Atlanta Streetcar Expansion Plan

[wawa]

Who all do we have in that area present or past?  Any thoughts?

commuting.blog.ajc.com/2015/12/09/atlanta-approves-streetcar-expansion-plan/



Atlanta approves Streetcar expansion plan


Atlanta Streetcar System Routes 120815
Atlanta BeltLine this week received approval for the first long-range public transit plan for the city of Atlanta. The plan calls for significant streetcar expansion, with five routes across town in addition to service along the Beltline.

The Atlanta City Council has approved a new Streetcar System Plan, which includes five crosstown routes in addition to 22 miles of streetcar service along the Beltline.

All totaled, the plan consists of a 50-plus mile streetcar system throughout the city. The document will serve as a framework for a potential Fulton County referendum in 2016 seeking approval from voters to impose an additional penny or fractional penny sales tax to fund transportation projects. Having the plan in place also enables the city to apply for large scale federal transportation funding.

The Atlanta Streetcar System Plan is the culmination of a multiyear effort that was undertaken with considerable public input.

“Atlanta is a city that brings people together and connects them to opportunities,” said Councilmember Andre Dickens, ABI Board member and sponsor of the legislation said in a press release. “The Atlanta Streetcar System Plan is a 50 mile system that connects Atlanta’s people to jobs, vibrant neighborhoods and world-class entertainment opportunities. This plan, when implemented, will solidify our city’s commitment to improving social equity and increasing economic mobility for all of our citizens.”

The official plan approved on Tuesday also deletes a proposed route that would have put streetcars on Peachtree Road, from the Lindbergh MARTA station to Lenox Square.

Councilman Howard Shook, who represents much of Buckhead, asked that the leg be eliminated. The request came after recent controversy erupted over adding bike lanes to Peachtree, a proposal that drew the ire of area residents who didn’t want to share the road and forced GDOT to scrap the idea.

Adding streetcars would have posed a similar problem, since the trolleys travel in traffic.

“We know from previous analysis and discussion that a lot more thought needs to be put into this,” said Shook in a city press release. “The day may come when the public will support sharing precious Peachtree Road capacity with streetcars, but today isn’t it.”

[iammalcolmx]

We need Public Transit so badly here. Also I want them to keep on with developing the Beltine. The Old Fourth Ward Park is fantastic.

[secretlyevil]

Peachtree Street is such a cluster. There's like a bijillion Peachtrees too.

ETA: Atlanta needs more public transportation options to have LESS cars on the road.

[wawa]

Dec 10, 2015 15:38:42 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

We need Public Transit so badly here. Also I want them to keep on with developing the Beltine. The Old Fourth Ward Park is fantastic.

what's the deal with peachtree?  Why so touchy?

[hopecounts]

Dec 10, 2015 15:41:55 GMT -5 wawa said:

Dec 10, 2015 15:38:42 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

We need Public Transit so badly here. Also I want them to keep on with developing the Beltine. The Old Fourth Ward Park is fantastic.

what's the deal with peachtree?  Why so touchy?

Because Peachtree is a complete mess as is, I think everyone is terrified of doing anything that might make it worse.

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 10, 2015 15:41:02 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Peachtree Street is such a cluster. There's like a bijillion Peachtrees too.

ETA: Atlanta needs more public transportation options to have LESS cars on the road.

Amen. We have three major highways that cut through our downtown. I would rather suck dicks for a living than do the 30 mile commute I used to have.

[mrsd2006]

It's an absolute joke. A very expensive joke. This street car is not doing anything to reduce traffic.

And just wait till the Braves stadium gets completed. It's going to be even more of a nightmare.

Feds outline concerns over Atlanta Streetcar in stern letter
6:48 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015 | Filed in: Local News

The recent vandalizing of multiple Atlanta streetcars might be the least of the system’s worries.

The Federal Transit Administration has sent a stern warning to Mayor Kasim Reed and MARTA Chief Keith Parker about “continuing concerns with the safety and operation” of the Atlanta Streetcar project. The “critical issues” raised in the Sept. 3 letter include:

The suspension of streetcar service in July because of multiple defects with its overhead electrical system
Failure to maintain contracts with vendors for maintenance services
Poorly developed and implemented operating procedures
Lack of technical expertise because of high turnover
Significant leadership and staffing vacancies
Failure to comply with the state’s accident reporting requirements
Feds outline concerns over Atlanta Streetcar in stern letter photo
An estimated 600,000 people have ridden the Atlanta Streetcar since its opening last December, but the project has come under fire for ongoing safety and security problems. (AJC FILE PHOTO)
FTA Region IV Administrator Yvette Taylor admonished both the city and MARTA, which share responsibility for the $98 million system that runs in downtown Atlanta. Under the arrangement, Atlanta owns and operates the system, while MARTA provides “active management” and expertise, at least until the city has the technical capabilities to take the reins.

