marta— using what we already have, renaming stations + infill stations (Atlanta: how much, transfer)

[bryantm3]

this is a partial revival of an older thread i saw last night about renaming stations, but also i think infill stations should be discussed. what about using the existing marta infrastructure, adding infill stations and renaming stations with confusing names to make it easier for people to get around and to show them the options they actually have.

for example, two stations i can think of with stupid names are the 'garnett' station and the 'east lake station'. someone who isn't intimately familiar with the streets in south downtown isn't going to be able to know where 'garnett' station is, especially with the stylized map marta uses. in the same way, 'east lake' station is confusing because it is 2-3 miles away from east lake and in reality is closer to fernbank than it is to east lake.

the east lake station should be renamed oakhurst because that is the neighbourhood in which it lies, and the garnett station should be renamed south downtown because that's where it is— no one calls the area around it 'garnett'.

secondly, let's talk about places where infill stations could be added. i think a crucial area that isn't being served is west peachtree at fifth street— the new station would be tech square and would provide almost immediate access to georgia tech via the fifth street bridge.

other spots that could use a new station are at oglethorpe university, which is currently a mile away from the 'oglethorpe' station.

thoughts?

[HayateWind]

Personally, I think "Garnett" is a fine name, and South Downtown just sounds a bit...jarring? It just feels like it doesn't fit. It's not MARTA's job to educate it's riders about the neighborhoods it runs through. I would hope that someone going there would have an idea of what they're planning to do.

I don't a station at West Peachtree and Fifth is a good idea, especially when the Northern Exit for the North Avenue Station extends all the way up to Third. Honestly, from there it's less than a five minute walk to Tech Square, so I don't really see a need for a station, especially considering the expense. Also, The Tech Trolley runs pretty frequently during the day, and students looking to access Georgia Tech from Midtown can always use the Third Street Tunnel or North Avenue.

On the idea of infill stations, I think an "Ashford Park" station could work right where Oglethorpe University or Town Brookhaven is located. And while I don't really see a suitable site for one, maybe another MARTA station in between Buckhead and Medical Center on Georgia 400?

[aries4118]

How about just adding to the existing thread on this?

//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...-stations.html

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

secondly, let's talk about places where infill stations could be added. i think a crucial area that isn't being served is west peachtree at fifth street— the new station would be tech square and would provide almost immediate access to georgia tech via the fifth street bridge.

The problem with that is that North Ave station itself runs from North to 3rd Street. It would be extremely inefficient to place a station at 5th Street since the train would be in motion for all of 20 seconds. That and the walk from Tech Square from the 3rd entrance of North Ave is pretty easy.

In fact, I think all of stations in Downtown and Midtown proper are spaced perfectly. The real problem is that due to only having two lines of track, it's not possible to provide local service with shorter trains. It's the one true problem newer era systems (BART, MARTA, DC METRO) have, but also one built in by design. A good compromise to fill in the blanks and provide local service would be to have streetcar service in specific corridors in Downtown/Midtown.

There is room for additions in Midtown though. And by additions, I mean a single station at Pershing Point by SCAD.

In Downtown there exists the same situation exists where there isn't enough space between stations to add a new station for the type of car lengths that are in service in MARTA. There is however according to this map a piece of nonrevenue track between Garnett Station and King Memorial (left over from when MARTA was built probably). When the Beltline gets going I can see a new line going from say Inman Park to the West End that bypasses Five Points.

Originally Posted by bryantm3

other spots that could use a new station are at oglethorpe university, which is currently a mile away from the 'oglethorpe' station.

I approve of this station. With the addition of Town Brookhaven and the numerous other developments in the area since the line was first built, it would make sense to have a station there.

[cqholt]

Rename East Lake to Kirkwood/Oakhurst since the station splits the city limits. Rename Civic Center to Centennial Hill, Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena to simple Georgia World Congress Center, H.E. Holmes to Westhaven/Collier Heights, and Ashby to Washington Park, Garnett to Castleberry Hill and King Memorial to Grant Park\Sweet Auburn. Stations should be named after the neighborhoods there located in.
Infill station on the Green Line at Simpson Road, and on the Gold/red Line between West End and Garnett to serve Mechanicsville. Add a station at Oglethrope University and Town Brookhaven.

