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Well it is worth noting that MARTA covers the majority of Atlanta's business, entertainment, and convention locations. I'm not sure how it is in Dallas (please chime in and share some knowledge), but despite how Atlanta is often portrayed the majority of our premier shopping, convention centers, transportation facilities, entertainment districts, etc are centrally located ITP. That's 90% of MARTA's coverage area. When you look at who actually uses MARTA, from my own observation after riding the trains for 25 years on a daily basis, it is mostly people going to work, school, an event, or just urban dwellers going from neighborhood to neighborhood.
If you break it down further, roughly 1.8 million people live in the MARTA service area. With half a million people taking it each day, that means that more people utilize public transportation in their daily life here than Dallas does. Whenever public transportation is used, that means that people will be walking to their final destination in some form. Walkability adds more to the urban fabric than density does IMHO. While people will complain about MARTA not going to the burbs (which is something we're trying to fix), I can't imagine a reason why I would even need to go to the burbs other to visit friends. Those areas are primarily residential in nature.
I mean, what's the use of having a high population density if only a small portion of those people actually ever use public transportation? Obviously when DART expands it's ridership numbers will go up, but how far and what purpose it will serve is the question that I have. You could have the largest public transportation system in the world, but if only a small percentage of the residents in it's service area use it every day it is functionally useless.
P.S. I'm not bashing Dallas or DART with this post :P
Thats true Thats why I say Atlanta has real rush our on the trains in the mornings and Afternoons.It hits all the main areas in Atlanta. Alot of coventioners and tourist use Marta. Marta was one of the reason for Atlanta getting the Olympics and alot of other major events. Marta only runs 24 hours on New years
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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I should also add in regards to Atlanta's public transportation that you will see an almost guaranteed leap in usage in the next 20 years. The Beltline and Streetcars will cover 45 neighborhoods, 5 major universities, all of the convention centers in the central city and five major current and furture shopping districts (Lenox/Phipps, Midtown Mile, Streets of Buckhead, Atlantic Station, Five Points) in addition to the current MARTA subway and bus service areas. I'm betting that the usage numbers will increase by at least 200,000 on average, with an additional 100,000 for special events and conventions.
I'm willing to put good money down, if everything progresses according to plan, that we'll hit 1 million riders per day by the end of this upcoming decade.
I should also add in regards to Atlanta's public transportation that you will see an almost guaranteed leap in usage in the next 20 years. The Beltline and Streetcars will cover 45 neighborhoods, 5 major universities, all of the convention centers in the central city and five major current and furture shopping districts (Lenox/Phipps, Midtown Mile, Streets of Buckhead, Atlantic Station, Five Points) in addition to the current MARTA subway and bus service areas. I'm betting that the usage numbers will increase by at least 200,000 on average, with an additional 100,000 for special events and conventions.
I'm willing to put good money down, if everything progresses according to plan, that we'll hit 1 million riders per day by the end of this upcoming decade.
I think that you are boosting Altanta a little too much.
One thing jumps to mind.......... how is Atlanta going to give access to FIVE major univiersities? There is not even FIVE major univiersities in the metro area.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RudeBoy21
Thats true Thats why I say Atlanta has real rush our on the trains in the mornings and Afternoons.It hits all the main areas in Atlanta. Alot of coventioners and tourist use Marta. Marta was one of the reason for Atlanta getting the Olympics and alot of other major events. Marta only runs 24 hours on New years
I think that's what people don't get about Atlanta when looking at it from afar or just by a map. MARTA hits all of the high traffic areas AND people use it in large numbers. On my morning and afternoon commute, I can NEVER sit down because the trains are so packed. In fact, the only time I've been able actually sit on the train in the last 10 years was on 9/11. It was just me and 3 other people who weren't afraid to take the trains that day. LOL
sounds like houston. where some of the worst areas are heavily wooded, old, backwoods type neighborhoods
Well it depends on how you look at it because some of those houses are very expensive and they may look old but they are in great shape and they have been renovated. I have seen some of these house go for millions of dollars. Not to put Houston down because I love the city but those houses in the city don't come close to the ones in Atlanta.. Now there are some nice homes in Sugarland, Missouri City, and Katy. Very nice homes in the Houston Suburbs. Even though we have a lot of trees when you move to the suburbs in Atlanta you get plenty of yard space even for the homes on the tight two lane curvy highways..
I think that you are boosting Altanta a little too much.
One thing jumps to mind.......... how is Atlanta going to give access to FIVE major univiersities? There is not even FIVE major univiersities in the metro area.
Georgia Tech
Emory University
Georgia State
Morehouse College
Spelman College
Atlanta Tech
and others that I can't think of of the top
I think that you are boosting Altanta a little too much.
One thing jumps to mind.......... how is Atlanta going to give access to FIVE major univiersities? There is not even FIVE major univiersities in the metro area.
The AUC, ( Morehouse, Spelman and Clark Atlanta )EMORY, GA State, Ogelthorpe University, GA Tech
I dont think he is boosting the city just a fact about the university systems around Atlanta There are big three just in the area of downtown and midtown.
The AUC, ( Morehouse, Spelman and Clark Atlanta )EMORY, GA State, Ogelthorpe University, GA Tech
I dont think he is boosting the city just a fact about the university systems around Atlanta There are big three just in the area of downtown and midtown.
The only major university in those is GT, which I bolded. The others are no name schools.
Really lol ????? We cant Help there are alot of universities and art schools here in Atlanta and most of them you can get too by train ... even some High schools are serviced by marta train and you will see high school students taking the train to school....
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