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I would love to see rail lines constructed in Atlanta also.
MARTA is a great asset to the region. Heavy rail is incredibly expensive to build new, and Atlanta is lucky to have this wonderful backbone of transit.
It's smooth, and travels fast enough to beat driving. It travels at 75mph between Arts Center station and Lindbergh because I've stood right behind the operator looking at the speedometer.
I would love to see heavy rail extended to the Clifton corridor. Switching to any other slower type is a no go to me due to the time lost in transitioning to the other platform.
MARTA is set to begin receiving all new trainsets this year. That could bring a lot of excitement and interest back to the system. I contend that a full, deep, cleaning and refurbishment to all of the existing stations and platforms should be done now to coincide with delivery of the new rail cars. A big, splashy, new look to the entire system. It is decently run already, more dependable service than in many other US cities like D.C. or San Francisco.
It is expensive too though, its funding mostly covered by fares AND a 1.5% sales tax on everything Fulton and Dekalb residents buy. In one year, each person (1.8 million residents) pays several hundred dollars just to cover MARTA's daily operations.
Your dream to construct rail to adequately serve the Atlanta region would take trillions of dollars and 75-100 years to build. A new single line costs several billion dollars just for 1-2 miles, and probably 5-10 years to construct.
You said "A new single line costs several billion dollars just for 1-2 miles, and probably 5-10 years to construct". It doesn't cost billions for 1 to 2 miles, even with heavy rail. And time to build depends on how much right of way is easily available to do construction.
Beltline this and beltline that never ceases to crack me up lol.......I've never seen what is essentially a plain wide sidewalk for walking and biking talked about so much on forums like this.
When I ask people I know in atlanta if they use 'the beltline' they look at me like I asked them if they are planning to dye their hair neon orange. Most will say something like "you mean the sidewalk"? Some who are exercise fanatics will run on it, but they also run on their neighborhood sidewalks typically just as much and it's not like they view their new balances pounding down on the sidewalk of the beltline as being particularly special or unique as the other sidewalks they have access to lol....
So yeah I think if people actually want the beltline to be of substance and somewhat that matters(as opposed to something that is just talked about in forums like this), rail is probably the better chance of that. But then the bigger question becomes "is this something atlanta really wants/values for the money?", and I have to believe the answer to that is generally no.
I'm about to buy a house shortly close to/on the beltine, and the last thing I want is *more* possibly undesirables having more access into my neighborhood. The residents here already pay 500 dollars a year each for off duty cops to patrol the area and have a presence. I imagine that with rail added to the beltway those demands may actually increase......and money doesn't grow on trees.
Another thing I've learned that is interesting about this famed sidewalk lol is that even a lot of people that are said to live 'on' the beltline, don't actually live that close to it. I know one woman who is a speed-walking demon and does this religously....the problem is getting to the damn beltline; she tells me "yeah it's easier to just step outside my front door and walk on the sidewalks 40 feet away than make the trek to get on a super special sidewalk with a name" lol.....
So even though the beltline probably needs rail to make any real impact/be something, I vote no to the rail option.
Beltline this and beltline that never ceases to crack me up lol.......I've never seen what is essentially a plain wide sidewalk for walking and biking talked about so much on forums like this.
When I ask people I know in atlanta if they use 'the beltline' they look at me like I asked them if they are planning to dye their hair neon orange. Most will say something like "you mean the sidewalk"? Some who are exercise fanatics will run on it, but they also run on their neighborhood sidewalks typically just as much and it's not like they view their new balances pounding down on the sidewalk of the beltline as being particularly special or unique as the other sidewalks they have access to lol....
So yeah I think if people actually want the beltline to be of substance and somewhat that matters(as opposed to something that is just talked about in forums like this), rail is probably the better chance of that. But then the bigger question becomes "is this something atlanta really wants/values for the money?", and I have to believe the answer to that is generally no.
I'm about to buy a house shortly close to/on the beltine, and the last thing I want is *more* possibly undesirables having more access into my neighborhood. The residents here already pay 500 dollars a year each for off duty cops to patrol the area and have a presence. I imagine that with rail added to the beltway those demands may actually increase......and money doesn't grow on trees.
Another thing I've learned that is interesting about this famed sidewalk lol is that even a lot of people that are said to live 'on' the beltline, don't actually live that close to it. I know one woman who is a speed-walking demon and does this religously....the problem is getting to the damn beltline; she tells me "yeah it's easier to just step outside my front door and walk on the sidewalks 40 feet away than make the trek to get on a super special sidewalk with a name" lol.....
So even though the beltline probably needs rail to make any real impact/be something, I vote no to the rail option.
Your really confused on this
The beltline project isn't just the trail, but the connecting parks and their expansion. The city has add numerous parks and expanded the olders ones connecting.
