GDOT releases visualization video of proposed GA 400 express toll lanes (Atlanta: sales, sales tax)

[primaltech]

Also the media has never reported this thing correctly. Not a single mention in any of the AJC articles I've seen or any of the others, about the forced transfer @ North Springs just to continue on the line in the same direction, and the negative user experience of that versus a heavy rail extension. Also no mention that the community preferred the heavy rail option in public meetings organized by MARTA as part of their Connect 400 outreach, years ago now.

This whole thing is just in a nutshell what is wrong with how we do things here.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by SAAN

Transit wise, this BRT seems to be a disaster already.
No stop at Northridge Rd
No stop at Mansell Connecting to the Mansell Park and Ride
No stop at Old Milton at the Avalon and putting it almost 1/2 mile south of it with almost zero access to anything from there.


There should be stops by the major interchanges, where the employment centers could run office shuttles to these stops, just like many offices run a shuttle to the Perimeter Center MARTA stations. That will encourage people to ride, if they knew they could still get to their office from a BRT without having to rely on a local MARTA Bus once they get there. Anyone that has been to North Springs know how cold it is is there in the winter waiting for a bus with all the cars whipping by on the express way or waiting for the train on that elevated platform.



This whole project just seems to be for people that will never take transit and will just pay to use these lanes.

Yeah. I completely agree with this. This project has nothing to do with making the area easier to access via transit, but rather to increase toll revenue by allowing cars the option to go faster.

I'm beginning to wonder how much profit they are really seeing on the toll lanes they currently have implemented.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Yeah. I completely agree with this. This project has nothing to do with making the area easier to access via transit, but rather to increase toll revenue by allowing cars the option to go faster.

I'm beginning to wonder how much profit they are really seeing on the toll lanes they currently have implemented.

If you ever research the funding mechanisms behind them, you'll see that the lanes were never designed to pay for themselves.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Gulch

If you ever research the funding mechanisms behind them, you'll see that the lanes were never designed to pay for themselves.

Why did they make them?

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Why did they make them?

GDOT's version of giving people a "choice."

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Gulch

GDOT's version of giving people a "choice."

It is becoming a bit ridiculous, this along with the top end project estimating dollars buried into to billions marker. With the regional scope of every major highway having toll lanes in a forecast of over $11 Billion and not a single section of Atlanta has MARTA rail outside of I-285 yet they keep saying we are expanding transit. The renamed the regional transit authority and added a few new bus routes.... ...great job ATL

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

It is becoming a bit ridiculous, this along with the top end project estimating dollars buried into to billions marker. With the regional scope of every major highway having toll lanes in a forecast of over $11 Billion and not a single section of Atlanta has MARTA rail outside of I-285 yet they keep saying we are expanding transit. The renamed the regional transit authority and added a few new bus routes.... ...great job ATL

That is what is needed once you get much outside 285. And Atlanta is expanding rail closer in.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by bu2

That is what is needed once you get much outside 285. And Atlanta is expanding rail closer in.

If the lanes were strictly reserved for buses, maybe.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by bu2

That is what is needed once you get much outside 285. And Atlanta is expanding rail closer in.

The HOT lanes are not a bad addition but let's face it, this is overkill in the aspect of its design while there is still no feasible transit out there, the I-285 project is too and the NW Cooridoor should have been a rail. If they had expanded rail services along these corridors and just added a single HOT lane in the median of the freeway versus building a juggernaut right through the artery of N.Fulton I could much easier justify that.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

The HOT lanes are not a bad addition but let's face it, this is overkill in the aspect of its design while there is still no feasible transit out there, the I-285 project is too and the NW Cooridoor should have been a rail. If they had expanded rail services along these corridors and just added a single HOT lane in the median of the freeway versus building a juggernaut right through the artery of N.Fulton I could much easier justify that.

GDOT cannot use motor fuel tax revenue for non-road/bridge projects, which is why there is cash for the toll lanes but not for rail extensions.