Atlanta's Regional Rail and Transit Systems.

[aboutmetro]

The new vision - website here - Of course, being in West GA, this isn't exactly great news for this side of the state... We'd like it better if the Macon-Atlanta leg was done and that Atlanta-Savannah leg instead went Columbus to Tallahassee.

[Martinman]

I like this map from Beltline Inc. Its designed to show the links between the Beltline and Concept 3 but I like it because its a little easier to see whats going on with the Concept 3 plan on this map. I still would love to know why they decided LRT should extend all the way out to Canton.

[verge]

I'll give it a try, although one could easily write a paper, if not a book, on the subject of Atlanta sprawl (in fact, some have). First though, transit needing density to thrive is a pretty well-covered topic in studies and papers with metrics available for transit station catchment areas (measured by walking distance) and the housing and employment densities needed to support different headways and modes (bus, rail). Fairly intuitively, and simply stated, the more people and destinations the closer to transit stations, the better.

As for the sprawl, first, metropolitan Atlanta has almost no natural geographic boundaries to prevent the spread of development in any direction. It is also at the intersection of three interstates, I-75, I-85 and I-20. In addition to the white flight from the central city, there was the allure of cheap land in the suburbs and those ever-widening interstate highways providing access. During the metro's rapid growth over the last couple of decades, the many surrounding jurisdictions (multiple counties, several cities), each controlling (or not) their own zoning independently of any other jurisdiction, allowed - even encouraged - widespread development to get a piece of the economic action. Now, the City of Atlanta proper represents only about 1/10 the population of the metro area in a land area of approximately 132 sq. miles - small compared to many major cities. The sprawl is nicely visualized on this population density map from Columbia University based on Census data. At the level shown on that US map, Virginia Beach looks much more well-suited to transit than Atlanta.

Perhaps one of the best ways to get an idea of the comparative utility of MARTA versus U.S. cities having more successful transit is this excellent map showing rail systems together in the same scale. Compare Chicago, Boston, DC and the most-used, NYC and how much better they cover similar geographic areas.

MARTA, due to the aforementioned political issues, is funded by and directly serves only two of the counties in metro Atlanta: Fulton (where the CoA resides) and the adjacent Dekalb which together represent almost 40% of the metro population. Obviously that leaves several suburbs and population centers unserved and largely disconnected from MARTA. In the last decade or so, Gwinnett and Cobb, northern arc suburban counties representing roughly another 30% of the metro population, have both created their own (bus-only) transit systems that connect to MARTA via commuter routes into the city. Gwinnett commuters were already substantial users of MARTA via parking at the end stations of the NE line.

Even within the city proper, Atlanta is less dense than some other large US cities. Here is an Atanta city map showing population density and MARTA rail and bus routes. You might also view the Walkscore heat map for Atlanta to get an idea of walkable (generally more dense) neighborhoods versus less dense neighborhoods (most) in the city. You will see some areas adjacent to MARTA rail stations such as Lindbergh that are now more dense/walkable as a result of initiatives by MARTA with business leaders to drive TOD. ARC, the regional planning agency, and other organizations have also tried to encourage and drive increased density with some success, most notably in Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown where developers have embraced the urban condo lifestyle.

However, until the housing bubble popped in our current recession, nothing seemed capable of checking the sprawl. Foreclosures have been high in the region and there are over 140,000 prepared but unbuilt SFR lots in the metro area. Numerous small homebuilders have gone out of business or bankrupt and some large players are leaving the market. Could the recession have a silver lining in the long run?

Anyway, this has gotten long, but hope it helps a little. Be sure to take a look at the Brookings paper I linked in the first graf.

Thanks for all of your thoughtful and generally excellent analysis-- however the fact remains despite the odds Metro Atlanta's core is densifying significantly... After this deep and long economic crisis is (hopefully) finally over it will be interesting and instructive to see if these urban development patterns remain the same or accelerate... or something else altogether happens...

[varider]

Here in Virginia Beach && Norfolk we are going through very similar problems with density, white flight, and uncontrolled sprawl. We too are working on a regional rail system. But of course you guys are way ahead of us.

