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Old 09-11-2015, 10:18 AM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,859,920 times
Reputation: 5703

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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnsleyPark View Post
Why must you continue not recognizing that... Never mind. No need arguing with your likes about this.
WTF do you mean my likes? That is very insulting. I have never once insulted you.
I was simply asking, because it seems to me we have an overabundance of free parking. Not every development needs new parking, shared parking facilities would free up more land to be developed and produce tax money. Surface parking generates no money and takes up valuable land. Besides holiday shopping season, how many times are mall parking lots used over 60%? Same with roadways, we build all this capacity, for it to only be used 4-6 hours each weekday.
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Old 09-11-2015, 10:26 AM
 
Location: Prescott, AZ
5,559 posts, read 4,692,768 times
Reputation: 2284
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
Why must everything come down to parking? Take a taxi, uber, or transit to get to the Amtrak station. Save on the cost of long term parking.
Well, one of the main complaints is that Amtrak needs the parking space for their long-term travelers, those who don't have the options to just take MARTA or get dropped off.

The current station's parking is actually very pitiful, to the point where even sharing a deck with Doraville would be an improvement.

Besides, you're missing the opportunity for taking transit to Amtrak that this will open up! CCT, GRTA, and MARTA use Doraville as a bus hub already, and there's direct MARTA train access.


It's not even just parking. Amtrak uses ATL as a storing (on the saved industrial spur pointed towards Atlantic Station) place when trains can't continue on to NOLA, but that requires using Howell Wye. This is after GDOT and Amtrak stopped using the Armor Wye and abandoned the tracks. Amtrak and Norfolk Southern are not thrilled with that, but make it work.

With a new station, against an existing yard, and in cooperation with a development who owns a large amount of land, we may see Amtrak negotiate new storage tracks, a turning wye, and even some actual equipment facilities here in the City.

I'm not sure on the numbers, but from what I've seen in the past, the Crescent is a very full route, and we might look at this expansion as an opportunity to either add capacity to the current train service, in the form of added cars. This could, potentially extend into more trains serving the city, but that's a bit of a stretch.
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Old 09-11-2015, 11:24 AM
 
10,974 posts, read 10,872,781 times
Reputation: 3435
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnsleyPark View Post
I think the Doraville site would be a very good one with the MARTA station there and plenty of space for potential parking, both of which the current location severly lacks.
That is strong reason not to locate a transit hub there, availability of low-cost parking is the second strongest indicator of the lack of success of a rail line.
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Old 09-11-2015, 11:41 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
5,621 posts, read 5,933,278 times
Reputation: 4900
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
Why must everything come down to parking? Take a taxi, uber, or transit to get to the Amtrak station. Save on the cost of long term parking.
Parking and transit options open up Amtrak for everyone, urbanites and suburbanites. Uber/taxis aren't always reliable. I tried taking Uber to Amtrak here in Lancaster and as I tracked the guy he just drove off to neverland. Have no idea where he was going. At that point I had to cancel and just drive myself there I didn't have time to get a new driver from 10 minutes away. In Atlanta, I wouldn't want an Uber ride that long anyway. Besides, this isn't really intown. We're not talking about adding parking to downtown or midtown. People will have to park somewhere and if we're focusing on Amtrak, it's not a bad idea to just put parking there on the outskirts of Marta's current rail footprint. Take away that option and people are just gonna drive on 85 up to Charlotte or wherever instead. If long distance rail is to be used more, it's gonna have to be more convenient for everyone involved. Part of the reason I use the Amtrak up here so much is because it's so convenient and parking is part of that. Parking in Philly is way more expensive than the 5 bucks per day here and the train ticket is about even for gas money right now. If that cost goes way up or becomes an unnecessary hassle I'm better off just driving.
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Old 09-11-2015, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,859,920 times
Reputation: 5703
Quote:
Originally Posted by sedimenjerry View Post
Parking and transit options open up Amtrak for everyone, urbanites and suburbanites. Uber/taxis aren't always reliable. I tried taking Uber to Amtrak here in Lancaster and as I tracked the guy he just drove off to neverland. Have no idea where he was going. At that point I had to cancel and just drive myself there I didn't have time to get a new driver from 10 minutes away. In Atlanta, I wouldn't want an Uber ride that long anyway. Besides, this isn't really intown. We're not talking about adding parking to downtown or midtown. People will have to park somewhere and if we're focusing on Amtrak, it's not a bad idea to just put parking there on the outskirts of Marta's current rail footprint. Take away that option and people are just gonna drive on 85 up to Charlotte or wherever instead. If long distance rail is to be used more, it's gonna have to be more convenient for everyone involved. Part of the reason I use the Amtrak up here so much is because it's so convenient and parking is part of that. Parking in Philly is way more expensive than the 5 bucks per day here and the train ticket is about even for gas money right now. If that cost goes way up or becomes an unnecessary hassle I'm better off just driving.
They should pay the true cost of what it took to build that parking garage.
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Old 09-11-2015, 12:10 PM
 
