Cobb Chairman mulls 2016 bond referendum for bus rapid transit (real estate, employment)

[RedClear55]

I'm a relatively new Cobb county resident, so my knowledge is low on this topic. However, I only see BRT trying to alleviate the need to get midtown/downtown residents into and back from Cobb via 41/75 HOV, likely spurred on by the Braves opening in 2017. It appears this solution would on paper help address the upcoming traffic concerns when the first pitch would coincide with near peak commuter traffic patterns.

As a commuter to Buckhead, I fail to see how this would help cobb county residents. Right now my commute from west of smyrna to the office takes 45 minutes on average. Would it not take me longer to take CCT to the closest BRT station to midtown to MARTA to Buckhead? Unless you live in walking distance of the 41 corridor, how does this help Cobb traffic concerns?

If I'm being asked to pay for this platform, I would like to actually benefit. If this helps mainly non-cobbers or the businesses on 41, then let those folks support the cost.

As an aside, I noticed that my town of Smyrna has a railroad track that already connects kennesaw, Marietta, smyrna and appears to intersect MARTA near Lindbergh. Not a rxr expert, but it would be more palatable to drive 5 minutes to downtown Smyrna, ride rail to MARTA at Lindbergh then to my office. Use Existing CCT to bus folks to 41 from these locations. Now I can ride to 41/Braves and work and keep my car in the 3 mile radius of my house, and off the highways, likely for similar cost and time.

What am I missing?

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by gtcorndog

Nope.

You are still wrong there buddy.



Do the math and tell me the COA paid a majority of the costs...

I'll wait while you find a calculator

The funds covered streetscaping and other improvements that are not involved with the streetcar. Also, some of the cost overruns had to do with utility relocation and that part of town has been inhabited for over 100 years so there is a mess of utilities under the road.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The funds covered streetscaping and other improvements that are not involved with the streetcar. Also, some of the cost overruns had to do with utility relocation and that part of town has been inhabited for over 100 years so there is a mess of utilities under the road.

I disagree. Those improvements came about as a direct result of the streetcar. Without the streetcar infrastructure going in, there would be no need for digging up the utilities. This is not a 2-birds-1-stone scenario.

[Mutiny77]

This is not about the streetcar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does that have to be brought up in EVERY discussion about mass transit??????? Geesh people, get over it!!!!!!!! And if not, stop hijacking threads!!!!!!!!!!!

[skbl17]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

This is not about the streetcar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does that have to be brought up in EVERY discussion about mass transit??????? Geesh people, get over it!!!!!!!! And if not, stop hijacking threads!!!!!!!!!!!

Have to agree with you on that. Our topics have been derailed more times in the last two years than MARTA trains have derailed since 1979.

Topics used to derail any Atlanta discussion, regardless of topic:

1) Houston (see all economy and jobs threads).

2) Atlanta Streetcar (see all transportation threads).

3) Braves stadium (see all threads about Cobb County or Atlanta sports).

- skbl17

[cqholt]

#blamejamies

[bfarley30]

Here what I don't like about it. One, it seems Cobb commissioners already know it's going to fail or they would have voted on it now (Nov 4) with the current SPLOST. Two, for the most part I know the overall plan is to go from KSU to Midtown but I still seem to read stuff about only going from Cumberland to KSU. It seems like Cobb wants to be its own big city and try to do so many things separate from the rest of the area. They are like an urban Fayette county. Three, Cobb Pkwy and I-75 are the busiest roads and most are using them to come into the city so this would be the logical route of any high capacity transit option. Most people aren't going to vote yes because it's not going to be a one stop trip to where THEY want to go. I wish we could get MARTA rail to Cumberland, since that really is the only real dense area in the county and let them figure out the rest. Most people in Cobb don't want MARTA so let them suffer. Those who do can get to Cumberland and have a way into the core. Plus people don't have to worry about MARTA all over the county. I know that's selfish but it would be a start. They will get is when traffic gets worse while areas that have real transit get better.

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by cqholt

$100M will barely put a dent in the cost of BRT in the corridor.

That'd be full county match for state and federal funds.


All you guys making passionate discussions about how it would/wouldn't help traffic congestion and help commuters... It is irrelevant

Short-term, beyond getting people to-from Braves games, this is purely economic development. It'll grow Cumberland and link up two major employment centers in Cobb and fill in-between with highrise, midrise, and transit-oriented development. It'll also link these major employment centers with midtown and ultimately the airport. It'll increase residential home values in immediate surrounding area. With the NW metro being a significant part of the GA GDP, and even federal GDP, in an area that has long been atrophied and just starting to perk up then the investment in it makes perfect sense at all levels.

Politicians don't want to say "economic development" because the tea partiers go psychotic in fighting that - saying it doesn't help them. I think the morons in politics could get a lot of miles by talking about how much each 20-story office building in Cumberland saves them in school and property taxes. They don't want to say it'll raise peoples' home values within a few miles of the BRT because for every person happy about that, you get tax whiners complaining about their property taxes going up. But they are big pansies following some script.

As far as relieving traffic congestion, economic growth tends to make more congestion and traffic. So again, this is mostly an economic development tool.

Long-term, it'll encourage smart growth, nodal development, connectivity, and act as a backbone for transit. For anything but the smart growth aspect along the BRT line in Cobb Pkwy and midtown, a lot has to fall into place throughout the metro for real connectivity to occur. This is just one piece of the puzzle.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I am okay with Cobb doing BRT. You get a lot of bang for your buck.

Article discussing light rail vs. BRT agrees with you. Specific discussion is LA, but the points are all still relevant. Its faster, cheaper, more flexible and may even have more capacity.

Because Exclusive Bus Lanes Aren’t Expensive Enough | The Antiplanner

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by netdragon

That'd be full county match for state and federal funds.


All you guys making passionate discussions about how it would/wouldn't help traffic congestion and help commuters... It is irrelevant

Short-term, beyond getting people to-from Braves games, this is purely economic development. It'll grow Cumberland and link up two major employment centers in Cobb and fill in-between with highrise, midrise, and transit-oriented development. It'll also link these major employment centers with midtown and ultimately the airport. It'll increase residential home values in immediate surrounding area. With the NW metro being a significant part of the GA GDP, and even federal GDP, in an area that has long been atrophied and just starting to perk up then the investment in it makes perfect sense at all levels.

Politicians don't want to say "economic development" because the tea partiers go psychotic in fighting that - saying it doesn't help them. I think the morons in politics could get a lot of miles by talking about how much each 20-story office building in Cumberland saves them in school and property taxes. They don't want to say it'll raise peoples' home values within a few miles of the BRT because for every person happy about that, you get tax whiners complaining about their property taxes going up. But they are big pansies following some script.

As far as relieving traffic congestion, economic growth tends to make more congestion and traffic. So again, this is mostly an economic development tool.

Long-term, it'll encourage smart growth, nodal development, connectivity, and act as a backbone for transit. For anything but the smart growth aspect along the BRT line in Cobb Pkwy and midtown, a lot has to fall into place throughout the metro for real connectivity to occur. This is just one piece of the puzzle.

How can the state fund this, but not fund MARTA expansion?