MARTA transit plan includes 21 miles of light rail (Atlanta: sales, how much)

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

Yep..my browser choke and I had to force quit. Who makes a 13,000 pixel square map??

Nerds with too much time on their hands.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Great! Lets stick to the original plan. Pulled directly from the original plan currently on MARTA's More MARTA tax website...

The choice between Beltline transit and expediting the Clifton Corridor is mutually exclusive. The original plan had a large list of transit projects, all of which could not be funded with this tax. Choosing a project eliminates other projects.

Just to be clear, I'm not against building the Clifton Corridor, I think it's a very worthy project. The problem is the way it is funded. And hell, I don't mind some of the More MARTA tax going to contribute to the CC. But the way this is playing out, Atlanta will be covering the majority of local funding for this project. A project that, up until a few months ago, barely had a footprint in the CoA.

Here's an interesting take on Beltline transit from ThreadATL. They suggest that without transit the Beltine will remain a recreational trail. In my mind that is not the worst thing ever. People love having a place to get out and walk and ride their bikes.

Yes, maybe I was gullible, but I believed the marketing materials I saw prior to the 2016 tax referendum and thought I was voting "yes" to fund the entire loop with this 40-year tax, along with some other new transit lines elsewhere in the city.

Again, seven miles out of 22 is good. It’s better than what many other cities are doing. But my emotional reaction is what it is. I thought it was going to be the whole shpadoinkle and not just a couple of pieces on the Eastside and Westside.

Again, seven miles out of 22 is good. It’s better than what many other cities are doing. But my emotional reaction is what it is. I thought it was going to be the whole shpadoinkle and not just a couple of pieces on the Eastside and Westside.

Two thirds of the BeltLine will now likely remain, for many, many years into the future (note it’s a 40 year tax and those streams don’t appear often), little more than a recreational trail alongside TAD-financed growth with lots of parking -- what I call "drive-to Urbanism."

Drive-to Urbanism with a really cool walking, biking trail. Not awful, but not what it could be. Which is a phrase I could use to describe a lot of Atlanta things.

More...Of the 22-mile BeltLine route, only 7 miles are getting rail with More MARTA tax

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Here's an interesting take on Beltline transit from ThreadATL. They suggest that without transit the Beltine will remain a recreational trail. In my mind that is not the worst thing ever. People love having a place to get out and walk and ride their bikes.

Transit is in addition to the trail, not a replacement of the trail. There will be both.

And the Beltline is not intended just as a destination for recreation. It is a transportation corridor and not everyone will be able to walk or bike those distances. Transit makes the Beltline more equitable / able to be enjoyed by all.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Transit is in addition to the trail, not a replacement of the trail. There will be both.

And the Beltline is not intended just as a destination for recreation. It is a transportation corridor and not everyone will be able to walk or bike those distances. Transit makes the Beltline more equitable / able to be enjoyed by all.

Even without transit it's still a great amenity for folks who want to get out and take a walk or ride their bikes.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Transit is in addition to the trail, not a replacement of the trail. There will be both.

And the Beltline is not intended just as a destination for recreation. It is a transportation corridor and not everyone will be able to walk or bike those distances. Transit makes the Beltline more equitable / able to be enjoyed by all.

Too right. Gravel's primary objective in his original mission was connectivity, not recreation. It was something to be developed and built upon, and transportation was essential. That's why he is getting chafed over MARTA's current priorities.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Even without transit it's still a great amenity for folks who want to get out and take a walk or ride their bikes.

Yeah but it’s the transit aspect that makes it such a revolutionary idea, and part of what is spurring development around it. Developers are pricing beltline apartments as if transit is already there, it’s apart of the intown renaissance of development due to transit access accept in this case transit is promised but not yet in place.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Yeah but it’s the transit aspect that makes it such a revolutionary idea, and part of what is spurring development around it. Developers are pricing beltline apartments as if transit is already there, it’s apart of the intown renaissance of development due to transit access accept in this case transit is promised but not yet in place.

Well, I'm not sure about that. As I recall, the original Beltline prediction was that transit would not be available until 2040 and I doubt that apartment developers were planning that far ahead. Many of these apartments will be 30-40 years old by then and there's no telling what kind of shape they will be in. Stick-built apartments have generally not fared all that well over the long haul.

The Beltline is wildly popular as a recreational amenity. It gives folks a chance to get out and take a stroll, ride their bikes, walk the dog, etc. I would imagine a number of the Beltline apartment projects have already been through several cycles of tenants and that rents are as high as ever, even in the absence of mass transit.

I'm not saying light rail shouldn't be built at some point, just that the Beltline (and the rest of the intown renaissance) has been very successful without it.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Even without transit it's still a great amenity for folks who want to get out and take a walk or ride their bikes.

Being someone of seniority you can understand that not everyone has the physical ability to walk or ride a bike to enjoy the amenities along The BeltLine.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Here's a map of MARTA's refined transit project list:

Just a few feedback questions:

1. Why does the Green Line terminate at Avondale?
2. Why is Mechanicsville infill Station included?
3. Why does Peachtree Rd ART extend to Midtown Station?
4. Why is MLK Jr Station on the map?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Being someone of seniority you can understand that not everyone has the physical ability to walk or ride a bike to enjoy the amenities along The BeltLine.

Well, I can't do a bike but I can get out there and shuffle along with the masses.

However, I'll probably need to drive or get a ride to get there.