[j.midtown]

Thanks for all of your thoughtful and generally excellent analysis-- however the fact remains despite the odds Metro Atlanta's core is densifying significantly... After this deep and long economic crisis is (hopefully) finally over it will be interesting and instructive to see if these urban development patterns remain the same or accelerate... or something else altogether happens...

Oh, I agree there has been much progress with improved density in the city. Whether that continues has a lot to do with the economy - both micro and macro. The city has added a lot of office space recently without any major new business announcements; a win of a major corporate relocation would certainly help with absorption and the intown momentum. Recently, we've seen as many negatives as positives for the CoAtlanta proper, particularly in the arts and culture arena (one of the key factors that helps define big cities); seeing the Opera, the Ballet and the Lyric Theatre move out of the city has been painful. Watching the Calatrava Symphony Center design wither on the vine is depressing. Investment in offices and condos is all well and good, but where is the investment in the things that bring a city alive? Where is the heart? The soul? Why will people choose to live in a dense urban environment if there isn't a vibrant city life within walking distance? Shopping and dining out are not enough.

[caribou9]

Do you think MARTA rail will ever make it to Gwinnett? What would have to be done for it to happen?

I think they could expand the Doraville station up to Duluth around the sugarloaf/gwinnett arena area and then branch off into Lawrenceville, maybe around the Gwinnett medical center.

[Martinman]

Do you think MARTA rail will ever make it to Gwinnett? What would have to be done for it to happen?

I think they could expand the Doraville station up to Duluth around the sugarloaf/gwinnett arena area and then branch off into Lawrenceville, maybe around the Gwinnett medical center.

Two communities in Gwinnett are currently conducting the feasibility study on a 14-mile light rail line that would connect with the Doraville Marta station (article). I assume that under this plan, it would be operated by Gwinnett's transit system.

a conceptual rendering from the feasibility study

Another possibility is to make it a Marta "service district". There was a bill in the state legislature last year that would expand Marta's "service districts" to include rail. It would allow Marta to serve one small area of a county without requiring a county-wide referendum with the funding would come from that county. The bill passed the senate but was never voted on in the house. If this bill were passed the only thing left would be for Gwinnett county to come up with the funding.

In other transit news...

the city, Marta, the Midtown Alliance, and CAP are working together to prepare the Peachtree streetcar to compete for the "New Starts" stimulus funding. The cost to build the system is projected at $300 million.

Edited July 9, 2009 by Martinman

[pksiv]

In other transit news...

the city, Marta, the Midtown Alliance, and CAP are working together to prepare the Peachtree streetcar to compete for the "New Starts" stimulus funding. The cost to build the system is projected at $300 million.

Interesting... I thought the Street car was going to go up and down Peachtree Street ? In my opinion, if they put it on Spring and/or West Peachtree, it won't be nearly as successful...

[Martinman]

Interesting... I thought the Street car was going to go up and down Peachtree Street ? In my opinion, if they put it on Spring and/or West Peachtree, it won't be nearly as successful...

It is on Peachtree.

[pksiv]

It is on Peachtree.

Not according to that map it isn't, but I'll take your word for it.

[Martinman]

Not according to that map it isn't, but I'll take your word for it.

The only streets that are labeled on the map are highlighted in blue. Ignore the gray line next the words "Peachtree street" which is actually Juniper.

Edited July 11, 2009 by Martinman

[pksiv]

The only streets that are labeled on the map are highlighted in blue. Ignore the gray line next the words "Peachtree street" which is actually Juniper.

Thanks. Living between Piedmont & Juniper, I'll ride it all the time up and down Peachtree. Not nearly as much if it were on Spring/West Peachtree.

I also like the fact that it looks like they're going to go forward with the Downtown/Midtown section before trying to deal with getting up to Buckhead with it's high congestion and limited road options.

[krazeeboi]

Here's a great article I found in the AJC that details the history of MARTA.

[Martinman]

Finally! After years, in fact decades of prodding from the business community and suffering by citizens the Georgia state legislature has passed a bill that could allow the Atlanta region to enact a regional transportation tax for road and transit projects.

