Design Your Own MARTA Expansion (Atlanta, Alpharetta: upkeep, live in, safer)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JPD

This is (at least) the second time you've mentioned parking fees at MARTA.

It is FREE to park your car in MARTA station parking lots, unless you are parking overnight.

Sorry for the nit-pick.

They charge you at Lenox. Is that the only one?

[testa50]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Not every comment must be taken literally.

The point of the transportation bill and any expansion of MARTA/mass transit is to give some relief to commuters during rush hour. Downtown is no longer the region's dominant job center and is becoming less so by the year. It may still be the cultural heart of the city, but I that alone doesn't justify a transportation plan with a central focus on Downtown.

Based solely on the locations you seem to be prioritizing, you think the purpose of the bill is to make it easier for a teenager in Norcross get to the Dave Matthews concert at Phillips, instead of making it easier for his dad to get to work in Perimeter.

So why don't you tell us how you propose to make his dad's commute from East Cobb to, say, UPS's global headquarters on Glenlake Parkway, or maybe Philips' building on Perimeter Center East easier?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by arjay57

They charge you at Lenox. Is that the only one?

MARTA > Using MARTA > Parking Information

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by testa50

So why don't you tell us how you propose to make his dad's commute from East Cobb to, say, UPS's global headquarters on Glenlake Parkway, or maybe Philips' building on Perimeter Center East easier?

UPS: He would drive to the Powers Ferry Station, park, and ride to Medical Center, where he would switch to the MARTA North-South line, get off at Sandy Springs, and foot it to UPS.

Perimeter Center East: He would drive to the Powers Ferry Station, park, ride to the Ravinia Station, and walk to Phillips.

I could only get one station plan to upload, but the rest can be found here:

Transit Station Planning

Look under "Round 2 Station Area Information Sheets"

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by neil0311

MARTA > Using MARTA > Parking Information

That says it's free at Lenox but every time I go into the MARTA lot I get a ticket and when I pull out the person in the little booth makes me pay. Maybe it's some kind of scam.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by JPD

I'm sure MARTA would love to expand into Cobb. Would Cobb county allow a rail station, and be willing to pay into MARTA as Dekalb and Fulton do?

I suspect they would. MARTA hasn't bothered to ask, though. Not in decades.

Why not?

[testa50]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

UPS: He would drive to the Powers Ferry Station, park, and ride to Medical Center, where he would switch to the MARTA North-South line, get off at Sandy Springs, and foot it to UPS.

That's a mile and a half of walking in an area that's minimally pedestrian-friendly at best, and includes stretches with no sidewalks.

Perimeter Center East: He would drive to the Powers Ferry Station, park, ride to the Ravinia Station, and walk to Phillips.

Nice, that one is a much shorter walk, and could actually be a feasible option.

I could only get one station plan to upload, but the rest can be found here:

Transit Station Planning

Look under "Round 2 Station Area Information Sheets"

You all see what I'm getting at. Much of the built environment around the top-end perimeter is very spread out and pedestrian unfriendly, despite having some tall office towers. Sometimes it's not even particularly easy for a pedestrian to get from the street right in front of a building into the building itself. That's not to say it shouldn't be transit-served, but it's a pretty major hurdle that has to be jumped.

Midtown, Downtown, and Buckhead don't really have that issue.

[SpilltMilk]

