Will Cobb allow Marta now that the Braves are coming? (Atlanta: transfer, bus)

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

Is there Marta rail and bus service to the area for the new Braves stadium? Any planned?

I would think the public transit expansion and improvements would be to CCT.

After reading the FAQs (Braves Stadium FAQ), it seems the major transit improvements are focused on the roads. I'm not sure how they're going to squeeze six lanes on 41 between Akers Mill and Paces Mill since one side of the street is almost a 50 foot drop. I have really liked the widening of the bridge there at the Chattahoochee so the idea of the lanes narrowing afterward sucks to me.

Some of the roads they include in the 14 access points are just totally bogus. Springhill nor Terrell Mill should count or I need a clarification on what an "access point" is.

I think everything will be ok if CCT and MARTA work together well. i wouldn't mind taking MARTA or even parking behind the mall and taking the foot bridges over, assuming they actually build something reasonable across 285. There have to be other options though. For instance, if I take my parents to a game using public transit, they would need a shuttle from behind the mall to the stadium.

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by arjay57

A new rail in Cobb seems unlikely in view of the high cost and low ridership. I could see Cobb increasing bus service, however.

Low ridership???? We're not talking about rail to the no-mans land between 278 and 41, we're talking about to Cumberland. Where do you think the train would run?

My guess is that the vast majority of fans will continue to drive to the game as they do now.

And now, everyone will HAVE to drive to the game if they even bother going. At least with a downtown stadium, anyone whining about the traffic could be told to go take MARTA if it bothered them.

[toll_booth]

Georgia allowed Snowmageddon 2014 to occur in order to practice for the upcoming traffic jams near the new Braves stadium.

[JoeP]

No, Cobb will not allow it.

[westau]

Originally Posted by CCATL

It still makes me upset when people say this. There is a MARTA station 1 mile (18 min walk) from Turner Field, easily walkable if you want to do it and are capable. If you do not want to walk, for whatever reason, there is a shuttle from the 5 points station, which takes 5 minutes. And there are plenty of FREE shuttles, carrying families, old people, young people - everybody - to TUrner Field every few minutes before and after the game - quick and convenient. The closest MARTA rail station to the new field site is approximately 10 miles. According to google maps, that is a 3 hour 45 minute walk, not bicycle friendly, and a shuttle (if there was one)will take approximately 15 minutes without traffic, probably closer to 30 minutes with traffic. There is a major difference between "there has never been a rail to the existing stadium" and what transit is like at the new stadium site. No, rail didn't drop you off at the door of Turner Field, but you had multiple transit options. I didn't even mention the multiple bus lines that do drop you off at TUrner Fields door.

1 mile from the absolute closest corner of the stadium(where no one sits since it is in the middle of the outfield.

5 minute ride? Ignoring generally waiting more than that on the weekend and the 5 minute+ walk through Five Points station and Underground just to get to the shuttle and stupid long waits after games to get back on it. Last time I rode it the bus driver got lost and we were on the bus for 30 minutes while he made his way all around it.

[westau]

I think if MARTA had concrete plans on expanding rail along 41 or I-75 up at least to downtown Marietta you would have a good chance of Cobb County voting for it this go around. It isn't 1970 anymore.

[afdinatl]

This is going to affect everybody on the top end. 285 west bound is going to be another Snowmagedden for every home game. Everybody on the northside will take either 85 or 400 south to 285 west. 285 west is already a parking lot during afternoon traffic without the Braves traffic. If Cobb Co wassmart they would have a Marta line running to Kennesaw and beg Marta to expand and make a rail line on the top end

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Low ridership???? We're not talking about rail to the no-mans land between 278 and 41, we're talking about to Cumberland. Where do you think the train would run?

And now, everyone will HAVE to drive to the game if they even bother going. At least with a downtown stadium, anyone whining about the traffic could be told to go take MARTA if it bothered them.

I'm just saying that even if Cobb built a rail line to the stadium most fans probably would still drive.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I'm just saying that even if Cobb built a rail line to the stadium most fans probably would still drive.

This is for...like...any city in the states...sans NYC maybe.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by MattCW

bus route 12, anyone know why that's allowed into Cobb County?

There is nothing that requires MARTA stay in Dekalb and Fulton. They just aren't going to waste money leaving those counties.

There are 4 main considerations they must consider when leaving the county:
1) does it serve a destination center for our home riders/clients worth the extra expense straying a couple of miles?

2)Does the home service area corridor leading up to it need to be serviced anyways?

3)Can we retrieve enough riders from that limited excursion to make an operating profit just over that short distance (not including the whole route in the home county they already decided to service)? In other words does the -extra- expense turn a profit?

4)Similar to the above... how does it play out with reciprocal fare agreements? There are free transfers between CCT and MARTA, but they are separate agencies. This means depending on whether you transfer between the two or not depends on who gets fare revenue.

Route 12 barely goes inside Cobb and goes right to the CCT transfer center. It gives them the ability to pick up anyone from any of CCT's routes and take them to Northside Dr, Howell Mill Rd, or GT direct and get 50% of the round trip fare.


Years back they went a short ways into Gwinnett. They went into the huge industrial district south of Jimmy Carter and had a stop at what was the world's largest fiber optic cable plant.

Basically it was simple... They needed a route in the area anyways. There was a huge mass of jobs just across the border. They go a little out of there way and give their riders from the home area access to many jobs + get the added revenue from driving an extra 2-3 miles every bus trip they wouldn't get otherwise.