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

[shivtim]

^Can you take that somewhere else, like to Next Door? This thread is on skyscraper page and it's for transit proposals, updates, and construction. Thanks.

[Libertarian]

It's a valid point to raise on a transportation thread that deals with Marta passenger trends. I've had a couple out of town visitors state they will never again utilize Marta from the airport. It's obvious that homeless will utilize a warm dry coach to pass their lives rather than a means to reach a destination, and Marta policy is to allow it. Homeless disembark the trains to utilize unrestricted spaces at the airport and possibly other stops to go to bathrooms to change, wash etc. which also restricts space that's designed for passengers and travelers. The bigger question is not how Marta or the airport deal with it, but how to conceive an existential outcome that better serves the person and community. Resources are limited. Sorry to say I have no solutions.

[Street Advocate]

Mods can you ban the trash commenters that aren’t adding value here?

[Libertarian]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

Mods can you ban the trash commenters that aren’t adding value here?

One's trash is another's treasure.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Not nice! That’s not acceptable! I don’t like people who called you a Nazi. I know you are not a Nazi. You are real human beings.

I didn't mean to call him a Nazi— I'm not trying to call anyone out, I'm trying to call everyone in. We are facing a series of financial, social, and civil crises in America that are occuring for extremely complex and nuanced reasons. When people panic, they don't see nuance. They focus on difference. You can already see this happening a little bit here, people complaining about needing extreme police presence to get rid of the homeless and needing a dictator to annex parts of the city. And it worries me.

I don't want us as a city, as a country, to make the mistake of seeing the real life, human consequences of a broken system as obstacles in our way to be removed, because we don't want to give up our own personal comfort.

Years of speculative investments, fueled by the fed going 13 years straight, with zero interest rates, the pyramid scheme of suburban development, where current investments are financed by future growth, and a population that is no longer growing— and then on top of that, throw in social media and AI. It seems like a powder keg to me. It will take a miracle of faith and trust, hard work and a lot of rethinking the way we do things to pull through. I am just trying to make sure we do.

[Libertarian]

because we don't want to give up our own personal comfort.

Giving up personal comfort - no problem. We've already done that to some extent in our neighborhood and no one's moving in order to avoid aesthetic or "comfort" issues. Safety problems (real or perceived) are another thing and and that's where folks riding Marta and using airport public services etc. could have greater concerns.

[700]

MARTA has awarded a design contract to HDR Inc. for the Streetcar BeltLine extension. Design work is expected to begin this summer.

Source: WSB-TV

[expandtransit]

Originally Posted by newuserbuckhead

Just wait until you learn about the local governance structure in New England.

But if you live in the actual city of Atlanta, why do I care what's happening in the burbs? I likely don't go out there much, if ever. We have our own sales tax in the city for MARTA. Why do I need to negotiate with other counties for anything? Hell, it's not even a county sales tax, it's a COA sales tax specific for MARTA. If there's traffic elsewhere in the metro, let it be. It doesn't really affect me and my life/lifestyle living intown. (transportation of goods notwithstanding)

They live metro, work urban

its a cruel system and Atlanta isn't getting the ROI it deserves

you can live in the burbs if you want, but at some point, ATL has GOT to use its leverage to extract some actual benefits instead of being treated like the the kid sibling .

[Libertarian]

If I'm not wrong more workers commute from inside I-285 to outside than opposite.

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by Libertarian

If I'm not wrong more workers commute from inside I-285 to outside than opposite.

Depends on what you mean exactly. In sheer numbers, certainly not. But in terms of ratio, quite possibly, since the total number of jobs OTP is larger than ITP. At some point, it’s a numbers game.

But despite this, it’s unequivocally the case that by far the largest concentration of high paying jobs is Fulton County. It’s not close, like at all. Average wage, 30% higher than the next highest county (Cobb). Total employment, 2.5x the next highest county (Gwinnett). The “did you realize most economic activity takes place in the suburbs?” trope has serious limits. The economic activity that makes Atlanta a top-10 Metro overwhelmingly happens in/near the center of the city (admittedly, it’s impossible to isolate North Fulton, which is also a high-paying job center of some size). Access to these job centers for more and more Atlantans is a very important equity issue.

https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeas...WGATable2.xlsx

Also, serious analysis will almost never use ITP/OTP as a designation since it’s very hard to measure.

[Libertarian]

ATL has GOT to use its leverage to extract some actual benefits instead of being treated like the the kid sibling .

What benefits do you think Atlanta should "leverage"?

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...Pos=3#cxrecs_s

More than $17 billion may be needed to pull off a major transit proposal in Gwinnett, one of the state’s most populous counties with forecasts pointing toward continued growth.

On Tuesday, Gwinnett officials unveiled a high-level plan to create nine high-capacity bus routes and a sweeping rideshare network within 10 years to expand its current Ride Gwinnett system. Regional connections would be made to MARTA's rail network and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The push is aimed at alleviating transportation woes in coming years. Gwinnett is expected to add 500,000 residents by 2050, according to Atlanta Regional Commission estimates. The growth could result in a 31% increase in vehicle trips and 59% increase in delays, according to the county.

“This plan allows for our residents to rethink how they can get around our county,” said China Thomas, director of transit capital improvement projects at Gwinnett’s Department of Transportation.

[Street Advocate]

Wondering what mode that rapid ride is intended to be… if not any more rail whatsoever… eek.

[RocketSurgeon]

$17 billion? For buses?

When MARTA rail was approved, the estimate for the entire system (50 miles) was $13 billion ...

[Atlurbsandspices]

So are these BRT lines? Would this interfere with rail ROW in the future?

Real shame Gwinnet couldn't change a few more votes last time MARTA came up

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

$17 billion? For buses?

When MARTA rail was approved, the estimate for the entire system (50 miles) was $13 billion ...

lol I missed $17 billion. There's just no way that's correct. $17 billion is like, buying every household in the county a new car territory.

[Atlurbsandspices]

https://beltline.org/transit/?fbclid...dPfcQDuohAjEFk

The Beltline announced a federally funded study for 13 miles of rail corridor today

[shivtim]

Also the Beltline announced the streetcar extension will have sod/grass between the rails. Design is at 30%, with construction scheduled to start in Spring 2025.





(Photo source: Beltline.org)

[tinyslam]

That is great news! I was really hoping they would do grass between the rails. Hopefully this will persuade some streetcar opponents that it won't be as disruptive.

[testarossa50]

So, does MARTA (who is procuring the rail design) concur that the tracks will be paved in grass? Beltline has announced this before, year after year, while MARTA apparently showed concrete in its renderings.

Until I hear it from the horse's mouth, I'm skeptical MARTA will do the right thing.