But also the redeveloped around them, these area have been rezoned for denser development. Around Historic 4th Ward park wasn't accident. Around 2006 that area. Wasn't anything remotely develop the way it is now. It all develop because that was the plan, with rail included.
So overall the beltline is giant beatification, redevelopment and transit project.
Beltline this and beltline that never ceases to crack me up lol.......I've never seen what is essentially a plain wide sidewalk for walking and biking talked about so much on forums like this.
When I ask people I know in atlanta if they use 'the beltline' they look at me like I asked them if they are planning to dye their hair neon orange. Most will say something like "you mean the sidewalk"? Some who are exercise fanatics will run on it, but they also run on their neighborhood sidewalks typically just as much and it's not like they view their new balances pounding down on the sidewalk of the beltline as being particularly special or unique as the other sidewalks they have access to lol....
So yeah I think if people actually want the beltline to be of substance and somewhat that matters(as opposed to something that is just talked about in forums like this), rail is probably the better chance of that. But then the bigger question becomes "is this something atlanta really wants/values for the money?", and I have to believe the answer to that is generally no.
I'm about to buy a house shortly close to/on the beltine, and the last thing I want is *more* possibly undesirables having more access into my neighborhood. The residents here already pay 500 dollars a year each for off duty cops to patrol the area and have a presence. I imagine that with rail added to the beltway those demands may actually increase......and money doesn't grow on trees.
Another thing I've learned that is interesting about this famed sidewalk lol is that even a lot of people that are said to live 'on' the beltline, don't actually live that close to it. I know one woman who is a speed-walking demon and does this religously....the problem is getting to the damn beltline; she tells me "yeah it's easier to just step outside my front door and walk on the sidewalks 40 feet away than make the trek to get on a super special sidewalk with a name" lol.....
So even though the beltline probably needs rail to make any real impact/be something, I vote no to the rail option.
Thanks for your input. BTW, I loved you on All In the Family.
Thanks for your input. BTW, I loved you on All In the Family.
lol what I'm thinking/saying is the way the vast majority of people view this issue. The point being that posters on sites like this discuss and are much more hyped up about something like 'the beltline' than what most people are in atlanta in real life. (and that's ok) It doesn't represent how most people(ITP or OTP) actually go about their day to day.
If one didn't actually live in/experience/travel to these cities on C-D forum one would think the whole city spends all their free time biking down the beltline to a grocery store on it, loading up a couple of small bags of essentials after shopping, and then stopping on the way home at the pub on the beltline before going home. Only to then change into some clothes so they can this time walk the beltline to one of many beautiful parks on the beltline where they have a picnic, which is of course hosting a bunch of events(a concert and a festival!).....and darn it wouldn't you know it they forgot honey at the grocery store trip earlier so they can also stop by the farmers market on the way home(also on the beltline!)........in between all these concerts/festivals/farmers markets/grocery stores/pubs they are going(and in the same day) they are meeting up with numerous friends in 'connected' neighborhoods, who are also happily going about their endless myriad of day to day excitement not in the toyota 4 runner which is actually in their driveway but through biking and walking(although they don't own a bike and haven't walked a mile in one day since Obama's first term .....
I kid, but it's ok that forums like this don't accurately represent day to day life for most. But thats true of many forums, and thats ok.
The beltline project isn't just the trail, but the connecting parks and their expansion. The city has add numerous parks and expanded the olders ones connecting.
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Yeah sure I know that, but I just don't consider parks a very big deal for the most part. for the most part they aren't impactful for large numbers of people. And generally the concern I have about parks is how often they are used for either various illegal activities(even if some of them are so called victimless crimes) and places that people from outside the area or the homeless use to loiter/panhandle....one could argue the property crime levels around ansley park and morningside(those parts with easy access to the park) are as high as they are due to the existence of piedmont park. I think it's certainly a factor.....
Yeah sure I know that, but I just don't consider parks a very big deal for the most part. for the most part they aren't impactful for large numbers of people. And generally the concern I have about parks is how often they are used for either various illegal activities(even if some of them are so called victimless crimes) and places that people from outside the area or the homeless use to loiter/panhandle....one could argue the property crime levels around ansley park and morningside(those parts with easy access to the park) are as high as they are due to the existence of piedmont park. I think it's certainly a factor.....
Exactly what I said…for *most* people in and around atl the parks(to include peidmont) are just not that impactful. Most people do not use them/it. Do some people? sure…but if I made a list of the 20 people I know/know of best in or around atl, 16 to 18 of these people either never use the parks or very rarely do and they aren’t impactful. Again this forum is going to disproportionately be into those things…and as I said sever Ansley park residents view peidmont as more of a negative than a positive because it brings some people into the area who otherwise wouldn’t be there….
Now I’m not saying parks a negative or bad or any of that; personally I don’t really care about them or think about them. Most people kind of view PP like one would view a daycare center if they don’t have kids
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