Metro Atlanta Speaks survey shows strong support for public transit (Marietta: sales, real estate)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

MARTA still has a terrible coverage for a 5.5M metro.

Well, MARTA has never tried to cover a metro of 5.5 million people. It's only set up for two counties, and the rest of the metro has explicitly rejected MARTA and treated it like the plague.

In my opinion MARTA does a pretty good job in most of its coverage area.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Well, MARTA has never tried to cover a metro of 5.5 million people. It's only set up for two counties, and the rest of the metro has explicitly rejected MARTA and treated it like the plague.

In my opinion MARTA does a pretty good job in most of its coverage area.

If it builds another South/North line through the Eastside, I'll agree with you.

[AnsleyPark]

This thread, like a few others, has wandered into the twighlight zone.... Maybe we should start anew???

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by WmMeeker

Traffic is the worst problem we have. It is probably the worst in the USA here. If we are ever going to solve it, we need BOTH massive road projects starting with the Outer Perimeter and we need massive transit projects that include a mixture of Bus Rapid Transit, MARTA rail expansion and streetcars.

Excellent point about needing large-scale transit projects to address our transit issues.

But large-scale road projects like the Outer Perimeter continue to be more and more of a political impossibility due to increasing public pushback from the public as noted by 2002 gubernatorial victory by Sonny Perdue over Roy Barnes largely on the strength of intense widespread public anger and opposition to the proposed Northern Arc/Outer Perimeter road project.

Ever since that statewide election which flipped the political balance of power from Democrats (who had been power for about 140 years) to Republicans, the Outer Perimeter (particularly the Northern Arc) road construction proposal has been politically-radioactive because of the politically-crucial areas that the road was proposed to run through.

...Areas like mainly through the politically-powerful counties of Forsyth and Cherokee, both of which intentionally filled the proposed path of the road with new high-end residential development because they did not want the road constructed within their borders.

...There's also the matter of Bartow County which has many interests (including the powerful Rollins family of insecticiding and pesticiding fame) which have recently just seemingly successfully turned-back state efforts to build the controversial 411-75 Connector through historic Dobbins Mountain just outside of Cartersville after a nearly 30-year legal battle with the Georgia Department of Transportation to stop a road which seemed to be very-unpopular in those parts (in the Bartow County/Cartersville area).

Contrary to seeming popular belief inside of the I-285 Perimeter and the City of Atlanta, large-scale road projects are not really all that popular with residents in suburban areas outside of I-285 because they believe that unnecessary large-scale road construction creates much more overdevelopment and traffic than it alleviates.

With public opinion continuing to turn sharply against large-scale road construction proposals, there is no need for a "grand bargain" that includes just as many large-scale road construction proposals as it does large-scale transit expansion proposals.

The REAL need is for the state government of Georgia to stop d**king around, do its job (as mandated by the Constitution of the State of Georgia) and adequately fund the state's transportation needs (particularly within the fast-growing greater Atlanta metro region)...transportation needs which include an extremely heavy amount of transit at this point in time.

[Staysean23]

Originally Posted by MattCW

And the places ranked higher than us, actually have alternatives. We have NONE!

Not an option for most.

Well doesnt that seem crazy that they have options yet there traffic is still bad ..

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Well, MARTA has never tried to cover a metro of 5.5 million people. It's only set up for two counties, and the rest of the metro has explicitly rejected MARTA and treated it like the plague.

In my opinion MARTA does a pretty good job in most of its coverage area.

bus? yes. subway? no. MARTA is simply not extensive enough, even ITP. it was extensive enough for 1980, not 2010. atlantic station and the entire west midtown area, the whole eastside corridor along the beltline and out ponce and north, CDC/emory, vast sections of buckhead, are not covered by rail lines like they need to be. saying that it's not good enough isn't pessimistic, it's the first step to solve the problem. you can't solve a problem if you don't admit that it exists.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

atlantic station and the entire west midtown area, the whole eastside corridor along the beltline and out ponce and north, CDC/emory, vast sections of buckhead, are not covered by rail lines like they need to be.

They are also not covered by buses like they need to be. Sections of these areas that should have buses don't. And because of this, shorter distances that should be covered and a short bus ride away end up taking hours by bus.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

bus? yes. subway? no. MARTA is simply not extensive enough, even ITP. it was extensive enough for 1980, not 2010. atlantic station and the entire west midtown area, the whole eastside corridor along the beltline and out ponce and north, CDC/emory, vast sections of buckhead, are not covered by rail lines like they need to be. saying that it's not good enough isn't pessimistic, it's the first step to solve the problem. you can't solve a problem if you don't admit that it exists.

I could see a streetcar being useful on Peachtree and on the heavily populated portions of the Beltline.

An E-W line that would run from Virginia-Highland to Atlantic Station (or maybe even to Huff Road) might also be worthwhile.

I also think it makes sense to connect Emory to the Lindbergh MARTA complex. Emory traffic is some of the worst in the city and a good many workers and students live close enough to benefit from a light rail line.

However, these lines are about intra-city connectivity. Most people who live in the city work in the suburbs, and more intown connections aren't necessarily going to help them get to work.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I could see a streetcar being useful on Peachtree and on the heavily populated portions of the Beltline.

Better to do Peachtree from Lenox to 14th, then run a one-way pair along the Piedmont/Juniper corridor down to Turner Field

An E-W line that would run from Virginia-Highland to Atlantic Station (or maybe even to Huff Road) might also be worthwhile.

I'd extend it to the Howell Mill/Collier area.

I also think it makes sense to connect Emory to the Lindbergh MARTA complex. Emory traffic is some of the worst in the city and a good many workers and students live close enough to benefit from a light rail line.

MARTA's proposed Clifton Corridor would do this.

However, these lines are about intra-city connectivity. Most people who live in the city work in the suburbs, and more intown connections aren't necessarily going to help them get to work.

That's why concurrent HRT extensions are crucial.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I could see a streetcar being useful on Peachtree and on the heavily populated portions of the Beltline.

An E-W line that would run from Virginia-Highland to Atlantic Station (or maybe even to Huff Road) might also be worthwhile.

I also think it makes sense to connect Emory to the Lindbergh MARTA complex. Emory traffic is some of the worst in the city and a good many workers and students live close enough to benefit from a light rail line.

However, these lines are about intra-city connectivity. Most people who live in the city work in the suburbs, and more intown connections aren't necessarily going to help them get to work.

Most of the suburbs are such low density that having rail going to them is just not economically feasible. You can't expect MARTA to spend billions and billions to send rail to every suburb...You just can't.

Cities like NYC are known for their extensive heavy rail within their 350 or so square miles. We need more transit in and right near the city. We also need more transit in dense suburban corridors....Along I-20 in Dekalb, into Marietta and Gwinnett if we can ever get them to allow MARTA tax. If not, then I mean, the only place to send rail to in the suburbs are N Fulton and Dekalb.