459 replies to this topic

[teshadoh]

I'll be damned - GDOT (barely) might build it after all...

[Lady Celeste]

Martinman, on Sep 20 2005, 11:46 AM, said:

State Transportation Board Reaffirms its Support of an Atlanta-Lovejoy Commuter Rail Line 

In a 7-5 vote on Sept 15, the board adopted a resolution authorizing GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl to enter into an agreement with Clayton County to establish the line. 

The 26-mile rail corridor would connect Atlanta, with a Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal adjacent to the Five Points MARTA station, and Lovejoy in southern Clayton County with stops in East Point, Forest Park, Morrow and Jonesboro and is expected to be in operation by October 2006.

http://www.atlantado...ortsLovejoy.asp

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is wonderful wonderful news. Soon this line will be on it's way to Macon and then perhaps we can turn our thoughts to the Athens and Chattanooga lines. Please please please get this done and let it be successful. Atlanta and the north Georgia region could definitely benefit from commuter rail.

[Metroinspect.]

Why can't the Marta Rail System provide transportation to the metro?

[Aessotariq]

Politics/nimby-ism probably? Wasn't there really strong opposition from Cobb and Gwinnett in the past?

[ironchapman]

Aessotariq, on Oct 5 2005, 08:02 PM, said:

Politics/nimby-ism probably? Wasn't there really strong opposition from Cobb and Gwinnett in the past?

To serve as reference:



Correct, they were afraid of the "bad element" moving in through MARTA. While this fear was not totally unfounded (some of Atlanta's rougher neighborhoods are on the west side where Cobb is), one must wonder why the "bad element couldn't just cross the Fulton county line ( ) and get into these counties just as easily.

I'm not too sure why Gwinnett hasn't approved MARTA yet, but it can probably be more attributed to NIMBY influenced politics rather than a fear of the "bad element".

Douglas County, although slightly smarter in growth than the surrounding counties, will probably notallow MARTA for the same "bad element" fear as Cobb. It however, has never really taken a definite stance on the issue because it was never really asked to.

Gwinnett, Coweta, Carroll (never taken a stance, either), Cherokee, and Forsyth would probably do better with the commuter rail ideas than MARTA because MARTA is meant to be more of a local system than a system that serves places that far out, but it could extend to these counties (with the exception of Carroll, perhaps) if it wanted too.

Feel free to correct me on this

[Aessotariq]

Thanks, ironchapman ... Another recollection of mine revolves around MARTA's management and perceived or actual mismanagement, misspending, etc., and those counties not wanting anything to do with MARTA, perceived as corrupt. Care to expound on that?

[ironchapman]

Aessotariq, on Oct 5 2005, 08:26 PM, said:

Thanks, ironchapman ... Another recollection of mine revolves around MARTA's management and perceived or actual mismanagement, misspending, etc., and those counties not wanting anything to do with MARTA, perceived as corrupt. Care to expound on that?

MARTA has had a bad history of mismanagement, I will tell you that, but other forumers who have been in Atlanta longer than I have can elaborate on that. It has had some issues recently with trying to find enough money, hence the slightly raised fares.

Of course, many of these problems it has had involving money, management, etc. could probably be fixed to an extent if the state wasn't so cheap to it and also took charge of the system instead of a local group.

The counties that refused MARTA aren't necesarily corrupt like say, Bill Campbell's administration. Their refusal had more to do with the politics of the residents and people in control of the county. MARTA itself has had issues with corruption throughout a lot of its history.

Anybody else wish to add something?

Off topic from the rest of my post, I found this in the New Georgia Encyclopedia:

Quote

The ninth largest transit system in the United States, MARTA serves an average of more than 550,000 passengers a day.

Just an interesting tidbit I thought I'd share. It refers to both rail and bus transit together.

Here's the Encyclopedia article about it.

[Aessotariq]

Great info! you are a scholar and a gentleman.

[ironchapman]

Aessotariq, on Oct 5 2005, 08:50 PM, said:

Great info! you are a scholar and a gentleman.

