Cobb light rail line on Cobb Pkwy (Atlanta, Dallas: lease, construction)

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by WestCobb

I'm starting to sound like a shill for this article because this will be the third time I've posted a link to it, but I think it's right on with current trends. It discusses a good flexible model for how LRT could be funded. You may want to check it out.

Here Comes the Neighborhood - Magazine - The Atlantic

I thought this was a great piece. The point about the "bullseye" pattern of real estate values in cities was especially interesting.

[atlantagreg30127]

I wish them luck, but as someone who's lived here 26 years, this is not the first time they'd discussed this type of thing (or similar) over that time span. The reports says it will take the better part of a full decade to get this thing planned and built, provided it goes ahead full steam with no hiccups no doubt. WITH hiccups (always expected), I'm doubtful of it. If they had only had the brain light bulbs to start on this a decade ago, it might be a reality now instead of 2020.

[MisterNY]

Originally Posted by mike7586

NEWSFLASH: Nobody said that and I don't understand why you're getting so defensive. The point of a regional transit system is so that it connects to other parts of the region and whether you believe it or not, downtown Atlanta is the heart of this metro region. People can still travel within Cobb County and if it connects to MARTA and/or goes downtown then they can go downtown too (or anywhere else MARTA goes). It would also allow people in Cobb to get to the airport without having to drive. Finally, since most of the bad traffic is during the week/rush hour, there are people that commute from Cobb to the city of Atlanta or Sandy Springs/Perimeter (which means the light rail could also be extended from Cumberland along 285 to Doraville MARTA station).

Maybe if we invested in downtown Atlanta, it would change for the better and become a place people want to go instead of somewhere they have to go for business (and I'm not talking about the area around the Aquarium). What is with the anti-downtown sentiment around here? No wonder why it looks the way it does! And what is the point of building a bunch of separate train lines if they don't all connect somewhere or to an existing train line?

Great Post!!!

Originally Posted by reet4587

Who said anything about Downtown? MARTA trains go many places in Fulton and Dekalb other than Downtown. Building integrated transit systems that work together to move people all throughout the metro -- that's a good thing.

That's a great thing!!!!

Both great posts. Let's hope something comes from this. It would be ideal to have some sort of light rail in places like Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton etc.

[WestCobb]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I wish them luck, but as someone who's lived here 26 years, this is not the first time they'd discussed this type of thing (or similar) over that time span. The reports says it will take the better part of a full decade to get this thing planned and built, provided it goes ahead full steam with no hiccups no doubt. WITH hiccups (always expected), I'm doubtful of it. If they had only had the brain light bulbs to start on this a decade ago, it might be a reality now instead of 2020.

Well Greg, I've only been in the metro area for five years now. I hope I'm not sitting around in the 2020s saying, I wish we would have jumped on this a decade ago.. it could have been done by now.

We need to keep pushing for this until it finally comes through. LRT is the only way this region is going to continue to build on past successes and continue to be a great place to live and work.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by neil0311

700,000 people live in Cobb, and many never or rarely go downtown.

I don't think we've gone anywhere in the City of Atlanta in 2010 except for the Bonegarden Cantina and the Starlight Six Drive-in. Maybe 4-5 trips in 5+ months.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by WestCobb

LRT is the only way this region is going to continue to build on past successes and continue to be a great place to live and work.

I'm not so sure about that. But this has been discussed before.

I'm not a huge fan of on-street tacked light rail. If you do some creative youtubing, you can find a series of videos that highlight how dangerous light rail systems can be if not planned perfectly, and/or if in the wrong environment. The Houston system is a good example as they've had TONS of accidents between street vehicles and the light rail cars. Likewise I think there have been issues with that in L.A. and Phoenix, too. Americans just aren't very good at sharing roads and crossways with trains.

There are alternatives like elevated monorail type systems, and personal pod systems that could be used in higher traffic areas, etc. The metro area DOES need a lot of variety and more transit options. I'm just not sure a light rail track sharing the road with car traffic up Highway 41 is the best idea of them all for that area.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

There are alternatives like elevated monorail type systems, and personal pod systems that could be used in higher traffic areas, etc. The metro area DOES need a lot of variety and more transit options. I'm just not sure a light rail track sharing the road with car traffic up Highway 41 is the best idea of them all for that area.

The key is cost and speed to deploy. Light Rail is one of the lowest cost and quickest alternatives.

As for sharing the street...it was done that way for many years and is still done that way in many places. I don't recall a single incident in the Boston area in the 15 years I lived up there. Maybe some happened, but they were not common.

Idiot drivers would just have to get a clue. Maybe after the first idiot who tries to cutoff the streetcar gets killed, the other idiots will think twice.

[toll_booth]

I think it's a good problem when we are now debating over not whether we should have light rail, but where should it go.

Originally Posted by neil0311

I can support this and I think these are the types of projects that could/should be incorporated into a regional tax plan.

Light Rail Plan From Cumberland To Town Center - Video - WSB Atlanta (http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23750110/index.html - broken link)

Awesome.

One question I have is whether the tracks will have parallel right-of-way to 41, or whether they will be built in their lanes. If this would involve the latter, then I would rather see the line built parallel to the CSX line a couple miles west.

Also there should be some kind of standardization set for light rail gauge around the area, to plan for what looks like now a very real possibility of that eventual expansion into MARTA.

[Adric]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

I think it's a good problem when we are now debating over not whether we should have light rail, but where should it go.



Awesome.

One question I have is whether the tracks will have parallel right-of-way to 41, or whether they will be built in their lanes. If this would involve the latter, then I would rather see the line built parallel to the CSX line a couple miles west.

Also there should be some kind of standardization set for light rail gauge around the area, to plan for what looks like now a very real possibility of that eventual expansion into MARTA.

I would like to see Cobb Pkwy turned into a boulevard (boulevard = a separated road with a landscaped median) with the LRT running down the center median and pedestrian bridges from the side of the road to the platform stations. It seems like that might be expensive but it seems as though that would offer the fewest hiccups for zoning issues with running tracks through properties owned by private businesses.

[grindin]

Can we get a light rail line combined with a Toll Road that bypasses the Top End? That would really help with a lot of issues around here. Obviously, that will never happen, but a man can dream, can't he?

If the light rail line were to be constructed, I wish it was built with right-of-way in mind rather than just dump it on the street. I'm pretty sure the drivers in Boston are accustomed to having the trains of the MBTA Green Line in the street. Atlanta drivers won't. I'm scared it will be similar to the situation that Houston had when they initially operated their system. If they can have the system at-grade but have the tracks on viaducts at major intersections (more like DART in Dallas), that would help.

The perfect line would have the North-South line along 41 with a connecting rail that goes to East Cobb, Perimeter Area would be better and make more sense to me. While it doesn't have to connect to DT Atlanta (for now), let's not forget that Perimeter Center and Buckhead are major employee centers in the region.