MARTA buses: re-thinking/ re-branding (construction, live, cost)

[ccdscott]

Imagine a MARTA with state funding for the past 40 years? SMH.

The Beltline is made for LRT, it should be kept that way.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by ccdscott

Imagine a MARTA with state funding for the past 40 years? SMH.

The Beltline is made for LRT, it should be kept that way.

Yep. The Beltline as a city project is literally made for LRT. As in, all of the trail design and construction has been done with engineering in mind for Light rail vehicles along side the trail.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Yep. The Beltline as a city project is literally made for LRT. As in, all of the trail design and construction has been done with engineering in mind for Light rail vehicles along side the trail.

And yet you have a ton of whiners along the Eastside Trail that want it to be doubled in width along the LRT right-of-way.

[primaltech]

Yeah, I think the Atlanta Streetcar should be owned and funded by the City of Atlanta, but operated by MARTA, and only operating within the city limits. Makes the most sense all around. Hand it to Keith Parker and let him optimize it all.

I think MARTA should do an HRT infill at Krog St/Cabbagetown, and maybe one at Armour, both on the Beltline- and then run a new color LRT rail line (same Siemens S70 vehicle as streetcar, but double or triple train length, and different paint job.), between them along the Beltline. With station names like, Ansley Mall/ Morningside, Piedmont Park, Virginia Highland, Old Fourth Ward/ Carter Center, etc. Then eventually it could go around the entire Beltline. Meanwhile the streetcars could also use the same right of way rail corridor for certain routes.

But I think BRT should be the go-to for wherever it makes sense. Peachtree Rd thru Buckhead, Clairmont Rd corridor between Chamblee and Decatur, Roswell Rd Buford Highway, etc. Plus they're already planning it for the I-20 corridor.

And I think most local bus routes should be gradually phased out, in favor of one of the above. Everything should be designed to be rapid transit, no matter if rubber wheels or rail. Not stuck in traffic transit. Right now the streetcar is a perfectly good vehicle that just needs to be able to hit the gas pedal.

Ultimately GDOT is another key party that needs to get their act together, and re-paint these roads and city streets with transit only lanes, which could be used by streetcars, BRT buses, local buses, emergency vehicles (potentially saving people's lives), and maybe only cars that are quickly turning right or something. And also there should be signal priority technology for any surface road based rapid transit. The technology is already there and in use in other U.S. cities.

Atlanta needs a great transit system that goes places and connects every neighborhood and suburb all together in a big network of connectedness.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

MARTA hired the same company that redesigned Houston's METRO bus system, so let the professionals do their research and give them a chance to present their results.

They did? Cool.

Increased headways are great, but how to do it without spending more money?
Decrease the number of bus stops. This is good and bad, it allows buses to travel faster, but makes riders walk further. Having key stops close to destinations, like retail centers, retirement communities, schools, etc.
Signal priority. As Atlanta begins to invest it it's out dated signals how much more would it cost to add the necessary software to detect buses/streetcars for signal priority?
MARTA already has a live arrival app and majority of Americans have smartphones. Major bus stops need LED screen displaying the next arrival, but not every stop.
Also, MARTA has already started it's WiFi pilot program on buses. That is a good way to attract demand riders.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Also the streetcar needs to be built out to that full system map, or it's just a useless tourist gimmick. I mean how often do I need to go to the King Center? Or how often do I need to go to the King Center from Centennial Park?

If you wanted to build out something like 50 miles of new light rail infrastructure in a city that's hardly ever supported it, and you had almost no money to do it, would you start with a small project first to show people how it can work? Would you start in a part of the city that includes a) our highest-density tourist attractions, b) available commercial space that the streetcar can generate new tenants for, and c) cheap space for a maintenance facility? Then congratulations, you've just made the same decisions our city did in building the first phase of the Atlanta Streetcar.

If you want to see it expanded, contact your councilperson and voice your support for the phase 2 expansion from downtown to the Beltline eastside trail.

[arjay57]

My apologies if this has already been posted.

2007 MARTA Infill Stations Report

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by arjay57

My apologies if this has already been posted.

2007 MARTA Infill Stations Report

Well, if it was already posted, I've never seen this. Thanks for posting it! It's sad to look back at all the plans from eight (8) years ago, and realize that barely anything's been done.

[primaltech]

I don't know if they were necessarily plans. Looks like it was just a study. But nevertheless, that is an excellent official document and I have never seen it before. Thanks for posting!

IMO a Krog St/Cabbagetown station, and an Armour station, both right on the Beltline, absolutely need to happen. With a light rail line running between them, connecting everything along the way, which is some of the best stuff in Atlanta and some of the most thriving neighborhoods. That just absolutely has to happen.

A Mechanicsville station would also be priority, because then you could really start to redevelop/revitalize Mechanicsville and the south Downtown area.

A Joseph E. Boone (formerly Simpson) station would be directly on the west Beltline and it would give a little more purpose to the Green line, which currently only has the one exclusive stop.

Some of the others in the list are cool ideas that have good potential, but probably lower priority.

I would really like to see an official detailed study just like this, but for small expansions of one or two stops at the end of the line. Not the major extensions of the lines, but more inexpensive and easier ones. For example. An extension of the west Blue line one more stop to Boulder Park/ Brownleee, which would be right on 285. Or an extension of the Green line one more stop north to the future Westside Reservoir Park, and the Beltline. Or an extension of the Gold line one more stop to Oakcliff Rd, where there's just enough room before the county line. That kind of thing.

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Well, if it was already posted, I've never seen this. Thanks for posting it! It's sad to look back at all the plans from eight (8) years ago, and realize that barely anything's been done.

No that's a good thing, most of those stations would be a complete waste of time, money and energy. Two on the West line looked ok, Hunter Hills and Simpson, and maybe Old Avondale, and that's where I got mad and had to close the document. Mechanicsville would probably be ok too, but beyond that, everything else was either in easy walking or busing distance of an existing station.