Here'a summary of the bill.

• 
  
  
• A regional "roundtable" and a "director of planning" appointed by the governor draw up a project list.
  
• The "roundtable" will consist of two representatives from each ARC county (the county commission chairman and a mayor chosen by the mayors within the county) and the mayor of Atlanta.
  
• The "roundtable" must agree on the project list which then goes to the voters for a referendum in 2012.
  
• If the "roundtable" cannot agree on a list, then there is no referendum but the region can try again in two years.
  
• If approved by the voters, the tax expires after 10 years and the process can begin again.
  
• The Atlanta region's tax could raise $750 million to $790 million per year.
  

The biggest concern I have at this point is the governor's "director of planning" and how much influence they have over what gets on the project list.

Georgia's regional planning districts.pdf - these are also the boundaries of the regions that can vote themselves a transportation tax

Legislature passes transportation bill Business Chronicle

Edited April 29, 2010 by Martinman

[xivinrah]

Cobb County is drawing up its own plans for a commuter rail for its County. Not heavy rail, but a light rail line that will begin in Kennesaw and terminate at the Cumberland Mall. The project is in its very early stages... simply planning, nothing in the way of funding is secured at the moment (I hope). If the project proposed is acted upon, then it will not be in operation until 2019.

11Alive.com {sodEmoji.|} Atlanta, GA {sodEmoji.|} Video - Cobb Commuter Rail

In my opinion, I think it is a really really stupid idea. MARTA could easily service these areas and with much more efficiency, by creating a NW line that would merge into the main N/NE lines that are in existence. It would dramatically ease the congestion along the NW I-75/I-285 Corridor.

But I guess that's just how Cobb County is...

[Mellophonius]

Yeah, Cobb County doesn't want the "rabble" that apparently ride MARTA up from Atlanta.... the same reason Sandy Springs complained when MARTA was extended up there. It seems to me like most people in the northern suburbs think they're too good for Atlanta, that Atlanta is a crime-ridden wasteland while the northern suburban area is just the perfect place to live. I say it's the product of being just a bit too wealthy for their own good. I'd take Atlanta and most of the ITP neighborhoods over Cobb County any day.

[Martinman]

Cobb County is drawing up its own plans for a commuter rail for its County. Not heavy rail, but a light rail line that will begin in Kennesaw and terminate at the Cumberland Mall. The project is in its very early stages... simply planning, nothing in the way of funding is secured at the moment (I hope). If the project proposed is acted upon, then it will not be in operation until 2019.

11Alive.com {sodEmoji.|} Atlanta, GA {sodEmoji.|} Video - Cobb Commuter Rail

In my opinion, I think it is a really really stupid idea. MARTA could easily service these areas and with much more efficiency, by creating a NW line that would merge into the main N/NE lines that are in existence. It would dramatically ease the congestion along the NW I-75/I-285 Corridor.

But I guess that's just how Cobb County is...

I don't think its as cynical as it might seem. Under our current divided transit structure, things get really complicated when you cross jurisdictions with fixed transit, if its even legally possible. BTW Marta CEO Beverly Scott was at the presentation for this light rail proposal and is fully supportive.

On the bright side, the recently passed transportation bill addresses this problem by creating a commission to study merging the regions transit agencies. Under a combined governance structure, Marta could extend transit projects to places like Cobb without the county having to "join" Marta.

Transit Governance Study Commission

[j.midtown]

Cobb County is drawing up its own plans for a commuter rail for its County. Not heavy rail, but a light rail line that will begin in Kennesaw and terminate at the Cumberland Mall. The project is in its very early stages... simply planning, nothing in the way of funding is secured at the moment (I hope). If the project proposed is acted upon, then it will not be in operation until 2019.

11Alive.com {sodEmoji.|} Atlanta, GA {sodEmoji.|} Video - Cobb Commuter Rail

In my opinion, I think it is a really really stupid idea. MARTA could easily service these areas and with much more efficiency, by creating a NW line that would merge into the main N/NE lines that are in existence. It would dramatically ease the congestion along the NW I-75/I-285 Corridor.

But I guess that's just how Cobb County is...

