Transit

Beltline/ Transit/ WABE

Gwinnett County will vote on joining MARTA in March

Atlanta Loop 08/03/2018

Gwinnett County Commissioners approved a referendum Wednesday morning to give voters the choice to join MARTA.
CREDIT ALISON GUILLORY / WABE

BY STEPHANNIE STOKES, WABE

Gwinnett County’s Board of Commissioners has agreed to give voters the choice to join MARTA.

The board’s chair called the decision, which earned the support of all five commissioners, historic.

But some transit advocates weren’t so enthusiastic, and the reason has to do with the timing of the vote.

Most expected it to take place this November at the same time as the midterm election. A notice ahead of the commission meeting referred to a fall vote.

But when Gwinnett County Commissioners approved the referendum Wednesday morning, the date changed to March of next year.

Some in the audience pleaded with the commissioners to move the transit vote back to November.

Resident Pam Cox said she’s fed up with traffic in the country and wants solutions now.

“We need to move this forward in November, not March. I’ve waited long enough,” Cox said.

Others raised concerns that scheduling the referendum for March would reduce turnout.

“It’s a lot harder and more likely to be defeated if it’s in a special election,” said Colleen Kiernan, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters.

Board Chair Charlotte Nash said delaying the referendum was necessary to get the support of other commissioners.

She dismissed fears that the timing would affect the outcome of the vote.

“I think the same opportunity exists for every single voter in the county to register their opinion no matter what the date of the referendum is,” Nash said.

While all commissioners agreed to call for a transit referendum, that was not true for a separate measure establishing a contract with MARTA. Tommy Hunter was the lone commissioner voting against that.

Since MARTA began in the 1960s, Gwinnett County voters have rejected the transit agency twice.

This story was provided by WABE.

Beltline/ Metro ATL/ Transit

Atlanta City Council to host series of forums about More MARTA program

Ellie Ritter 07/31/2018

Throughout August, Atlanta City Councilmembers will host a series of community forums about the More MARTA Atlanta program, according to a City Council press release.

The forums will educate residents and city stakeholders about the More MARTA program and receive feedback on the proposed project list.

More MARTA Atlanta focuses on “taking a balanced approach to delivering transit projects that will improve service, accessibility, and connectivity to communities throughout the city of Atlanta and the regional network,” the release said.

Atlanta residents passed a half-penny sales tax for the More MARTA project in 2016. The funds will generate nearly $2.5 billion for transit expansion and enhancement projects over the next 40 years, according to the release.

More MARTA Atlanta’s original project list included more than 70 projects with an estimated price tag of $11.5 billion, significantly exceeding the program’s sales-tax budget.

Since then, public feedback and performance evaluations from the city and MARTA have helped readjust the project list.

The first forum will take place on Aug. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fort McPherson, 178 Hardee Avenue S.W. It will be co-hosted by Councilmembers Joyce M. Sheperd (District 12), Marci Collier Overstreet (District 11) and Cleta Winslow (District 4).

“We want to hear from our residents,” Sheperd said. “These forums will give the community an opportunity to join more in-depth discussions and get updates as we prepare to roll out Marta transit projects across the city. We’re asking everyone to attend.”

Atlanta’s largest transit investment in four decades, More MARTA will serve 126 neighborhoods. It’s slated to increase access to jobs by 56 percent and improve transit services to communities with large minority or low-income populations by 61 percent.

Atlanta residents unable to attend the scheduled community forums are encouraged to learn more about the program, review the project list and provide feedback online here.

These are all of the upcoming More MARTA Atlanta community forums:

Aug. 2

Time: 6–8 p.m.
Location: Fort McPherson, 1794 Walker Avenue S.W.*Navigate to 250 Sayers St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 — Enter the Lee St. gate, then follow red arrows to Redevelopment Authority. If your GPS takes you to the Tyler Perry Studios gate next to the MARTA station, DO NOT ENTER, you’ll be turned around. Continue past their entrance to Lee Street.
Hosted by: Atlanta City Councilmembers Joyce M. Sheperd (District 12), Marci Collier Overstreet (District 11), and Cleta Winslow (District 4)

Aug. 9

Time: 6–8 p.m.
Location: MARTA Headquarters, 2424 Piedmont Road
Hosted by: More MARTA Atlanta

Aug. 15

Time: 6–8 p.m.
Location: To be determined
Hosted by: Atlanta City Councilmembers Natalyn Archibong (District 5), Carla Smith (District 1), Amir Farokhi (District 2), and Jennifer Ide (District 6)

Aug. 23

Time: 6–8 p.m.
Location: C.T. Martin Recreation Center (formerly Adamsville Recreation Center), 3201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive S.W.
Hosted by: Atlanta City Councilmembers Andrea L. Boone (District 10) and Michael Julian Bond (Post 1 At-Large)

Beltline/ Transit/ WABE

Beltline advocates pressure MARTA to prioritize light rail transit

Atlanta Loop 07/16/2018

BeltLine transit advocates gathered at MARTA headquarters Wednesday to push for expanded light rail.
CREDIT ALISON GUILLORY / WABE

BY GRACE WALKER, WABE

At a public meeting Wednesday, BeltLine transit advocates crowded into a room at MARTA headquarters. They had one main message to the board of directors: prioritize funding light rail transit along the full loop.