[gtcorndog]

I wonder how much money it would cost to change all of the signage for the system to reflect any changes. It certainly can't be cheap and considering that it doesn't really provide any benefit, I think the existing names are sufficient.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

I wonder how much money it would cost to change all of the signage for the system to reflect any changes. It certainly can't be cheap and considering that it doesn't really provide any benefit, I think the existing names are sufficient.

Ditto. The existing names identify the areas served pretty well. I've always thought King Memorial could stand some clarification but it's not worth spending money.

I agree that a station closer to SCAD/Pershing Point would be handy, as well as one closer to Oglethorpe. Any new stations ought to be as simple and accessible as possible though. We don't need any more gargantuan affairs like Avondale or East Lake. Just a platform to step on and off the train.

[cqholt]

I wonder how much money it would cost to change all of the signage for the system to reflect any changes.

I think I saw a figure as $1 million to change everything: announcements and signs. Not worth the money at all.

We don't need any more gargantuan affairs like Avondale or East Lake. Just a platform to step on and off the train.

It is true that stations like Avondale or Ashby are too big, but those were planned to be transfer points. HRT stations are typically 2 level and provide always overhead coverage. They need to be bigger than LRT stations.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by HayateWind

Personally, I think "Garnett" is a fine name, and South Downtown just sounds a bit...jarring? It just feels like it doesn't fit. It's not MARTA's job to educate it's riders about the neighborhoods it runs through. I would hope that someone going there would have an idea of what they're planning to do.

I don't a station at West Peachtree and Fifth is a good idea, especially when the Northern Exit for the North Avenue Station extends all the way up to Third. Honestly, from there it's less than a five minute walk to Tech Square, so I don't really see a need for a station, especially considering the expense. Also, The Tech Trolley runs pretty frequently during the day, and students looking to access Georgia Tech from Midtown can always use the Third Street Tunnel or North Avenue.

On the idea of infill stations, I think an "Ashford Park" station could work right where Oglethorpe University or Town Brookhaven is located. And while I don't really see a suitable site for one, maybe another MARTA station in between Buckhead and Medical Center on Georgia 400?

I'm in agreement. Although, I don't think a station between buchkead and medical center would work well. Google map the aerial photos. There is not much in the way of population density, walkable destinations, or development catalyst sites. The area is very expensive low-density housing. People would probably go nuts about the addition of a new station. There also isn't much busing in the area from this same thing. This was a touchy issue to some people when they made the North line. I think it is best left untouched unless it is really close to Medical center station and you try to make a development node between the Glenridge connector and Johnson Ferry Rd (Atlanta, ga - Google Maps).

However, I want to posit a question to everyone on this thread.

Marta is spending a little bit of money making a new pedestrian bridge to improve access to the Buckhead station to improve access.

My question is more of... What can be done to better integrate existing stations with the city's atmosphere?

I know when I travel around I often find myself walking long indoor or underground corridors in somewhat pleasant environments that are designed to make a 5 minute walk to a train station easier/more weather proof.

What can we -feasibly- do to better link major destinations like some stretches of Peachtree st, Colony Square, etc...


Also, I have always had two ideas for infill stations. One very familiar and one not so familiar

1) armour yard. Truth is there isn't much there locally at this time (perhaps their could be!), but it is natural hub as it intersects with the NS -and- the CSX rail lines, which will include the beltline.

2)McDaniel st. It would be really easy to make a ground level platform addition at McDaniel st. There is new dense housing locally, the station is a closer walk to southern part of Castleberry Hill, and it is a good site to alter some bus routes to be more efficient (cost less to operate). The main thing is I think it could be done relatively cheaply.

One word of warning though as we discuss these issues. We can't forget the more stations we add.... the more we slow down trains on the system and potentially make them less effective for traveling long distances.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

Although, I don't think a station between buchkead and medical center would work well. Google map the aerial photos. There is not much in the way of population density, walkable destinations, or development catalyst sites. The area is very expensive low-density housing. People would probably go nuts about the addition of a new station. There also isn't much busing in the area from this same thing. This was a touchy issue to some people when they made the North line. I think it is best left untouched unless it is really close to Medical center station and you try to make a development node between the Glenridge connector and Johnson Ferry Rd.

Shoot, those folks would love having a MARTA station. They could step out the back door, hop on the train and be downtown in no time.