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Start comparing to cities other then D.C and Chicago. Seattle? No light rail, heavy rail, any rail until this year and only in the city. Look, Atlanta may not be #1 but its much closer to the top then the bottom for U.S. cities.
Regarding traffic, for most people the traffic is worse outside the city then in the city. When you hear traffic in Atlanta is bad, they are more often then not referring to places outside the city, not always but many times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DennyCrane
Whether it's commuter rail or heavy rail is irrelevant. The point is that someone living farther out in a suburb such as Marietta or Alpharetta who wants to use some form of public transit is severely limited. Now take someone who's the same distance away from downtown Chicago or DC who has to commute to the city, but doesn't want to sit in rush hour traffic. At least that person has another option. I'm not saying that MARTA is useless. It sounds like it's great for the people who actually use it. But seeing how it doesn't extend very far past the perimeter would make me less inclined to live farther from the city.
It depends though on how the traffic is the rest of the way. In other cities, it's not uncommon for people have these half-and-half commutes. Sure it's tiresome to have to make that switch. But the alternative is to just drive the whole way. You make it sound like driving to the city during rush hour isn't that bad. But that contradicts what others on this forum have been saying about Atlanta traffic. Everyone says it's so horrible. Are they wrong?
Please go back and reread my post. Where does it say that people in Alpharetta aren't using MARTA? But BobKovacs just said in an earlier post that he'd rather drive the whole way than have to switch halfway. Suppose there are others who feel that way? Imagine how much that would clog traffic if a lot of people from Alpharetta chose not to use the train even though it would take them to their destination.
Good grief. Apparently you and DeaconJ can't read. Where did I ever say that people in Alpharetta don't make use of MARTA? I merely asked whether there were such people. BobKovacs said that he'd rather drive the whole way than have to switch halfway. I doubt he's the only one who feels that way. Asking whether there are such people is NOT the same thing as saying everyone in Alpharetta is like that.
It's a big city...there are people who feel every possible way about every issue in the world. Of course there are people who will choose not to ride public transit - just like in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. Atlanta is no different.
Good grief. Apparently you and DeaconJ can't read. Where did I ever say that people in Alpharetta don't make use of MARTA? I merely asked whether there were such people. BobKovacs said that he'd rather drive the whole way than have to switch halfway. I doubt he's the only one who feels that way. Asking whether there are such people is NOT the same thing as saying everyone in Alpharetta is like that.
I'm a teacher, so I'm pretty sure that I can read and comprehend - especially since I teach others how to do it. Thanks for the personal attack.
This statement implies that you don't believe people in Alpharetta would choose to ride MARTA (even though many people do):
"But imagine if you lived in Alpharetta and worked downtown close to a train station. Would you still skip the train and go the whole way by car?"
You went on to say that people in the suburbs of other cities go out of their way to use public transit, so why not in Atlanta? For some reason, you've made it clear that you don't believe people in Atlanta utilize rail transit...apparently because you've heard it through the grapevine. Well, people from Atlanta with actual MARTA experience have emphatically told you that you are wrong but you are still trying to stick to what you've heard. If you don't believe us, then why did you ask in the first place?
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JPD
I think your analysis of the numbers is off. You have to take into consideration that the vast majority of riders get on the bus or train more than once per day (once to go wherever they're going, and once to return). Some riders make more than two rides per day.
500,000 individual people do not ride MARTA per day. 500,000 trips are taken on MARTA per day.
So, the ridership is more like a sixth of the service area population, at best.
Still a pretty good percentage, in any case.
Follow the APTA link. Those are unique trips. Quite a few people only use the train each day, and quite a few people only use the bus. Particularly in Dekalb and big chunks of the southside where train coverage is not widespread.
Follow the APTA link. Those are unique trips. Quite a few people only use the train each day, and quite a few people only use the bus. Particularly in Dekalb and big chunks of the southside where train coverage is not widespread.
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. 500,000 trips does not equal 500,000 people. It's closer to 250,000 people (less than that if you factor in people who take three or more trips per day).
Or to put it another way, 500,000 bodies use MARTA each day, but only 250,000 people (approximately) use MARTA each day.
The only part of your post I was questioning is your figure that 1/3 of the population of the service area rides MARTA daily. That is not an accurate statement.
Chicago's Union Pacific Northwest line goes all the way to Harvard, IL which is 75 miles from the city. DC's Red Line goes all the way to Shady Grove, MD which is 60 miles from the city. Alpharetta is 28 miles from the city. But the nearest MARTA station is 12 miles down 400.
I talked to others on this forum. I also talked to people outside this forum. Whenever I asked why traffic was so bad in Atlanta and whether MARTA was helping with it, they all said the same thing. If more people used it, traffic might not be as bad.
Quote:
Whether it's commuter rail or heavy rail is irrelevant. The point is that someone living farther out in a suburb such as Marietta or Alpharetta who wants to use some form of public transit is severely limited. Now take someone who's the same distance away from downtown Chicago or DC who has to commute to the city, but doesn't want to sit in rush hour traffic. At least that person has another option. I'm not saying that MARTA is useless. It sounds like it's great for the people who actually use it. But seeing how it doesn't extend very far past the perimeter would make me less inclined to live farther from the city.
