The ATL: new regional transit system (Atlanta, Smyrna: eat, approval, finance)

[primaltech]

Jesus, aries. I am simply addressing the comment on Saporta that you just highlighted, asking why branding the transit "ATL" would help perceptions, vs branding the system "MARTA".

I am saying that I believe it actually would indeed help (even if only a little), because there are many particularly northside OTP people for whom MARTA is a kneejerk emotional negative reaction (for whatever reasons), but ATL is not.

People are not as logical as we'd like them to be. Even those of us who are intelligent and usually very logical, can sometimes behave irrationally when it comes to names and logos and imaging and branding. It's subconscious human nature. People associate a fresh, new look with positive change, and sometimes old brands just get too beat up over the years (and carry irrational, less-than-totally-conscious baggage in peoples' minds), and it's just time for a change. All that is Marketing 101.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by Columbia Scientist

MAT and ATL are both unnecessary. Typical Georgia though. All of our efforts should be focused on actually improving transit. I don't care if suburbanites have a problem with MARTA. Leave MARTA as is and form some other unified body outside of Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton.

The branding of the transit product is in fact a key part of actual huge substantive improvement of transit. An important piece of it, one of many involved here.

[Atlanta Scientist]

I think it is a waste of resources(time and money) if the actual goal is to get more funding for transit. Better marketing is the fact that companies that relocate now often do so because of access to public transit. With the amount of new people moving to the metro area, I'm not so sure I completely buy the stigma that MARTA has. I think it has negative stigma simply because it is public transit and not what it is called.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Jesus, aries. I am simply addressing the comment on Saporta that you just highlighted, asking why branding the transit "ATL" would help perceptions, vs branding the system "MARTA".

I am saying that I believe it actually would indeed help (even if only a little), because there are many particularly northside OTP people for whom MARTA is a kneejerk emotional negative reaction (for whatever reasons), but ATL is not.

People are not as logical as we'd like them to be. Even those of us who are intelligent and usually very logical, can sometimes behave irrationally when it comes to names and logos and imaging and branding. It's subconscious human nature. People associate a fresh, new look with positive change, and sometimes old brands just get too beat up over the years (and carry irrational, less-than-totally-conscious baggage in peoples' minds), and it's just time for a change. All that is Marketing 101.

Jesus, primal...I actually agree with you. You are totally right on this. Did you read my post(s) above?


The only thing, for whatever reason, "ATL" may bring some of the same knee-jerk reactions as "MARTA." And that would be unfortunate.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by Columbia Scientist

....With the amount of new people moving to the metro area, I'm not so sure I completely buy the stigma that MARTA has. I think it has negative stigma simply because it is public transit and not what it is called.

The negative sentiment is definitely less than 10-20 years ago. It used to be based on race, but now I think it's fear of higher taxes.

[aries4118]

Expanding transit in Atlanta harder than renaming MARTA | Torpy

[aries4118]

c-dog and p-tech...

What do y'all think of this?


atl
atlanta transit link

atlbus
atlrail {Heavy Rail/Light Metro System...7 lines}
atltrain {Commuter Rail...11 lines}
atltrolley or atltram
atlX {Express Commuter Bus}
atlshuttle {Shuttle Bus}
atlmover {People Mover}
atlgondola {Sky Gondola}
atlride {Public Taxi Ride}
atldecker {Double-Decker, tourist-like dedicated routes}

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by aries4118

c-dog and p-tech...

What do y'all think of this?


atl
atlanta transit link

atlbus
atlrail {Heavy Rail/Light Metro System...7 lines}
atltrain {Commuter Rail...11 lines}
atltrolley or atltram
atlX {Express Commuter Bus}
atlshuttle {Shuttle Bus}
atlmover {People Mover}
atlgondola {Sky Gondola}
atlride {Public Taxi Ride}
atldecker {Double-Decker, tourist-like dedicated routes}

What do I think of what now? The fact that you put the letters "atl" before a bunch of different other words?

Congratulations I guess?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by primaltech

What do I think of what now? The fact that you put the letters "atl" before a bunch of different other words?

Congratulations I guess?

I thought you would like it...

[primaltech]

Atlanta transit bills headed for votes this week

Two bills that could reshape mass transit in metro Atlanta are headed for key votes in the General Assembly this week.

The Senate Transportation Committee today will take up Senate Bill 386, which would create a new board to oversee transit planning and construction in a 13-county region. The House Transportation Committee is expected to take up similar legislation – House Bill 930 – on Thursday.

Both bills would need to pass their respective full houses by Feb. 28, the “Crossover Day” deadline for legislation to pass out of its chamber of origin.

Sen. Brandon Beach told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he expects SB 386 to pass out of the transportation committee today and get a full Senate vote on Friday.

Under both bills, the new regional board would be responsible for establishing a transit plan for the Atlanta region. They would also allow any county in the region to hold a referendum on a transit sales tax of up to 1 percent. But counties would have to select projects included in the regional transit plan.

The goal of both bills is to ensure better coordination of transit service across the Atlanta region. Currently, there are 11 transit operators in the 13-county region (the biggest are MARTA, the state’s Xpress bus service and Cobb and Gwinnett counties, which operate local and express bus service).

Beach says the alphabet soup of agencies makes it hard to coordinate service across county lines. Under SB 386, “you’ll have a unified system instead of a fragmented system,” he said during a committee meeting Tuesday.

Some lawmakers are skeptical. Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta, said he’s concerned the regional board will rob communities of local control of their transit services. He’s also concerned that money raised in his Cobb County could be spent elsewhere in the metro region.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Kevin Tanner has been fielding questions about HB 930 in a subcommittee. He expects one more subcommittee meeting before the full House Transportation Committee considers the bill on Thursday.

Lindsey Tippins should be banned from driving and have to get around everywhere using CobbLinc, if he says it's so great.