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

[echinatl]

MARTA to spend 117 mil on new train tech.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/mart...17-811682.html

[mike1986]

Originally Posted by echinatl

MARTA to spend 117 mil on new train tech.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/mart...17-811682.html

I wish they would spend that money on modernizing some of their stations... like getting rid of the shed-like Peachtree Center street level entrances, updating Five Points, Midtown, and Arts Center stations at street level, etc.

[echinatl]

Originally Posted by mike1986

I wish they would spend that money on modernizing some of their stations... like getting rid of the shed-like Peachtree Center street level entrances, updating Five Points, Midtown, and Arts Center stations at street level, etc.

Better lighting, more police presence on and off the train is what I'd like to see. Immediately followed by those types of updates.

[Pessimistic Observer]

personally the only upgrade i would like from marta right now is an assurance that there not going to cut service this fall
if only pigs could fly

[Pompuss]

Originally Posted by mike1986

I wish they would spend that money on modernizing some of their stations... like getting rid of the shed-like Peachtree Center street level entrances, updating Five Points, Midtown, and Arts Center stations at street level, etc.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of updates would you want with Five Points?

[RobMidtowner]

I'd be happy if they actually cleaned up the stations. It's really pathetic when you go to the airport and smell urine in the elevator before your trip and a week later in the same elevator when you return. I mean, just cleaning it once week would be an improvement.

[echinatl]

Originally Posted by Pompuss

Just out of curiosity, what kind of updates would you want with Five Points?

I'd like them to build their HQ's on top of it. Then have 1 cop at every corner 24/7, have at least 2 cops walking around inside. Focus on better lighting, maybe some interesting items like at the airport, and keep it spotless and smelling nice.

[BlindFatSnake]

Originally Posted by mike1986

I wish they would spend that money on modernizing some of their stations... like getting rid of the shed-like Peachtree Center street level entrances, updating Five Points, Midtown, and Arts Center stations at street level, etc.

The upgrades follow a 2009 train crash in Washington, D.C. that killed nine, prompting federal recommendations nationwide to check train signal systems. A MARTA spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail that MARTA began planning the overhaul of the aging system three years before the Washington crash, but that the overhaul will help satisfy federal safety recommendations, too.

I'll put safety (and saving human lives) over cosmetic upgrades any day of the week... Let's make the system "crash-proof", and then start working on beautifying the stations, which I agree, need some cosmetic work.

[PedestriAnne]

I can think of about 100 things I'd like to see MARTA do to improve the stations cosmetically and functionally, rather than spend that much money on something sort of "invisible" like safety enhancements to the track circuits BUT:

As much as people run MARTA down now ("It doesn't go anywhere/Everyone there is corrupt/It's dangerous/It's run inefficiently/It's a waste of money...") can you even imagine what would happen if they had an accident and four or five people were killed? Not only would the professional MARTA-bashers never, ever let anyone forget it, the agency would be financially crippled after paying multi-million dollar settlements, fines and attorney's fees.

On the other hand, it's hard for one train to run into the back of another one with 20-minute headways

[1lifealex]

Well it's 15-minutes M-f from about 5 A.M. to 7 P.M. so from the Airport to Lindbergh you get a train every 7.5 minutes or so, its 20 minutes after 7 P.M. and on the weekends.

[jnihiser]

I see no issue with cleanliness in Atlanta's Marta stations.

The T stations could have used a scrub down, but I've found that the vast majority of Marta stations are both spacious and clean.

I'm not arguing with the guy who smelled pee in the elevator, but only offering a counter-opinion.

To margin for a minute, has anyone else noticed how incredibly large many of our stations are on MARTA?

[Chris Creech]

Originally Posted by mike1986

I wish they would spend that money on modernizing some of their stations... like getting rid of the shed-like Peachtree Center street level entrances, updating Five Points, Midtown, and Arts Center stations at street level, etc.

I guess one reason so many of the intown stations are sort of non-descript and not that attractive though is that many of them were designed to be built over.

I know there's been talk of moving the symphony hall over the arts center station, then that whole area Im sure would have incredible street scapes and landscaping. I'm pretty sure I remember at the time they were being built talk of Midtown, North Avenue and Five Points street scapes and above ground parts all being sort of "place holders" until MARTA sold the air rights. It's just a shame that's just never happened. My guess is that even if they're designed to be built over, there's probably still engineering and safety concerns and expense involved that are off putting.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by jnihiser

I see no issue with cleanliness in Atlanta's Marta stations.