32,021 posts, read 36,777,542 times
Reputation: 13300
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsvh View Post
That is strong reason not to locate a transit hub there, availability of low-cost parking is the second strongest indicator of the lack of success of a rail line.
It doesn't have to be low cost parking. Stick it on the user and let people pay what it actually costs.
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Old 09-11-2015, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Decatur, GA
7,357 posts, read 6,525,292 times
Reputation: 5176
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
WTF do you mean my likes? That is very insulting. I have never once insulted you.
I was simply asking, because it seems to me we have an overabundance of free parking. Not every development needs new parking, shared parking facilities would free up more land to be developed and produce tax money. Surface parking generates no money and takes up valuable land. Besides holiday shopping season, how many times are mall parking lots used over 60%? Same with roadways, we build all this capacity, for it to only be used 4-6 hours each weekday.
Pretty sure he means your and others' desire to destroy Atlanta by putting the cart way in front of the horse. Frankly, I wouldn't put it past you to simply bulldoze every parking space inside I-285 and simply shrug and tell people "live with it."
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsvh View Post
That is strong reason not to locate a transit hub there, availability of low-cost parking is the second strongest indicator of the lack of success of a rail line.
You can't exactly have a successful rail line if people can't get to it now can you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
It doesn't have to be low cost parking. Stick it on the user and let people pay what it actually costs.
Parking is just small fish. Let's put user-fees on the courts, police, and fire services first to help bring our budget back up!
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Old 09-11-2015, 04:46 PM
 
10,974 posts, read 10,872,781 times
Reputation: 3435
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
It doesn't have to be low cost parking. Stick it on the user and let people pay what it actually costs.
Agreed. Let the market decide how much parking is really needed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
You can't exactly have a successful rail line if people can't get to it now can you?
Sure can't. Major rail hubs around the world are usually well located near the center of a city so people can easily walk, bike, or take transit to get there. If you have to drive to get to your train, most people will just drive the whole way.
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Old 09-11-2015, 07:51 PM
 
Location: Decatur, GA
7,357 posts, read 6,525,292 times
Reputation: 5176
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsvh View Post
Agreed. Let the market decide how much parking is really needed.
So you want more and bigger parking lots then?
Quote:
Sure can't. Major rail hubs around the world are usually well located near the center of a city so people can easily walk, bike, or take transit to get there. If you have to drive to get to your train, most people will just drive the whole way.
Then why are the park and ride lots at MARTA stations full?
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Old 09-11-2015, 08:00 PM
 
10,974 posts, read 10,872,781 times
Reputation: 3435
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
So you want more and bigger parking lots then?
Nope. Parking is so overbuilt we offer almost all of it for free yet it still sits empty almost all the time. Not sure how you could any stronger indicator of over supply.


Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
Then why are the park and ride lots at MARTA stations full?
Nope they aren't. Even though most of them are free they still sit empty most of the time. Luckily MARTA leadership is smart and is replacing the parking lots with transit oriented developments which will boost ridership.


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