note: I am not taking budget into consideration.
First, I would extend the Red Line out of the perimeter and into Southern suburbs with 3 stops, one in College Park at Riverdale Road by the I-285 exit, this would involve tunneling under the airport for a cheaper direct route to the station. I believe that development would move in as the same with East Point and the area would have a chance to become a cozy airport community with direct access to the airport. The surrounding land values would rise, and so would other oppurtunities, second station which would be the temporary terminus of the Red Line would be "Downtown Riverdale", I live in this metro town and this is major airport town, access is limited to car only which is a major disadvantage for a significant town in Clayton County, Riverdale currently has huge plans for its urban center. Which can find here: [url=http://riverdaletowncenter.com]Riverdale Town Center - City of Riverdale, Georgia[/url] , a large development including residential, office, retail, and government. A MARTA station would provide teens, adults, elders, and etc. with access into the city. Employment will follow with the easy and cheap transit. The third at the new international terminal, a vital link. Also, as another possibility, Clayton County seeing the benefits of mass transit would initiate a mini-Beltline like system with a light rail train running from Riverdale to Jonesboro, and creating a suburban park/walking trail along it along with a development corridor. It would link Downtown Riverdale to historic Jonesboro and to the entertainment and retail along the way.
Second, I would create a new line that runs up I-75 in the same general direction, but now exactly along side. You don't want to compete with highways, you want to WORK with highways. A vital station would be Cumberland Mall, the whole transferring to CCT is inconvient and that's one of the reasons I'm not a frequenter. The line would run along the same course as I-75, but would pierce the development centers and also Atlantic Station, which is vital, the line would then meet its epicenter at Five Points, which can now live up to its name! I'll discuss expansion plans at the end. The line would then run to Grant Park and then continue down until its terminus at Hapeville. Think of all the potential customers, young couples and young citizens flocking to Cumberland.
Third, I would extend the Blue Line a little further. I would run up to 3 more stations through Druid Hills, a major office center, and through North Decatur.
I would also opt for the addition of improved signage.
Finally, I would expand and renovate Five Points into a hub. With the addition of the Cumberland Line, the passenger rider ship would greatly increase. A double North-South platform won't suffice. So inside, there would be the addition of another platform, which would make 3 and trains, either going North or South would share the middle platform, you get the jist. And the same with the East-West line which probably won't be called Other improvements would be bike rental stations outside the station, a more inviting environment, easier pedestrian access and the abolishment of hobos.
I'm sure this proposal is either just below, right at, or above the $2 billion dollar mark.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by tomno00

seems to be the problem with connecting Atlanta. How do you connect a mass of people that is so spread out? And what do you connect them to? And if you can, what happens to the cost of living? The whole atlanta experience is predicated on the cheap cost of living.

Well, not every area in Atlanta can be connected, nor should it be. Only major job centers, close-in suburbs, and/or dense ITP areas should be connected.

The Concept 3 plan or whatever it's called that is being thrown around is a complete disaster, and it would certainly ruin the "Atlanta experience." If people wanted that they would move to BosWash.

I do think an East-West connection from Cumberland to Doraville is definitely feasible without affecting the cost of living. A connection from Lindbergh to Northlake, through Emory, would also be a good idea. A Northwestern Rail Expansion towards Kennesaw State and a Northeastern one to Mall of Georgia or Gwinnett Place would be worth studying.

Other than that, the money needs to go to improving road connectivity.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by testa50

You all see what I'm getting at. Much of the built environment around the top-end perimeter is very spread out and pedestrian unfriendly, despite having some tall office towers. Sometimes it's not even particularly easy for a pedestrian to get from the street right in front of a building into the building itself. That's not to say it shouldn't be transit-served, but it's a pretty major hurdle that has to be jumped.

I see your point, but the theory is that as Perimeter grows, it will expand upward instead of outward and continue to densify. Transit stations would facilitate and encourage that type of growth. Some of the far-flung office parks in Perimeter, like Glenlake, won't ever be easily accessed through transit. But the core area around Perimeter Mall, bounded by Perimeter Center West (north), 285 (south), Ravinia (east), and 400 (west) will likely become much more urban and filled-in over the next 10 years.

Midtown, Downtown, and Buckhead don't really have that issue.

Just because Downtown doesn't have that issue doesn't mean it should be the focus of transit expansion. Doing so ignores the reality of Atlanta's growth patterns for the last 50 years. Downtown is an edge city, and Buckhead is now the center. Looking at the region in north-south terms, Buckhead is the center, Alpharetta forms one outer edge city and Downtown forms the other, with Midtown and Perimeter as inner edge cities.