Transit

Image via Wikipedia.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will be holding public hearings next week to discuss proposed bus service changes.

The following routes will be discussed: Route 49: McDonough Boulevard; Route 50: Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway; Route 850: Carroll Heights/Fairburn Heights; Route 853: Collier Heights. According to MARTA materials, representatives will be on site for community exchange sessions that start at 6 p.m., followed by public hearings at 7 p.m.

The hearings will be held at the following locations on the following dates:

Tuesday, Jan. 22
Clayton County Commission Chambers
Riding MARTA: Route 193

Wednesday, Jan. 23
Decatur Library Auditorium
Riding MARTA: Blue Line to Decatur Station; exit onto Church St. and continue one block east

Thursday, Jan. 24
Fulton County Assembly Hall
Riding MARTA: Bus Routes 21, 42, and 55

Topics of discussion will include scheduling, on-time performance, ridership and safety, according to MARTA materials. Copies of the proposed bus service modifications can be found on www.itsmarta.com. These modifications were based on feedback received from customers and the authority’s service analysis.

All changes will be accepted by MARTA’s board of directors, and will become effective April 13, 2019, according to MARTA materials.

MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffery Parker. Image via MARTA.

At the 6^th annual State of MARTA Breakfast, the transit authority’s General Manager and CEO Jeffery Parker shared a bold vision for the future of public transportation in the metro area.

At the meeting, Parker declared the MARTA is financially stable and prime for expansion, according to program materials. He renewed the transit authority’s commitment to customer service and expansion as a catalyst for economic and community. However, to keep Atlanta thriving, Parker said more investment must be made in its transit system.

“The greater Atlanta region is projected to grow in population by 50 percent over the next 30 years. That’s essentially adding Denver’s current population to the metro region,” Parker said at the meeting. “We have to make bold decisions now that include a landmark investment in our transit network to fund innovative solutions for our traffic woes and renew our commitment to future generations.”

He urged the crowd of community, business and civic leaders to support a $100 billion investment in transit and related technology over the next 40 years, informed by similar plans in cities like Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington D.C., according to program materials. He said Atlanta needs a “moonshot for transit” to keep the region ahead of the curve.

Specifically, Parker announced several priority initiatives for MARTA, including:

• Establishing a Rider Advisory Council to provide customers with a formal voice to make improvements to the transit system.
• Hiring a Chief Customer Experience Officer to represent customers internally.
• Launching a multi-year initiative to renovate all 38 MARTA stations through a comprehensive enhancement program.
• Ensuring integrated transit-oriented development at stations that support jurisdictional priorities around economic development, housing and community engagement.
• Implementing a training strategy for frontline employees and management to improve customer service.
• Creating a station manager career track for frontline employees who deal directly with customers.

“It really takes our employees, business leaders, elected officials and our riders coming together to help make MARTA stronger,” Freda Hardage, MARTA’s recently appointed board chair, said in a statement. “My predecessor Robbie Ashe did a yeoman’s job leading MARTA’s Board of Directors while working closely with all of our stakeholders and leadership across the state to advance regional mobility and accessibility. Today, we renewed our commitment to build upon that same dynamic zeal as we look to the next 40 years for MARTA.”

Image via Emory University.

Two new bicycle and pedestrian paths are in the works to connect the South Peachtree Creek PATH trail system to the heart of Emory University’s campus.

Through a partnership between the university and Atlanta’s PATH foundation, cyclists and walkers will be able to follow the existing bike route along Starvine Way from Emory’s Clairmont campus to the entrance to the new PATH network, which will begin at Andrew’s Circle and Haygood Drive, according to program materials.

Turning right will lead to the Woodruff Heath Sciences Building and Emory’s new Student Life Center, program materials indicate. Turning left will take walkers and cyclists along North Decatur Road, past Druid Hills High School, ultimately terminating at the Emory School of law.

“One of our goals is to connect all of Atlanta’s major universities to the PATH system,” Ed McBrayer, executive director of the PATH foundation said in a statement. “With these new trails, the Emory community will have a safe, desirable connection that’s separated from traffic, from North Druid Hills and Medlock Park all the way onto Clifton and North Decatur roads, and that’s a substantial achievement.”