The T stations could have used a scrub down, but I've found that the vast majority of Marta stations are both spacious and clean.

I'm not arguing with the guy who smelled pee in the elevator, but only offering a counter-opinion.

To margin for a minute, has anyone else noticed how incredibly large many of our stations are on MARTA?

I agree...MARTA stations are much cleaner than most other rail transit stations I have experienced, Boston included. The 70's design leaves something to be desired, but I'm not sure what anyone expects. It's 70's design. MARTA barely has enough funds to operate, so I don't see a major overhaul of the station design happening anytime soon.

[Pompuss]

Originally Posted by echinatl

I'd like them to build their HQ's on top of it. Then have 1 cop at every corner 24/7, have at least 2 cops walking around inside. Focus on better lighting, maybe some interesting items like at the airport, and keep it spotless and smelling nice.

Well, all that is in the works I can promise you. But saftey upgrades are happening first (next five years), then there will be cosmetic work.

[PedestriAnne]

Originally Posted by 1lifealex

Well it's 15-minutes M-f from about 5 A.M. to 7 P.M. so from the Airport to Lindbergh you get a train every 7.5 minutes or so, its 20 minutes after 7 P.M. and on the weekends.

Yeah, I know. The long-headway times are when I use it the most.

I've had many episodes of sitting at Buckhead station and having two consecutive Lindbergh trains go by 15 minutes apart. Then, about five minutes later, the Airport train will finally come. That's 35 minutes of waiting for a train. Completely ridiculous. I've walked from Buckhead Station to Lindbergh in the same amount of time by cutting through Peachtree Park.

If I have to go from north of Lindbergh to south of there at night or on the weekend, I now usually catch the 110 bus from somewhere in Buckhead to Arts Center, then catch the train from there. Sometimes I'm in the mood to sit outside reading or staring at the Buckhead skyline, but most of the time it would be really cool if there was considerably more "rapid" in the "rapid transit."

[BlindFatSnake]

Originally Posted by PedestriAnne

Yeah, I know. The long-headway times are when I use it the most.

I've had many episodes of sitting at Buckhead station and having two consecutive Lindbergh trains go by 15 minutes apart. Then, about five minutes later, the Airport train will finally come. That's 35 minutes of waiting for a train. Completely ridiculous. I've walked from Buckhead Station to Lindbergh in the same amount of time by cutting through Peachtree Park.
"

Maybe I'm reading this statement all wrong. Questions: After 7 PM the Red Line travels from N. Springs to Lindbergh? Right? Then, how can you board an "Airport" train from Buckhead after 7PM? I'm confused... Please explain.

Besides, why not just board the first train that arrives, and wait at Lindbergh. Maybe a Gold Line train - headed to the airport - will arrive sooner than later.

I'm just sayin'...

[shivtim]

This was just released by the ARC. It would basically consolidate metro transit under one umbrella agency, which would help coordinate service across agencies and possibly allow expansion of rail or BRT beyond Fulton and Dekalb. Fantastic idea, but the state still needs to sign off on it.



Regional Transit Committee Adopts Conceptual Legislation for Regional Transit Governance
(ATLANTA –January 26, 2011) Today, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Regional Transit Committee (RTC) approved conceptual legislation that provides guidelines and principals for creating an umbrella governance structure for a metro-wide, coordinated transit system.

After several years of studying the Atlanta region’s transit needs and governance structures for other metropolitan operations, the RTC determined that a model similar to the Chicago Regional Transit Authority would work well in this region. “Committee members agreed that this model seemed like the best for creating a single entity that would have the authority and the ability to plan, finance, build, own, operate and maintain cross-jurisdictional transit infrastructure and service for our region,” said Atlanta Mayor, Kasim Reed, RTC chair.

The model legislation proposed by the Regional Transit Committee is consistent with the guiding principles issued by the Joint Legislative Transit Governance Study Commission, and is meant to be an example of how a statement of regional policy might be written into law in a way that meets those guidelines.

The committee’s model legislation recognizes MARTA as the backbone of the system, while allowing it to expand rail service outside Fulton and DeKalb counties in the same way it is currently able to provide bus service. The governance structure outlined in the conceptual legislation would embrace all transit systems in the Atlanta region, such as Cobb Community Transit and Gwinnett County Transit.

