MARTA visiting Emory/CDC area to discuss expansion (Decatur, North Decatur: university, live)

[skbl17]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Still not understanding why exactly the Clifton Corridor NIMBYs don't want heavy rail.

Local residents are concerned about HRT noise.

- skbl17

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Wrong fourthwarden, the 232,000 number is ridership per day

You are absolutely correct. I misread the column title as weekly vs. weekday. All this talk about units and here I am the one messing them up!

I am wrong, and my math is wrong. So, there it is. I'm sorry Dirk.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by skbl17

Local residents are concerned about HRT noise.

- skbl17

Ugh, "noise." These residents sure don't seem to be in an uproar about shutting down the freight rail line in their neighborhood. Freight trains, especially when they blow their horns, make a LOT more noise than HRT trains do.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I wonder what's going to happen with Indian Creek. The direct ramps from the highway are going to become practically useless, when there's a Covington station, and stations out on I-20 east. Who would use the ramps?

Honestly, they should just demolish that flyover ramp once it's time to expand the Blue Line southeastward.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by skbl17

Local residents are concerned about HRT noise.

- skbl17

I live less than 1/2 mile from a MARTA line and the noise is less than I-20 which is 1.5 miles away.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

I live less than 1/2 mile from a MARTA line and the noise is less than I-20 which is 1.5 miles away.

I used to live 200 yards from the tracks in Brookhaven and the noise was fairly negligible.

[DirkMcGirt]

The numbers don't support light rail and they definitely don't support the added cost of heavy rail. This is not a NIMBY issue. This is a common sense, financial issue.

[primaltech]

I used to live near an active freight rail track in Gwinnett, and the sound of the trains actually helped me get to sleep. It was very soothing. Granted, it wasn't right behind the wall or anything, and was probably nicely muffled by trees. But as has also been said, this Emory area already has an active railroad, which is noisier than MARTA, and those trains are way longer. So, I don't get why the community would settle for a slower, lower capacity rail service if it's close to the same cost and everything, because of "noise". Especially if it's running mostly underground. But whatever.

Regardless if it's HRT or LRT, stations like Cheshire Bridge and Briarcliff should really spur some dense TOD developments. But I think HRT on one of the main color lines would probably attract a lot more.

If HRT, I now actually think it should be the Blue line, not using the old Kirkwood/East lake branch stub that never happened, but using a new tunnel right past Avondale. So Blue would serve every station from Five Points to Avondale, and then loop up to Lindbergh where it would terminate.

Kensington and Indian Creek would be served by Green only, all the new stations would be Green line, and Green could skip all the stations between Georgia State and Decatur, to run as an express. Lindbergh would serve Red, Blue and Gold, as a nice hub station.

And then as far as what to do with Indian Creek, with its planned new north/south alignment, yes I would demolish those highway ramps, and orient it as a local community station for the surrounding residential area, much like Covington and the other new stations will be.

Also, instead of all the surface parking, it should be a large TOD, with parking decks topped with offices and apartments.

The 5 new Green line stations should be built from scratch that way, with TOD built right in, with no surface lots.

Kensington, Avondale, and all the existing Blue line stations should all replace all their surface parking with developments.

[DirkMcGirt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

You are absolutely correct. I misread the column title as weekly vs. weekday. All this talk about units and here I am the one messing them up!

I am wrong, and my math is wrong. So, there it is. I'm sorry Dirk.

So considering that your support for the $1.2 billion expenditure was based on awful math... do you still support the project, or are you willing to admit that the ridership does not support the expenditure?

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by DirkMcGirt

So considering that your support for the $1.2 billion expenditure was based on awful math... do you still support the project, or are you willing to admit that the ridership does not support the expenditure?

Actually, the correction would lend even more credence to the project (232,000 per day ridership > 232,000 weekly ridership).