Construction will begin in May 2019, and the system should be fully operational when students return in the fall, according to program materials. The goal is to encourage cycling and walking by providing safe alternatives and generate greater connectivity throughout the Emory campus.

Bird scooters. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Earlier this week the city passed new rules regulating scooter use.

Bird, Lime, Jump and other electronic electric scooters that are scattered throughout the city will now be banned on sidewalks, according to the ordinance passed Monday. The scooters will now only be allowed on streets, bike lanes and shared-use paths.

Additionally, companies will be required to pay a $12,000 annual fee for a 500-scooter fleet, with an additional $50 paid per additional scooter, according to the ordinance. A 15 mile-per-hour speed limit will be enforced, and companies will be responsible for educating riders on proper parking, operations and helmet usage.

Companies operating scooters will also need to have a plan for sustainability measures when disposing of broken down scooters, the ordinance indicates.

The new rules focus mainly on the companies that operate the fleets, placing the responsibility for safe riding habits on them, rather than riders themselves according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There are no fines for riders who ignore the recommendations.

To develop the ordinance, Atlanta took into consideration similar measures passed in Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco, the AJC reports. Since hitting city streets in the spring and summer of last year, the dockless scooters have been lauded and lambasted. Some say they cut down on traffic by providing more mobility options, others argue they restrict access to businesses by crowding sidewalks and are a nuance to pedestrians.

Not everyone is convinced the new regulations will help scooter-pedestrian relations. Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, said scooter riders will continue to use sidewalks because the city streets are in such a state of ill repair, and aren’t welcoming to any vehicles besides cars. “They are going to do it on the sidewalks as long as they don’t feel safe in the streets,” she told the AJC.

The ATL’s logo. Image via The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority.

Atlanta’s new regional transit agency is up and running.

Created last summer by Gov. Nathan Deal, The ATL, or the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, held is inaugural meeting late last week to discuss the future of transit in the city and its surrounding areas.

“The ATL was created as a new regional governance and funding structure, to improve coordination, integration and efficiency of transit in metro Atlanta.” According to ATL materials. “A regional transit plan encompassing all transit projects and initiatives will be developed, containing access to new funding sources for activities within it.”

The ATL’s 16-member board – which includes Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms – is comprised of six members appointed by state officials with the remaining members elected by local delegations to represent 10 transit districts across a 13-county region according to ATL materials. Board members are a mix of local business leaders and elected officials who will take a renewed look at transit planning and funding to improve the coordination of existing transit agencies and their efficiencies throughout the region.

At the inaugural meeting, the board assessed and approved bylaws, communications protocols, it’s board meeting calendar and a logo and brand.

“The Board is committed to being inclusive and wants to collaborate with our regional partners and transit riders,” Charlie Sutlive, ATL Board Chair, said in a statement. “The newly adopted ATL logo was created with a variety of stakeholder input, including qualitative and quantitative research, and a full creative process.”

According to ATL materials, that research included surveying a diverse group of 500 transit riders across the 13 counties the authority represents.

The next meeting of the ATL’s board of directors is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2019.

A MARTA train. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Last week the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) board of directors approved a two-fold locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the Clayton County Transit Initiative. The approval demonstrates to the federal government that MARTA has identified a specific set of projects to move forward.

The first recommendation is to begin environmental study on a commuter rail on the 22-mile Norfolk Southern corridor from the East Point MARTA Station to Lovejoy, according to MARTA materials. The second is for environmental study on the implementation of bus rapid transit to connect College Park, Riverdale and Morrow.

The railway’s construction could launch as early as 2023 and wrap up by 2027, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Both routes connect communities with schools, hospitals and job opportunities, according to MARTA – particularly areas of expected employment and population growth in Clayton County.

“Since first expanding to Clayton County three years ago, MARTA service has changed the lives of thousands of residents,” former State Rep. Roberta Abdul-Salaam who now serves as secretary of the MARTA board of directors, said in a statement. “This continued expansion shows a strong commitment to community and economic development for one of metro Atlanta’s fastest growing areas.”