MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Smyrna: fit in, maps)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by UrbanConquistador

Oh, absolutely. I was thinking specifically to complete their planned phase 1 of transit.

Phase 1 would be a huge help, along with streetcar line to Grant Park and AUC. Phase 1 would benefit from quick implementation on the existing Eastside and under construction Westside Trails because the ROW was preserved for transit.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by jsvh

I think the city can use it for any "transportation" projects they want. I will be interested to see that project list too.

My expectation is that the main "MARTA" half penny will go to have MARTA take over and expand the streetcar on to the Beltline as one of it's main projects.

Building transit around the Beltline is the #1 biggest impact the city could have for the money. There's nowhere else they could build exclusive new rights of way for a light rail/streetcar line that would be less expensive, or more effective, than that loop. I hope we can make it happen.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Phase 1 would be a huge help, along with streetcar line to Grant Park and AUC. Phase 1 would benefit from quick implementation on the existing Eastside and under construction Westside Trails because the ROW was preserved for transit.

Originally Posted by magnetar

Building transit around the Beltline is the #1 biggest impact the city could have for the money. There's nowhere else they could build exclusive new rights of way for a light rail/streetcar line that would be less expensive, or more effective, than that loop. I hope we can make it happen.

Agreed.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Sounds like CoA may go ahead and add Clifton Corridor to this ballot with the assumption it moves forward once it gets approval in DeKalb:

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/b...gia-house.html

I suppose this makes sense, since a full quarter of the line is in CoA, and it will probably mostly go to funding the engineering work's completion.

[skbl17]

Because someone here requested it, here are the "No" votes:

- Rich Golick (R-Smyrna)
- Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville)
- Brett Harrell (R-Snellville)
- Regina Quick (R-Athens)

- skbl17

[primaltech]

MARTA should take over the streetcar completely, if only for one reason: it then itself becomes MARTA light rail.

The official rail map shouldn't just show which heavy rail stations connect with the streetcar. It should show the entire Phase 1 plan (at least), as rail lines and rail stations. (Thinner lines, smaller dots and fonts than heavy rail.) So people can see it all at a glimpse and make quick sense of where they can go on MARTA.

But, admittedly, that goes hand in hand with making the streetcar a quality rail service. Need much better headway, sped up everything, signal priority, the works.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by skbl17

Because someone here requested it, here are the "No" votes:

- Rich Golick (R-Smyrna)
- Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville)
- Brett Harrell (R-Snellville)
- Regina Quick (R-Athens)

- skbl17

All outside of MARTA's allowed service area, let alone Atlanta. They were probably like, "I don't support this since my county's not getting anything". Idiots.

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by primaltech

All outside of MARTA's allowed service area, let alone Atlanta. They were probably like, "I don't support this since my county's not getting anything". Idiots.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Jerks. Worry about your own jurisdictions.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by primaltech

MARTA should take over the streetcar completely, if only for one reason: it then itself becomes MARTA light rail.

The city should sell the streetcar to MARTA at cost and get out of the streetcar business permanently. We've got way too many other pressing items to deal with.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The city should sell the streetcar to MARTA at cost and get out of the streetcar business permanently. We've got way too many other pressing items to deal with.

Not sell, hand over. The taxpayers already funded the streetcar. In fact, there was substantial business community buy in as well. The original $98.9 Milliong funding came in as follows:

• $47.6 million in TIGER II Federal Transit Administration grant funds
• $32.6 million from the City of Atlanta Recovery Zone Bond funds and Department of Watershed Management Clean Water program
• $6 million from the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID)
• $12.7million in coordinated projects funded through grants from the Atlanta Regional Commission (the Two-Way Conversion of Luckie Street and two (2) Transportation Enhancement projects)

As you can see, the Atlanta tax payer didn't bear anywhere close to the full front of the cost. Selling it to MARTA would be taking other taxpayer money to pay back funds not really spent from the taxpayers in the first place.

MAYBE if it was only sold for the city's cost, but even then, you've already spent the money, and moving money from MARTA to CoA is just shifting the cost from one book to another without helping the tax payers in any way.

It makes much more sense to transfer the operations and maintenance to MARTA, while the City of Atlanta continues to fund its expansion and operations. That way, the city can implement things like TADs, CIDs, property taxes, and additional sales taxes to grow the system. MARTA would have a hard time getting most of that done, but they would make a much better contracted operator.