion and zero has been done with MARTA since. The system has not been expanded in over 2 decades despite booming population. But hey, they spend millions of dollars on studies and reports about useless BRT! smh. Worst transit agency in America. Oh, and that streetcar we got is absolutely useless. The beltline is the only good thing the city has done transportation wise this past few decades.

We have small cities like San Diego, Charlotte, and Denver expanding their lines, but a metropolis like Atlanta can't, sad.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

The system has not been expanded in over 2 decades despite booming population.

That's not true. For example, the streetcar, and expansion into Clayton County with multiple new routes. You can easily argue that's not enough, but don't be disingenuous and say MARTA hasn't expanded in two decades. Also, our transit ridership is higher than any of those cities you mention. We have a subway and they're struggling to catch up by installing light rail.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

262 pages of discussion and zero has been done with MARTA since. The system has not been expanded in over 2 decades despite booming population. But hey, they spend millions of dollars on studies and reports about useless BRT! smh. Worst transit agency in America. Oh, and that streetcar we got is absolutely useless. The beltline is the only good thing the city has done transportation wise this past few decades.

We have small cities like San Diego, Charlotte, and Denver expanding their lines, but a metropolis like Atlanta can't, sad.

How about you detail this supposed 'expansion' in Charlotte?

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by atlantaguy

How about you detail this supposed 'expansion' in Charlotte?

I'm sure he's talking about this

Also add Orlando to the list of Sunbelt cities expanding rail service.

Atlanta's system is frozen in time. Granted, it was a little ahead of its time, but it's still frustrating to see all of our rail investment going to studies that only result in even more studies and then finally conclude that we should consider studying BRT instead. Meanwhile, other cities (many much smaller) are laying track and building stations.

It would be understandable if Atlanta was stagnant, but its population and economy are growing rapidly, yet the system is quite literally stuck where it was in 1999.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by shivtim

That's not true. For example, the streetcar, and expansion into Clayton County with multiple new routes. You can easily argue that's not enough, but don't be disingenuous and say MARTA hasn't expanded in two decades. Also, our transit ridership is higher than any of those cities you mention. We have a subway and they're struggling to catch up by installing light rail.

This makes MARTA's lack of expansion even more egregious, one would think....

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news...cx_testVariant=cx_3&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

As a way to bolster transit ridership by bringing people to the doorstep of its network, MARTA plans to reimagine 74 acres of surface parking around the two end stations for its Blue rail line.

MARTA's Board of Directors selected WSP USA, a firm formerly known as WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff with several Atlanta offices, as the lead consultant for crafting a master plan on 52 acres by the Indian Creek rail station off Durham Park Road in DeKalb County. The board chose HKS Inc., also with an Atlanta office, to do the same for 22 acres by the H.E. Holmes station near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Westside Atlanta.

With a combined total of 3,800 parking spots, the two stations draw park-and-ride commuters who lack direct or convenient access to MARTA's bus and rail network. The agency will perform an analysis on current and future parking needs at the station, which will help it determine the number of spots to incorporate into the redevelopment, said Debbie Frank, director of MARTA's transit-oriented development (TOD) program.

Under its TOD program, MARTA works with consulting firms, developers and community members to transform excess parking and overgrown vegetation around stations into affordable housing and other features, such as offices, storefronts, public space and neighborhood services.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

I'm sure he's talking about this

I doubt it, he just throws things at the wall to see what sticks - he's a huge troll. I'm familiar with these plans though, and thanks for posting them. The Silver Line looks great, but funding is an issue. I also don't like that the Airport Station is up adjacent to I-85, and will require a shuttle of some sort. I wish them much success, and they are definitely doing smart planning overall.

Also add Orlando to the list of Sunbelt cities expanding rail service.

This is complicated. I moved here from Orlando years ago, so I'm very proud of them for managing to pull off Commuter Rail. That being said, they can only afford M-F service, focused on rush hours. Midday service is spotty, and is non-existent on nights and weekends. The popularity of their NBA & MLS teams could provide a huge boost to ridership, but it's not an option. Orlando needs an LRT system, like 15 years ago.

Atlanta's system is frozen in time. Granted, it was a little ahead of its time, but it's still frustrating to see all of our rail investment going to studies that only result in even more studies and then finally conclude that we should consider studying BRT instead. Meanwhile, other cities (many much smaller) are laying track and building stations.

It would be understandable if Atlanta was stagnant, but its population and economy are growing rapidly, yet the system is quite literally stuck where it was in 1999.

Agreed, on all points. I'm very glad they keep up well with our rail network as far as track replacement and safety goes, and am excited re: our coming fleet of state of the art rail cars. But they seem totally rudderless now. We need a very strong Industry veteran at the helm, someone with the stomach to deal with the State. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but am hearing whispers that they are the ones pushing hard for BRT on all of our important corridors (BeltLine, Clifton, 400), and I wouldn't put it past them.

[montydawg]

If you want to give feedback to Marta about the Clifton corridor, fill out this survey

http://lnk4.in/x1LZOGV

[Julien]

Beltline North East section (Piedmont Park to behind Ansley Mall) has the base layer down.

[testarossa50]

Does anyone have a link to the source documents from MARTA's Eastside Beltline rail update? I've seen a couple articles describing it, but can't find any renderings or designs.

[daharris80]

I believe you can access what was presented at the meeting here.

[Martinman]

I really want them to improve the downtown route with dedicated ROW before expanding.