Aww... shucks...

Check back later when teshadoh, Martinamn, or Lady Celeste are on. They probably have something that I left out.

[Andrea]

What's up with the Atlanta Streetcar these days?  I haven't heard anything about it in months.  While it doesn't relate directly to greenspace, in terms of transit and creating liveable neighborhoods, it seems very exciting.  I've seen the systems in a few other cities and they are very cool.  

Have the powers that be determined that the Streetcar must defer to the Beltline?  Maria Saporta had a great editorial a few months ago pointing out the need for both.  I could see how the Streetcar might shape the city just as significantly as the Beltline.

I've read that the cost for setting up the entire Streetcar from West End to Buckhead would only run $56 million.  That's nothing compared to what's being dumped into that Piedmont/Peachtree block alone.

[Newnan]

You know, Atlanta is actually a perfect city for a streetcar because pretty much everything is situated along one street, Peachtree.

[Andrea]

I like the sound of this -- The Final Piece.  Maybe this is closer to reality than I realized.  They certainly have a heavy-hitting board of directors and the Core Findings Report makes a lot of sense to me.  It also seems very feasible from a cost standpoint.

[ironchapman]

Andrea, on Oct 14 2005, 07:31 AM, said:

I like the sound of this -- The Final Piece.  Maybe this is closer to reality than I realized.  They certainly have a heavy-hitting board of directors and the Core Findings Report makes a lot of sense to me.  It also seems very feasible from a cost standpoint.

Well, the image at the top of the picture certainly makes me feel excited just because it gives me a way to imagine what the streetcars will look like.

[teshadoh]

Final Piece huh?  That should be interesting what the final piece is, but I wouldn't be surprised the final piece is the price tag.

[Metroinspect.]

Which sound better, cummter rail line or the belt line, because the cummter line will reduce the traffic in the metro to Atlanta where most traffic problem occur

[Martinman]

From the AJC
Atlanta Votes to give state site for train-bus station

Quote

The former Atlanta Constitution building downtown came one step closer to destruction Monday when the Atlanta City Council voted to give the property to the state so it can be replaced with a train and bus terminal

Edited by Martinman, 18 October 2005 - 10:04 AM.

[Andrea]

<sigh> I agree, Ryan.

From this week's Atlanta Business Chronicle:

No end in sight for metro sprawl

"Home builders say people willing to live as far out as they will build

With the recent intown boom, it might be easy for Atlanta city residents to conclude that a major shift is under way in the metro area's growth, drawing the population back in large numbers toward Atlanta's urban core.

And while the city of Atlanta has added about 4,600 new residents each year between 2000 and 2004, according to statistics provided by the Atlanta Regional Commission, cities and counties outside -- sometimes well outside -- the Perimeter continue to grow, leading to an ever-expanding definition of what constitutes the metro Atlanta area."

[Newnan]

This certainly is sobering news, but at least the intown growth is a step in the right direction. I mean, you didn't have to tell me that The Metro Area is still sprawling out; I see this everyday in Coweta County, but at least people are finally beginning to see the problems with Suburban Sprawl and are tyring to fight it. And in Coweta I see progress, now a lot of people here are fighting for wider sidewalks, a bus system, and more centralized growth when 10 years ago people here were fighting for bigger parking lots. Atlanta may still be sprawling out, but I think in the future it will sprawl out in a much smarter way.

[ironchapman]

Andrea, on Oct 31 2005, 01:42 PM, said:

<sigh> I agree, Ryan.

From this week's Atlanta Business Chronicle:

No end in sight for metro sprawl

Chattanooga, Birmingham, and Greenville, here we come!

You'd think people would get tired of the commute by the time the sprawl reached Carrollton.

[ironchapman]

The council has just OK'd the creation of a special tax district for the Beltline.

Now for Fulton County and the Atlanta School Board.

See Article (AJC)

Things are looking good, but we'll have tp wait for the other two authorities I mentioned to approve it.

Edited by ironchapman, 07 November 2005 - 06:35 PM.