51,000 rides in less than a month for streetcar (Atlanta: restaurant, law)

[fourthwarden]

The Streetcar to the Atlanta BeltLine is the Right Track

posted in Transit // 05/13/15
This article originally appeared in the May 12, 2015 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It is republished here with permission.

The more than 200,000 riders that have used the streetcar since opening day in December 2014 prove that Atlantans, young and old, from all walks of life, want this opportunity for transit expansion.

More than $568 million in private investment has developed within a quarter mile from the route since 2011, with $859 million more in the pipeline.

With this early success and ridership exceeding expectations by more than 20 percent, it’s never too soon to look ahead to Atlanta’s future.

If I didn't know better, I'd say that the streetcar was proving quite the little sucess, even dispite it's growing pains (which, yes, definitly need to get fixed. Here's looking at you Centenial Park and traffic light prioritization!).

[PKCorey]

I used it a couple weeks ago during the Sweet Auburn Festival. Once we got past the congestion on Auburn, it was a fast option. 12 minutes from the stop to Peachtree Center. I believe, it took us about 15-20 minutes to walk when were going to the festival.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

I used it a couple weeks ago during the Sweet Auburn Festival. Once we got past the congestion on Auburn, it was a fast option. 12 minutes from the stop to Peachtree Center. I believe, it took us about 15-20 minutes to walk when were going to the festival.

The section from the King Center up towardes Peachtree center was much faster even on opening day of the line. I'm not sure what it is about that sstreatch that allows it, but that's the speed i'd like to see the whole thing going at.

[fourthwarden]

Streetcar operators off the rails following Channel 2 investigation

Four operators were grounded after Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Richard Belcher filed a request for their qualifications on May 7. Atlanta officials have not yet provided the requested materials, but we’ve confirmed the four drivers were ordered off the rails days later.

In an agreement dated Dec. 19 of last year – 11 days before the Atlanta Streetcar began transporting passengers on its 2.7 mile downtown loop – city, state and federal transportation officials agreed on training and credentialing requirements for operators.

The document clearly states that each operator must have a commercial driver’s license and a medical certificate. The Georgia DOT says that commercial driver license must be issued by the state of Georgia.
It’s not yet clear who authorized the four drivers in question to begin work without checking on their qualifications.

For ****'s sake...

[red92s]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Streetcar operators off the rails following Channel 2 investigation



For ****'s sake...

Having a CDL isn't super pertinent to being able to safely operate a rail-bound vehicle. Yeah, someone(s) messed up by hiring folks that didn't check all the boxes on the form . . . and that is certainly another black eye for the streetcar management. I just happen to think the CDL requirement is kinda "meh" to begin with. Even if it was a bad requirement, it was still a requirement.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by red92s

Having a CDL isn't super pertinent to being able to safely operate a rail-bound vehicle. Yeah, someone(s) messed up by hiring folks that didn't check all the boxes on the form . . . and that is certainly another black eye for the streetcar management. I just happen to think the CDL requirement is kinda "meh" to begin with. Even if it was a bad requirement, it was still a requirement.

I wonder who's at fault. Did the drivers lie to management? Did they not know what they were checking off? Why wasn't there a check performed. Was it CoA or MARTA management who failed? Are the tree drivers on paid leave being trained and brought up to standards, or are they being reviewed to be let go?

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I wonder who's at fault. Did the drivers lie to management? Did they not know what they were checking off? Why wasn't there a check performed. Was it CoA or MARTA management who failed? Are the tree drivers on paid leave being trained and brought up to standards, or are they being reviewed to be let go?

While it's probably that drivers lied, it's still the responsibility of the employers to ensure they are hiring the proper people.

[cqholt]

[AnsleyPark]

The projected ridership numbers that have been exceeded by 20% - were they based on there being a fare?

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

The projected ridership numbers that have been exceeded by 20% - were they based on there being a fare?

Apparently what happened was that, leading up to the fare date, ridership was lagging by 10%-20%. Once the announcement came that the free period was being extended, ridership rose to 20% over expectations.