As for Shady Grove, you're right. Google Maps gave me the wrong value. But Gaithersburg is 27 miles out from downtown. That's the same distance as Alpharetta is from downtown Atlanta
.
Whether it is commuter rail or not is very relevant because MARTA is not a commuter rail system. It's a subway system so you are comparing apples and oranges.
If there was a commuter rail line in metro Atlanta that ran to far off suburbs like the commuter lines you mention in Chicago most likely it would not be run by Marta but by some other organization like GRTA (Georgia Regional Transit Authority).
There have been several attempts by many people to get such commuter rail built in the metro area but those attempts have all been shot down by suburban dwellers or politicians who rally and vote against it.
So it's entirely not MARTA's fault that there are no commuter lines that run out into the suburbs. It is the fault of the suburbanites that vote against it. And MARTA really has nothing to do with that anyway as like I said it's not a commuter line system just like CTA in Chicago is not a commuter rail system ( that would be Metra rail).
Most are still free. There are secured, gated and guarded parking areas at some stations that charge for overnight parking. In my neighborhood (Brookhaven) they charge $5.00 per day for overnight parking.
Wow this thread is awesome! I am looking at Atlanta real estate and had a ton of questions on commuting but this thread, even with the minor debates (lol), clobbered my questions and then some!
Cheers!
Oooh actually I have a parking question:
Someone said the parking fills up fast, but are the lots still free? I know the lots in our area are considering a pay option to thin out the #s and wondering if this is being done with no effect?
A better and updated MARTA map for your convenience:
You never said it but just go back and read the things you wrote... If you gathered the post you left one would definately think you were saying Marta is never really used... We have provided Facts and answered your questions and showed you that marta is used widely... somehow you keep fighting what we are telling you.. And bringing up DC and NYC and all these other places.
Here's my original question.
"But imagine if you lived in Alpharetta and worked downtown close to a train station. Would you still skip the train and go the whole way by car?"
You and DeaconJ are just inferring something that was never implied. I never suggested that people in Alpharetta don't make use of MARTA. I simply asked whether they do or don't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noah
Start comparing to cities other then D.C and Chicago. Seattle? No light rail, heavy rail, any rail until this year and only in the city. Look, Atlanta may not be #1 but its much closer to the top then the bottom for U.S. cities.
This thread is not meant as an attack on Atlanta or the MARTA system. Obviously, it's better to have some public transit than none at all. I'm simply asking why more people don't use it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeaconJ
I'm a teacher, so I'm pretty sure that I can read and comprehend - especially since I teach others how to do it. Thanks for the personal attack.
This statement implies that you don't believe people in Alpharetta would choose to ride MARTA (even though many people do):
"But imagine if you lived in Alpharetta and worked downtown close to a train station. Would you still skip the train and go the whole way by car?"
You went on to say that people in the suburbs of other cities go out of their way to use public transit, so why not in Atlanta? For some reason, you've made it clear that you don't believe people in Atlanta utilize rail transit...apparently because you've heard it through the grapevine. Well, people from Atlanta with actual MARTA experience have emphatically told you that you are wrong but you are still trying to stick to what you've heard. If you don't believe us, then why did you ask in the first place?
There was nothing implied in that statement. You just keep inferring that there was, hence the reason I asked you to read more carefully. As for your second point, you and several others say that people use MARTA. But I've talked to others who also have actual MARTA experience. So clearly there isn't a consensus on this issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galounger
.Whether it is commuter rail or not is very relevant because MARTA is not a commuter rail system. It's a subway system so you are comparing apples and oranges.
I'm not comparing the systems themselves. Obviously there's a big difference between heavy rail and commuter rail. But what I am comparing is two people who lives 25 miles out from downtown in their respective cities. If I live 25 miles from downtown Chicago, I have the option of taking a short drive to a nearby Metra station and taking the rest of the way. But if I'm in Atlanta living out in Alpharetta, then my drive to the nearest MARTA is a lot longer. Do I drive halfway and then take MARTA or do I jsut drive the whole way. As BobKovacs pointed out earlier, some people may not want to deal with the hassle of having to switch modes of transportation half way. I don't know how many people feel that way in Alpharetta which is one of the reasons I started this thread, to find out whether people farther out really use MARTA or just decide to drive the whole way and, if so, why.
There was nothing implied in that statement. You just keep inferring that there was, hence the reason I asked you to read more carefully. As for your second point, you and several others say that people use MARTA. But I've talked to others who also have actual MARTA experience. So clearly there isn't a consensus on this issue.
Apparently the things you've said in this thread have implied a great deal, or several different people (it certainly isn't just the two you singled out) wouldn't be disagreeing with you. I guess you think the communication problem is everyone else - not you.
First you said that you were going on what several people online have told you. Now you say you've talked to people who have used MARTA. Which is it?
Whichever it may be, the facts are in the statistics. There is really no arguing them...but continue if you wish. I just can't understand why someone would ask a question, then argue with the answers he gets.
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