Advocates are hoping to influence the board before this fall, when MARTA will vote on how to spend $2.5 billion in TSPLOST revenue over 40 years.

MARTA’s current proposal would fund 22 miles of light rail transit and 18 miles of bus rapid transit around the city. It’s an investment known as “More MARTA.”

According to the plan, most of the light rail would be allocated to the Clifton Corridor, which leads to Emory. The 22-mile loop would receive 7 miles of light rail.

Lauren Welsh, a volunteer with BeltLine Rail Now!, said that’s not enough.

“There’s no question that there are other fantastic transportation projects on there. But this one has been a long time coming,” Welsh said. “It’s the only project that will touch all corridors of Atlanta.”

Other volunteers also said that when they voted to approve the half-penny sales tax in 2016, that Emory was not part of Atlanta. Atlanta City Council annexed Emory into the city in December 2017.

“We didn’t vote for a rail line to Emory,” said one speaker. “We voted for a self-imposed tax so that we could pay for rail on the BeltLine. That’s what we vote for. And that’s what we expect.”

Betty Willis, a president of the Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association, pushed back on that sentiment.

“The Clifton Corridor is the largest employment center in the region that has no direct access to MARTA and now we are gridlocked,” Willis said.

She also said that connecting Emory to the rest of the city has been long been discussed by Atlanta Regional Commission and MARTA.

In response, BeltLine advocates proposed that the city could pay for part of the Clifton Corridor, but not all of it, in order to fund rail along the loop.

MARTA’s board said they will be seeking public opinion on the transit plan before voting this fall.

This story was provided by WABE.

Beltline/ Metro ATL/ Transit

One westbound lane on Ponce de Leon Avenue to close this weekend

Ellie Ritter 06/28/2018

A map showing the location of the road work. Source: Google Maps

One lane on Ponce de Leon Avenue will be closed this weekend for construction, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Weather permitting, the closure will begin on Thursday morning around 9 a.m. as contractors install a sewer manhole. The westbound lane will be closed on Ponce de Leon Avenue between Frederica Street and Barnett Street.

The lane is expected to reopen Monday, July 2 around 4 p.m.

Note that the dates may change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones.

Beltline/ Metro ATL/ Transit

MARTA votes to keep $1 fare for Atlanta Streetcar

Ellie Ritter 06/25/2018

Atlanta Streetcar. Source: Wikemedia Commons

After assuming ownership of the Atlanta Streetcar, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will keep the existing $1 fare to ride the streetcar, MARTA’s Board of Directors decided.

Other operational decisions, such as service frequency and route expansion, will come after MARTA officially takes over operations from the City of Atlanta on July 1.

The four-car light rail system will be part of MARTA’s new Office of Light Rail Operations, which will handle daily operations, maintenance and technical inspections, according to a MARTA press release. Communications, human resources and policing, as well as other support services, will be handled by current MARTA departments.

During the transition, MARTA is focusing on enhancing safety and security, increasing ridership, reducing operating costs, and system integration, the release said. The streetcar’s 2.7-mile circular route presents an opportunity for MARTA to provide last-mile connectivity to riders, aligning rail schedules so commuters can use the streetcar for the last leg of their trip.

The transition will also allow the streetcar to be integrated into the area’s larger transportation system which received a boost this legislative session with the passage of House Bill 930.

The operating budget will be underwritten by More MARTA, the 2016 half-penny sales tax referendum.

Beltline/ Transit

MARTA conducting survey on projects funded with sales tax money

Dan Whisenhunt 06/12/2018

It’s been almost two years since Atlanta voters approved a half-penny sales tax to improve and expand MARTA.

Now the transit agency is planning to spend $2.5 billion to expand MARTA over the next 40 years.

MARTA is in the process of getting public input on the project list, which includes the Clifton Corridor project that drove Atlanta’s annexation of Emory University.

Here is the full project list (to see a larger version, click here):

To take the survey, click here.

Beltline/ Transit

Transit expert says ride-sharing, gentrification may be behind decreasing MARTA ridership

Dan Whisenhunt 06/06/2018

A MARTA train passes over the mural at the corner of Dekalb Ave. and Arizona Ave. on Thursday, April 17, 2014. File Photo by Jonathan Phillips

This story has been updated.

A recent report provided by MARTA shows ridership has been decreasing over the last 10 years, and is down 3.1 percent over last year.

The news is at odds with renewed public interest and investment in transit. In 2016, Atlanta voters overwhelmingly approved a sales tax for MARTA expansion.