In a joint statement Tuesday, Atlanta and MARTA officials said they “readily acknowledge” the challenges and lessons learned.

“The City of Atlanta and MARTA recognize that the safety of passengers, staff and the public is of the utmost importance at all times. We will continue working collaboratively to ensure that the streetcar has the best technical and human resources in place to maintain and improve on our record of safe and reliable service.”

[ttt]

I am so effing glad I am moving out of state and away from the giant cluster that is the soon-to-be Braves stadium. It's already a huge mess.

The streetcar project has already been...disappointing to say the least. There were multiple crashes during the testing period, ridership was lower than expected, etc.

I mean, I'm glad they're sort of kind of trying to do something to alleviate traffic, but this is not an effective way to do it.

[imojoebunny]

Our duplexes that we rent are near the street car area, maybe a mile walking distance for one. The other is right by the beltline and Ponce City Market. The street car is a joke, the Beltline makes a lot more sense. If Atlanta actually wants to make strides in transportation, it needs light rail in surrounding counties, and up the major freeways. Yes COBB, I am looking at you, but, also Gwinnett, and Dekalb. Get people around the city, and they can last mile with shuttles, as my DH's company does in Sandy Springs, or Buford Highway does with private buses, and then, when density is high enough, add more stupid street cars. They are not cheap, they are not effective, they are tourist attractions. A moving sidewalk would be cheaper and faster than the existing street car, and to add stupid to stupid, it parallels a marta route.

[frlcb]

More public transportation that people will actually use? Yes, yes yes. More street car? No, no, no. What a joke it has been.

[RandZB]

It's awful. We have Marta buses that run around empty all day, I can't see the streetcar being used any more than they are. I saw it on Monday and it looked empty too. What would really help is if Gwinnett County would get the stick out of its butt and let the rail run all the way up to or past Pleasant Hill. I would ride the hell out of a Marta rail if I could get on farther up 85 than the Chamblee station. As it is, by the time I get to the first rail station I'm already through the worst part of the commute and it would take me longer to get to the station, park, and wait for the train than it does to just slog the rest of the way down 85. But God forbid that more poors have access to the suburbs. Can't have that.

[busybodyk]

The streetcar to nowhere is such a waste of money. I need a light rail that goes around 285.

I work walking distance from the new stadium. That area is a terrible location for a stadium. I may need to look for a job so I won't be anywhere near there by 2017. It is awful already.

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 10, 2015 21:32:36 GMT -5 RandZB said:

It's awful. We have Marta buses that run around empty all day, I can't see the streetcar being used any more than they are. I saw it on Monday and it looked empty too. What would really help is if Gwinnett County would get the stick out of its butt and let the rail run all the way up to or past Pleasant Hill. I would ride the hell out of a Marta rail if I could get on farther up 85 than the Chamblee station. As it is, by the time I get to the first rail station I'm already through the worst part of the commute and it would take me longer to get to the station, park, and wait for the train than it does to just slog the rest of the way down 85. But God forbid that more poors have access to the suburbs. Can't have that.

And this right here is why we won't ever be great. I work in Clayton County, you should have heard all the people upset Marta was going to start running here again.

[gt7301b]

Dec 10, 2015 23:52:19 GMT -5 busybodyk said:

The streetcar to nowhere is such a waste of money. I need a light rail that goes around 285.

I work walking distance from the new stadium. That area is a terrible location for a stadium. I may need to look for a job so I won't be anywhere near there by 2017. It is awful already.

I used to live and work near the new stadium and the whole plan fills me with rage every time I think about it. It is such a horrible, horrible, plan and waste of resources.  

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 11, 2015 8:16:39 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Dec 10, 2015 23:52:19 GMT -5 busybodyk said:

The streetcar to nowhere is such a waste of money. I need a light rail that goes around 285.

I work walking distance from the new stadium. That area is a terrible location for a stadium. I may need to look for a job so I won't be anywhere near there by 2017. It is awful already.

I used to live and work near the new stadium and the whole plan fills me with rage every time I think about it. It is such a horrible, horrible, plan and waste of resources.  

That shady land grab that went on behind the scenes, before they announced the location, was the cherry on top.

[ttt]

And now it's all "oh well, maybe there is going to be some extra expenses the taxpayers will have to pay for, just like, a few million here and there."

www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/infrastructure-support-for-braves-stadium-will-cos/npNGt/

[sunshine608]

Dec 11, 2015 7:56:59 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Dec 10, 2015 21:32:36 GMT -5 RandZB said:

It's awful. We have Marta buses that run around empty all day, I can't see the streetcar being used any more than they are. I saw it on Monday and it looked empty too. What would really help is if Gwinnett County would get the stick out of its butt and let the rail run all the way up to or past Pleasant Hill. I would ride the hell out of a Marta rail if I could get on farther up 85 than the Chamblee station. As it is, by the time I get to the first rail station I'm already through the worst part of the commute and it would take me longer to get to the station, park, and wait for the train than it does to just slog the rest of the way down 85. But God forbid that more poors have access to the suburbs. Can't have that.

