Upcoming MARTA route hearings (Sandy Springs, Roswell: zip code, shopping center, train)

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by arjay57

What if you were Piedmont Hospital and wanted to go to Colony Square? Would you have to change buses at Arts Center station?

No, you would get off at Arts Center and walk the two blocks to Colony Square.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Gulch

No, you would get off at Arts Center and walk the two blocks to Colony Square.

Let's say you wanted to go Einstein's on 12th St. Or the Hudson Grille at 8th St.?

Would you need to transfer buses at Arts Center, or transfer to the train?

Or what if you live at Peachtree and 6th and would like to run up to the Mellow Mushroom or El Azteca for dinner?

Seems to me this change is just making it harder to get around by transit in Atlanta.

[tikigod311]

I bet they had a choice b/t reliable service that terminates at Art Center or continuing service further intown that few used.

The value of the 110 primarily comes from serving Peachtree St in Buckhead and its lack of transit. That just isn't the case once it hits Midtown, as it is pretty much duplicating service.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I bet they had a choice b/t reliable service that terminates at Art Center or continuing service further intown that few used.

The value of the 110 primarily comes from serving Peachtree St in Buckhead and its lack of transit. That just isn't the case once it hits Midtown, as it is pretty much duplicating service.

What are the ridership numbers on the 110 bus south of 15th Street? Every time I ride it seems fairly busy.

It also looks like the new route 40 is reducing frequency from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

[MattCW]

Gah! They STILL can't get it right!
They're finally inaugurating the closest thing we'll have to a true city bus route (40) and it's on 30 minute utterly useless headways!
Route 4 has been turned from a halfway decently direct route to a total mess on its south end.
81 is a zig zagging mess.
111 Starts off heading for Indian Creek, then makes an inexplicable right turn in the literal opposite direction down Covington Highway, then up Hairston Rd, then back along Redan Rd.
155 zigs and zags from Milton Ave over to West End instead of just headed straight to Garnett or Five Points.

As a Dekalb resident, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be asked to vote for more funding for MARTA. With this utter disaster they're presenting, I can't do it. I'm not going to trust them with MORE money when it's clear they have no idea how to properly steward the money they already have!

[lboy826]

Many of the route patterns of MARTA is due to the terrain and neighborhood setup in the city. A LARGE portion of the ridership would balk if service was just relegated to "so called" main streets. That just isn't feasible, especially in many ATL neighborhoods that lack sidewalks.

[Mgyeldell]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Gah! They STILL can't get it right!
They're finally inaugurating the closest thing we'll have to a true city bus route (40) and it's on 30 minute utterly useless headways!
Route 4 has been turned from a halfway decently direct route to a total mess on its south end.
81 is a zig zagging mess.
111 Starts off heading for Indian Creek, then makes an inexplicable right turn in the literal opposite direction down Covington Highway, then up Hairston Rd, then back along Redan Rd.
155 zigs and zags from Milton Ave over to West End instead of just headed straight to Garnett or Five Points.

As a Dekalb resident, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be asked to vote for more funding for MARTA. With this utter disaster they're presenting, I can't do it. I'm not going to trust them with MORE money when it's clear they have no idea how to properly steward the money they already have!

MARTA has the issue of having to be a Urban Transportation System in a Sububrban setting. Some of the route have to do these haphazard routings due to the nature of the Built environment of this Metro area. Here in Atlanta you'll have a low income area where ridership will be hign next to a high income area where ridership is low. Now its not to say that MARTA is getting the routes 100% right. There are a few changes I would put in personally. So MARTA planners have to do a weird mixture of Main-line main street routes and feeder neighborhood routes to mix in with the Subway system.

So you will have main line routes that are also neighbor feeder routes. The number 4 is one of the best examples of that. The 4 should go straight down Moreland then straight back to the Inman Park station, but because at the end of the line there used to be massive public housing and low income neighborhoods the bus has to go through these neighborhood to serve the population that uses the route.

MARTA has plenty of main line routes that do this, 55, 12, 86, 30 I can think of off the top of my head.

[fourthwarden]

I'm surprised the 110 is getting so shortened, since it was supposed to be one of their ART Routes, from 5-Points to Brookhaven.

[ATLondoner]

Unbelievable (but truly believable) that the new 40 route will be on 30 minute headways.....they really shouldn't even bother.

[PKCorey]

The new test route in Roswell/Peachtree Corners is interesting. If Gwinnett ever gets MARTA, they could easily expand this route a bit south or just connect other portions of Peachtree Corners to the subway.