This is a known project included in Concept 3. This would be the core segment (from Cobb County's standpoint) of an LRT line that would run from Canton to KSU/Town Center to Cumberland and ultimately to Arts Center Station. From a realistic cost and political standpoint, it's highly unlikely we'll see any significant segment of heavy rail built in the future. The longest segment of HRT in Concept 3 is from Doraville to Norcross.

Mixed modes are definitely the future in the region; a more important point is a unified fare card system at least, if not a single regional operating agency.

[Nashville_maestro]

This is a known project included in Concept 3. This would be the core segment (from Cobb County's standpoint) of an LRT line that would run from Canton to KSU/Town Center to Cumberland and ultimately to Arts Center Station. From a realistic cost and political standpoint, it's highly unlikely we'll see any significant segment of heavy rail built in the future. The longest segment of HRT in Concept 3 is from Doraville to Norcross.

Mixed modes are definitely the future in the region; a more important point is a unified fare card system at least, if not a single regional operating agency.

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

[xivinrah]

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

JR is a national transit agency in Japan. It services all of Japan and not just Tokyo. I see it a bit differently as JR makes traveling throughout the nation much more efficient and effective, whereas Tokyo Metro makes traveling through Tokyo Metro much more efficiently. Not that they shouldn't offer cards that are accepted by both, but I wouldn't say that JR and Tokyo Metro serve the exact same purpose. But I could be wrong.

I kind of figured there were two different transit systems serving San Francisco seeing as though the trolley system had always been extremely popular there and the BART is widely used. I wonder if there is a third transit system in the Bay Area as well... because San Jose is another major city close by.

Edited May 10, 2010 by xikartu

[Martinman]

Most metropolitan regions that have more than one agency running public transit in the area work out deals or offer cards that are accepted across the board. I know San Francisco's MUNI and BART and Tokyo's Metro and JR lines offer this.

Thats already the case here as well. I know I've read where Gwinnett's system was the last to go live with the Breeze card system and I believe that was a year ago. The Breeze card is also accepted by Cobb's bus system, and the Xpress bus system as well.

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

I just saw on the television news yesterday about MARTA's latest financial woos.

MARTA is going to be cutting bus routes from 133 to 91, which includes the Braves Shuttle. And rail service will also be receiving cuts as well.

Over 300 MARTA associates will be losing their jobs. This is just one big mess.

Some Atlantans may be aware of this and some not, so I'm going to make this information available:

Out of the 10 largest transit agencies in the United States with MARTA raking seventh, MARTA is the only transit agency that receives absolutely NO state funding. And it has always been that way since MARTA's creation back in 1971.

Now the agency is on a ventilator and life support and I really don't know what can be done to help the agency, but I am very disturbed about it, and somewhat angry at our state, because MARTA has so much potential to be one of the best transit systems in the country.

I hope a solution will be found quickly before it is too late. And then what?

Edited May 28, 2010 by Kenneth Disraili

[Martinman]

Atlanta gets $47 million in federal funds for the streetcar line in the downtown area.

The line will run from Centennial Olympic Park and the historic district along Edgewood and Auburn avenues to the King Center. The total cost of the project is $70 million. This is the 2.7 mile "downtown loop" portion of the Peachtree streetcar plan.

Feds put up $47M for Atlanta streetcar

For more detail on the plan, here is the grant application.

http://www.atlantadowntown.com/_files/docs/10_08-23_atlanta_streetcar-tigerii_app.pdf

[krazeeboi]

Well it's good that the rest of the funding appears to be in place. Even though this line will be tourist-oriented, it's still a great start. Now let's get the Peachtree line funded.

[Martinman]

Well it's good that the rest of the funding appears to be in place. Even though this line will be tourist-oriented, it's still a great start. Now let's get the Peachtree line funded.

Its a popular misconception that this route will only be used by tourists. In fact there is also a 31,000 student university, 6 parks, two medical facilities as well as numerous other job centers, 4,000 housing units with another 2,000 planned housing units and over 7,000 residents directly on the route. And I forgot to mention a direct connection to a very busy Marta station - Peachtree Center.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Martinman