One transit expert Atlanta Loop spoke to said a combination of factors may be depressing ridership numbers at MARTA and other transit agencies around the country.

Jon Orcutt, Director of Communications and Advocacy for the TransitCenter, said that ride-sharing services like UBER and displacement of transit customers by gentrification are possible reasons for the decline.

On the ride-sharing question, he said, “Some of the studies we’ve seen show that some of the people using these services in cities were formerly using transit.”

But that’s only on part of it.

“We’ve been hearing some other new patterns from some transit agencies we talk to,” he said. “One is that people who are traditionally bus riding parts of the city’s population are being pushed further and further to the edges of urban areas where they aren’t able to take advantage of the service.”

MARTA’s report shows that bus ridership is down 3.9 percent over 2017 and that rail ridership is down 2.5 percent.

According to MARTA, ridership is 6 percent below projections. The lower ridership phenomenon isn’t unique to MARTA. Its peers around the country have noticed a similar trend …

A spokesperson for MARTA said that the two things Orcutt cited are possibilities the transit agency has considered.

“I believe ride sharing services were discussed as one factor in ridership decline,” MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher said. “We do consider ride sharing companies as partners though and have joined with them in the past to provide first and last mile connectivity to riders.”

She said displacement due to gentrification may also be a reason for the decline.

“Nationally, transit ridership is experiencing a decline and we are looking at a variety of factors for that decline including ride sharing, car/gas price affordability, and a change in urban demographics to name a few,” she said. “All of these factors are at play here in Atlanta.”

Orcutt said it still makes sense for cities to continue investing in expansion of transit services.

“The few places we saw transit ridership go up were places that were putting more services on the street,” he said. “Phoenix and Seattle stand out in that regard.”

Here’s the most recent report on ridership numbers provided by MARTA:

Mid-Year Ridership Presentation without Notes

Metro ATL/ Transit

MARTA to officially assume ownership, operation of Atlanta Streetcar

Ellie Ritter 06/05/2018

After the Atlanta City Council approved its ownership last fall, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will officially assume day-to-day operations of the Atlanta Streetcar on July 1, according to a MARTA press release.

The four-car light rail system will be integrated into MARTA’s new office of light rail operations, which will handle the system’s daily operations, maintenance and technical inspections.

“As MARTA looks at ways to provide more and better transit options, the streetcar presents an opportunity to expand with light rail,” MARTA Chief Operating Officer Rich Krisak said. “Multi-modal transportation is what we do at MARTA and this addition to our rail fleet will offer another safe and convenient mode of travel to people moving through the downtown area.”

According to the release, MARTA has four current goals for the transition: enhancing safety and security on the streetcar, increasing ridership, reducing operating costs and system integration.

“The streetcar’s 2.7-mile circular route presents an opportunity for MARTA to provide last-mile connectivity to riders, aligning rail schedules so commuters can use the streetcar for the last leg of their trip,” the release said.

The transition will also allow the streetcar to be integrated into the area’s larger transportation system, which received a boost this legislative session with the passage of House Bill 930, adding millions of dollars for transit expansion.

MARTA’s board of directors will make a final determination on the fare, the release said. Other operational decisions such as service frequency and route expansion will be made after the transition is complete.

The operating budget will be underwritten by More MARTA, the 2016 half-penny sales tax referendum.

Beltline/ Politics/ Transit/ WABE

Atlanta considering allowing e-bikes in the city

Atlanta Loop 05/31/2018

Atlanta City Hall. Photo by Bbenrath, obtained via Wikimedia Commons

BY ROSS TERRELL, WABE

The Atlanta City Council’s transportation committee is considering allowing electronic bike rentals.

Some committee members want regulations in place first. The e-bikes have a motor that assist riders in pedaling. The bikes are also dockless meaning you don’t have to rent them from a specific location.

Committee Chair Andre Dickens said the concern with dockless vehicles is equity.

“Part of the equity conversation is access,” Dickens said. “We want to make sure that the bikes will be placed throughout the city. That they won’t just be in areas in downtown, Midtown, Buckhead.”

There is also the concern of how the e-bikes will fit into the city’s current infrastructure. Ben Foster, with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, said the city needs to build streets that can handle multiple alternative transportation options.

“We’re all competing for this limited amount of space that was traditionally built for cars only,” Foster said.

He said more bike lanes and complete streets will help make sure e-bikes and scooters have a place around Atlanta. Motorized vehicles aren’t allowed on sidewalks or on the BeltLine.

Committee members said they are also concerned about affordability.

“We may want to consider a discounted or low-income rate for bikes and scooters,” committee member Amir Farokhi said.

Relay is the currently the city’s only bike-share program but its bikes aren’t electric. It offers discounted rates to students and people who receive government assistance.

Committee members plan to meet with companies that want to operate rentable e-bikes in the near future to get their input.