MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Buckhead: discount, hot)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bu2

The various employment nodes should be connected. The Airport, downtown, midtown, Buckhead and Perimeter Center are connected. Cumberland-Galleria and Emory/CDC are not. Development should be encouraged around dense nodes and not too spread out. The regional plan is based on the idea that people will live close to work and they are encouraging lots of little nodes all over the metro. I don't think that is realistic given people's employment mobility and the cost of moving.

Shocking we agree on something. But yes, all the major employment centers should be connected via rail transit.

[jsvh]

Transit Planning 101 for the City of Atlanta: It

I don't see what exactly this guy is arguing for. Anyone enlighten me? The Beltline transit will already be connecting to ponce and running route parallel to it a block over down North Ave. Beltline transit is not the only transit being considered and many of the "O&D" connections already exist or planned to be covered by the Beltline or other projects. West side will be getting just as much, if not larger investment than the east side. MARTA will probably be running the Beltline transit since this funding is a MARTA tax.

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Transit Planning 101 for the City of Atlanta: It

I don't see what exactly this guy is arguing for. Anyone enlighten me? The Beltline transit will already be connecting to ponce and running route parallel to it a block over down North Ave. Beltline transit is not the only transit being considered and many of the "O&D" connections already exist or planned to be covered by the Beltline or other projects. West side will be getting just as much, if not larger investment than the east side. MARTA will probably be running the Beltline transit since this funding is a MARTA tax.

Agreed. He doesn't really seem to be proposing anything different than the current Beltline plan, but is yet entirely dumping on it.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by UrbanConquistador

Agreed. He doesn't really seem to be proposing anything different than the current Beltline plan, but is yet entirely dumping on it.

I do not think the drawings are his idea, he is using them as diagrams to show the current proposed routes.

[alco89]

Glad I wasn't the only one confused by that piece.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Transit Planning 101 for the City of Atlanta: It

I don't see what exactly this guy is arguing for. Anyone enlighten me? The Beltline transit will already be connecting to ponce and running route parallel to it a block over down North Ave. Beltline transit is not the only transit being considered and many of the "O&D" connections already exist or planned to be covered by the Beltline or other projects. West side will be getting just as much, if not larger investment than the east side. MARTA will probably be running the Beltline transit since this funding is a MARTA tax.

Its called common sense, something lacking in Atlanta/Georgia transportation planning. Here they come up with the concept and try to force people to fit it or they come up with a way to get money and then figure out how to spend it. Its all backwards.

He's starting with the people and going from there.

While a lot of time, money, and effort has gone into trying to make the “solution” fit the problem, with a successful referendum it is not too late to redirect the city’s efforts to catch up with commonsense transit planning. The Legislature last month enabled Atlanta to put forward a referendum in November 2016 or 2017 for a proposed half-percent increase in the city’s sales tax to raise $2.5 billion for transit construction. Gov. Nathan Deal has not signed Senate Bill 369.


Following the above steps should be the starting point. The result likely would show that other modes can more immediately address current and future ridership and meet the pressing needs to achieve equitable access.

This access and appropriate mode choice would coordinate well with the city’s emerging emphasis on strengthening its corridors for more intense mixed use development as a balanced strategy for accommodating growing populations. In addition, such a coordinated incremental strategy would likely prove to be far more immediate, affordable, and effective than the billions now committed to building the far off streetcar, the BeltLine’s current and only plan.

[bu2]

One thing he points out is all the emphasis on the east side when you may have more transit riders and destinations on the west side. He's proposing to figure out demand and serve demand instead of a "build it and they will come" philosophy. Now he doesn't ignore building where you can get more to come.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bu2

One thing he points out is all the emphasis on the east side when you may have more transit riders and destinations on the west side. He's proposing to figure out demand and serve demand instead of a "build it and they will come" philosophy. Now he doesn't ignore building where you can get more to come.

The westside would have more riders, but the eastside is SEXIER.

[jsvh]

He is concerned about emphasis on the east side but recommends building to "Ponce" as a priority? Also, west side will be getting at least as much investment from this as the east side.

Just yelling "it's common sense!" at some napkin sketches he made doesn't make it "common sense".

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jsvh

He is concerned about emphasis on the east side but recommends building to "Ponce" as a priority? Also, west side will be getting at least as much investment from this as the east side.

Just yelling "it's common sense!" at some napkin sketches he made doesn't make it "common sense".

He's simply recommending approaching it the way most places do, not backwards like here where they start with either the solution or money and then try to match it to the problem.

Are we shortchanging areas where we have the highest current bus ridership? Getting better service to those areas is something that should be considered. The East side really doesn't have many work destinations. And north of Ponce is heavily SFH so its not very dense.