Additionally, local officials have repeatedly reaffirmed a set of guiding principles or policy statements for the constitution and operation of a regional transit governance system, including:

* Unified Decision-Making – the region needs a single entity that will be able to plan, finance, build, own, operate and maintain (or contract for) cross-jurisdictional transit infrastructure and service.
* Voting Structure – in order for an entity to have voting rights in the decision-making process in the region’s transit governance structure, that entity must contribute financially to the operation of the region’s transit system.
* Proportional Representation – in addition to being required to contribute to the operational expenses of the region’s transit systems in order to vote at the regional level, the weight of an entity’s vote should be proportional to the value of its contribution to the system.

The RTC’s conceptual transit governance legislation accomplishes all of these goals, without jeopardizing existing transit funding sources or requiring changes to home-rule provisions of the Georgia Constitution to prevent local governments from operating transit systems.

“This draft legislation is intended as a statement of regional policy, and as an example of how that policy could be written into law in a way that meets the stated guidelines put forth by the General Assembly, through the draft report of its Joint Legislative Transit Governance Study Commission,” said Mayor Reed. “The action by the RTC today is an important step forward and a sign of regional unity in our desire to create a truly world-class transit system for metro Atlanta.”

Later in the day, the ARC board voted unanimously on a resolution in support of the RTC’s passage of the conceptual regional transit governance legislation. ARC will work to assist the Regional Transit Committee in transmitting the legislative framework to the Joint Legislative Transit Governance Study Commission.

[PedestriAnne]

Originally Posted by BlindFatSnake

Maybe I'm reading this statement all wrong. Questions: After 7 PM the Red Line travels from N. Springs to Lindbergh? Right? Then, how can you board an "Airport" train from Buckhead after 7PM? I'm confused... Please explain.

Besides, why not just board the first train that arrives, and wait at Lindbergh. Maybe a Gold Line train - headed to the airport - will arrive sooner than later.

I'm just sayin'...

Well, the first time this happened wasn't long after I'd moved back here, so I wasn't aware that the Red Line only runs between North Springs and Lindbergh at night.

I got to Buckhead station and waited 15 minutes for an Airport train. I saw that it was going only as far as Lindbergh, so I let it go by, thinking that the next one would go all the way to to the airport. But, when another train came by with "Lindbergh" on the sign I figured out that I had to go to Lindbergh to get past Lindbergh. I think I was aware that you now have to get on a Doraville train and transfer at Lindbergh to go to North Springs at night (or is it the other way around?), but it had somehow gotten past me for a while that you also have catch Airport trains at Lindbergh at night now.

Anyway, I'd get on the second Lindbergh train that came 15 minutes after the first one, get off at Lindbergh and see the same people who'd gotten on the first one at Buckhead STILL standing on the platform at Lindbergh, waiting for an Airport train. Then, about five minutes later, the Airport train would finally come.

So, no matter whether I'd gotten on the first train or the second one at Buckhead, I couldn't have gotten any farther than Lindbergh until a third one (the one going all the way to the Airport) showed up, which was 35 minutes after I'd first arrived at Buckhead.

I thought this was an aberration the first time, but it happened several times during the summer, which is when I gave up and started doing half the trip on the 110 bus.

[RobMidtowner]

You should have taken the first train to Lindbergh because from there you can catch an Airport train coming from either North Springs or Doraville.

[PedestriAnne]

Originally Posted by RobMidtowner

You should have taken the first train to Lindbergh because from there you can catch an Airport train coming from either North Springs or Doraville.

That's what's supposed to happen. But, far too often for my taste, this is what was actually happening:

1. Get to Buckhead station, wait 15 minutes, get on Lindbergh train
2. Get to Lindbergh, wait another 15 minutes only to have another Lindbergh train show up
3. Wait another five minutes or so and finally get on the Airport train.

I just don't think it's reasonable to spend half an hour traveling no farther than the distance between Buckhead and Lindbergh. This doesn't happen every time I try to get from Buckhead back to downtown (or SoNo ) at night, but it's often enough that I pretty much expect it now.

Maybe it's me. I seem to have a talent for arriving at stations as the train is leaving so that I have to wait the entire interval between trains.