And this right here is why we won't ever be great. I work in Clayton County, you should have heard all the people upset Marta was going to start running here again.

Me too! I didn't know this I had not idea I was close to a GBCNer! I figured I was all alone down here with Victor Hill.

I think its ridiculous because from what I've heard the current streetcar is a cluster. I remember hearing this idea and seeing design 10 years ago when I lived in the city and worked in Buckhead and while a great idea, where on peachtree would this work? (I'm thinking Buckhead by Tower Place). 

IMO the biggest thing that could help fix Atlanta is light rail in the city connecting to the suburbs. These Paid toll lanes and streetcars to nowhere are just not going to cut it.  The GRTA buses are nice and help but the are pretty expensive and the fact that they don't run during the day really cuts of people who could be using them.

It's still weird for me seeing the MARTA busses in Clayton County but I like it except for the fact that there are no sidewalks or safe areas to walk when you get off the bus and its pretty dangerous at some of the intersections- espicially when you get further out. It's a tragedy waiting to happen.

[cookiemdough]

DC streetcar has not been going well and the budgeting has received a ton of negative press. After years it is still not taking riders and the expansion that would have made it useful in connecting neighborhoods has been scrapped.

People do take advantage of the bus system here though.

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 11, 2015 8:46:41 GMT -5 sunshine608 said:

Dec 11, 2015 7:56:59 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

And this right here is why we won't ever be great. I work in Clayton County, you should have heard all the people upset Marta was going to start running here again.

Me too! I didn't know this I had not idea I was close to a GBCNer! I figured I was all alone down here with Victor Hill.

I think its ridiculous because from what I've heard the current streetcar is a cluster. I remember hearing this idea and seeing design 10 years ago when I lived in the city and worked in Buckhead and while a great idea, where on peachtree would this work? (I'm thinking Buckhead by Tower Place). 

IMO the biggest thing that could help fix Atlanta is light rail in the city connecting to the suburbs. These Paid toll lanes and streetcars to nowhere are just not going to cut it.  The GRTA buses are nice and help but the are pretty expensive and the fact that they don't run during the day really cuts of people who could be using them.

It's still weird for me seeing the MARTA busses in Clayton County but I like it except for the fact that there are no sidewalks or safe areas to walk when you get off the bus and its pretty dangerous at some of the intersections- espicially when you get further out. It's a tragedy waiting to happen.

The lack of sidewalks is just plain AWFUL. When I am driving in the dark I can barely see people and it scares the crap out of me.

[RandZB]

Dec 11, 2015 7:56:59 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Dec 10, 2015 21:32:36 GMT -5 RandZB said:

It's awful. We have Marta buses that run around empty all day, I can't see the streetcar being used any more than they are. I saw it on Monday and it looked empty too. What would really help is if Gwinnett County would get the stick out of its butt and let the rail run all the way up to or past Pleasant Hill. I would ride the hell out of a Marta rail if I could get on farther up 85 than the Chamblee station. As it is, by the time I get to the first rail station I'm already through the worst part of the commute and it would take me longer to get to the station, park, and wait for the train than it does to just slog the rest of the way down 85. But God forbid that more poors have access to the suburbs. Can't have that.

And this right here is why we won't ever be great. I work in Clayton County, you should have heard all the people upset Marta was going to start running here again.

It infuriates me. I've been driving to Midtown from Lawrenceville for 10 years and it's the same cars running the same route day in and day out. I'm certain that most of us would much rather park at a station along 85 and hop on a train. I imagine people in Cobb and Douglas and Forsyth feel the same way. I just don't know what people think will happen. The benefits would heavily outweigh any drawbacks in my mind.

[ttt]

Dec 11, 2015 7:56:59 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Dec 10, 2015 21:32:36 GMT -5 RandZB said:

It's awful. We have Marta buses that run around empty all day, I can't see the streetcar being used any more than they are. I saw it on Monday and it looked empty too. What would really help is if Gwinnett County would get the stick out of its butt and let the rail run all the way up to or past Pleasant Hill. I would ride the hell out of a Marta rail if I could get on farther up 85 than the Chamblee station. As it is, by the time I get to the first rail station I'm already through the worst part of the commute and it would take me longer to get to the station, park, and wait for the train than it does to just slog the rest of the way down 85. But God forbid that more poors have access to the suburbs. Can't have that.

And this right here is why we won't ever be great. I work in Clayton County, you should have heard all the people upset Marta was going to start running here again.

Remember when Cobb County refused Marta because they didn't want the poors coming into Cobb. Well, visit Fair Oaks after you spend an hour sitting on 75 during rush hour and let me know how that worked out for you, Cobb!