Peachtree Corridor Project: If you live along Peachtree you are about to be hit!!! (Atlanta: fit in, condo)

[cocopuffy]

I just heard from a member of my condo association board that they are creating a special tax district along the Peachtree corridor to pay for the street car project that is supposed to take effect in February or March. I had heard about it but thought that it wouldn't really go forward. ONLY people living within 1/4 mile of Peachtree will be taxed although the entire city is going to benefit. The fact that this corporation (with full cooperation of our council members) can slap a 500 million dollar tax on people without a referendum or anything is unnerving.

Lets be real...people who won't take a bus or ride MARTA (and there is a Marta station about every 3 blocks from downtown to Buckhead) are not going to ride this street car. Its too expensive, it will take up way more space than they expect, and its not going to be used! I don't want my taxes to go up 7-9 percent for some silly street car gimmick. They can't even get the Beltline off the ground. If anyone has any information about this please post. I'm trying to find out if there is going to be a public meeting about this anytime soon.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by cocopuffy

Lets be real...people who won't take a bus or ride MARTA (and there is a Marta station about every 3 blocks from downtown to Buckhead) are not going to ride this street car. Its too expensive, it will take up way more space than they expect, and its not going to be used! I don't want my taxes to go up 7-9 percent for some silly street car gimmick.

There's a MARTA station every 3 blocks from downtown to Buckhead? Which Atlanta do you live in?

I haven't heard of this tax, but I can tell you that I am not such a fan of the Streetcar idea either. But, I do think the idea has merit.

[cocopuffy]

ok...I was exaggerating a little bit but there are 6 stops between downtown atlanta and the high museum and they are all pretty close to each other especially after the civic center stop.
I was just trying to make the point that the people who are likely to use such a plan are already walking the streets and taking MARTA...I don't think the street car is going to suddenly persuade people to abandon their cars and glide down peachtree street. Peachtree is a narrow street... where are all these cars and medians going to go?
The people who are all gung ho for this plan (like our city leaders) aren't even going to pay for it with their own taxes. Most people who are residents of the area are against it...but nobody is asking us.

[PeteyNice]

I heard about this but can't find much about it online. I could understand taxing businesses for it but residents? That makes no sense. Everything I have seen leads me to believe this is designed for tourists and not residents.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by cocopuffy

ok...I was exaggerating a little bit but there are 6 stops between downtown atlanta and the high museum and they are all pretty close to each other especially after the civic center stop.

I know you are against the Streetcar, but please - the 6 stops from downtown to Lindbergh are by no means close to each other. It is not 18 blocks to walk from Five Points to Arts Center. This isn't NYC.

Plus, have you ever traveled from Arts Center to Lindbergh? The trip is 5 minutes on the train and crosses over I-85. Nothing goes up Peachtree St. except for two bus routes right now. So, if Peachtree St. is to become this famed boulevard as Atlanta leaders want it to be, then this streetcar does fit into that purpose. MARTA certainly does not do this effectively. Again this is not saying that I agree with the proposal, but I am just telling you what the rationale is.

[aries4118]

cocopuffy...

Are you an Atlanta native?

I'll explain why I am asking you this later.

[atlantagreg30127]

Lots of studies have been done over the years in various cities, and the results are always the same: People WILL ride rail (heavy or light/streetcar) over buses to the effect of 3-to-1. People simply hate buses. People like rail, and like streetcars. They will ride them. They even once did a survey in the paper here years ago and people admitted to avoiding buses altogether, but favored the idea of some sort of rail or trolley system in their areas, saying they would ride it. Downtown workers surveyed said they would definately use a trolley to run errands during lunch breaks rather than get into their cars and drive around. Other surveys have also shown support by local businesses for a trolley type system along the Perimeter area, as well as Cumberland area for the same reasons.

I used to live intown and have in the past lived near the Lindberg and Brookhaven stations. I regularly rode the trains as an option at that time. I never rode the buses unless for some reason there were no other options. Even though there is an "Xpress" bus in my area now, I will not ride it. If rail were near my home (heavy or light), I would not hesitate to park and use it.

Here's some info on the streetcar project...

One of the main pages about it: http://www.peachtreecorridor.com/ (videos linked on the bottom-right of that page)


The first page has a link (broadband needed) to a quick video: http://www.atlantastreetcar.com/

Article: http://www.broadcastatlanta.com/inde...25&Itemid=2355

[meadgrad]

well, I'm all for it (I dont live there, so you can burn me for that, but if I did live in the corridor, the tax hike wouldnt bother me for this)

Rail of any kind is much more used than bus (as bad as it is, buses just have a stigma that is hard to break)

Property values will go up around the light rail (bus stops can be moved on a whim...no perminance...light rail is much more perminant, making property around them much more desireable.

Peachtree has a 5 mile swath of no transit (other than bus) from buckhead to arts center, and marta only has one stop at Lindbergh...more transit is needed along this corridore, espessially as Peachtree densifies (imagine the huge new buckhead development with no transit around it!)

Perdue has pissed away enough tax dollers on useless hwys...its time to develop something smart...IMO.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

Perdue has pissed away enough tax dollers on useless hwys...its time to develop something smart...IMO.

Well, this will be paid for via the taxes and private money, not the state. Perdue made it very clear in public statements that were posted on the news web sites last year that public transit was not on his list of priorities with the budget.

He did find the time however, to make certain types of fireworks legal in Georgia (wonder how many friends/family he has in the fireworks business?), and made time to use taxpaid helecopters to take his son to sporting events.

Folks need to remember stuff like this when they vote. Atlanta is a thorn in the side of the rest of Georgia, so you certainly can't expect Georgians to go out of their way to vote for a Governor that puts public transit as a priority. So it's up to the residents that live in the metro Atlanta area (as well as other cities like Savannah) to make sure they look at a candidate's view on this issue and take the time to vote.

[meadgrad]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Well, this will be paid for via the taxes and private money, not the state. Perdue made it very clear in public statements that were posted on the news web sites last year that public transit was not on his list of priorities with the budget.

He did find the time however, to make certain types of fireworks legal in Georgia (wonder how many friends/family he has in the fireworks business?), and made time to use taxpaid helecopters to take his son to sporting events.

Folks need to remember stuff like this when they vote. Atlanta is a thorn in the side of the rest of Georgia, so you certainly can't expect Georgians to go out of their way to vote for a Governor that puts public transit as a priority. So it's up to the residents that live in the metro Atlanta area (as well as other cities like Savannah) to make sure they look at a candidate's view on this issue and take the time to vote.

yeah, i know, i'm just voicing a frustration with Perdue and his attitude twords the city. bad comparison.

Isnt Marta one of the only mass trasit systems not funded at the state level in the US? not sure on that though.