MARTA bus riders and postal couriers may as well share the same unofficial creed, since both endure the elements – “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night….” A ray of sunshine is rising for MARTA riders.
Tag: Transit
Posted inColumns
Building trails can build regional connectivity, state incentives would help
By Guest Columnist, MELODY L. HARCLERODE, executive director of the Sandy Springs Conservancy
Engineers from the Union Army noted a tributary in north Fulton County running into the Chattahoochee River as “Mans Cr” or “Mars Cr” on 1864 map. Now, the nonprofit Sandy Springs Conservancy is spearheading the development of the Marsh Creek Trail along Abernathy Road in partnership with the City of Sandy Springs as the initial stage of a city-wide trail system, envisioned as, “a beautiful amenity that can build physical and civic connections in Sandy Springs.”
Posted inColumns
NFL praises Atlanta’s walkability during Super Bowl, but Northside Drive still lacking
Funny how the world works.
For decades, Atlanta has been viewed as an auto-centric, sprawling city with few accolades for being pedestrian-friendly or transit-accessible.
But listening to the folks from the National Football League and the Super Bowl Host Committee, Atlanta is being portrayed as a totally different city.
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Breaking through the Perimeter: PATH400 to link BeltLine, areas north of I-285
A huge hurdle has been cleared that is to enable PATH400 to connect Atlanta’s BeltLine with Sandy Springs and, possibly if not eventually, the growing trails system north of I-285. As PATH Foundation noted of this first step: “Federal dollars are involved so it won’t happen overnight, but it’s coming.”
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40 days of Georgia legislature begin and Atlanta’s got a wish list
The Georgia Legislature starts its annual session with a new governor and a lot of new members. The city of Atlanta wants a couple of adjustments to state law, but that’s not all of interest to the city and its residents.
Posted inColumns
$100 Billion
On Jan. 11, MARTA CEO Jeff Parker stood before the audience of the 6th annual State of MARTA address announcing that within the next few decades the metro Atlanta area would need to invest $100 billion in new transit & developments to meet future needs by 2045.
Posted inLatest News
MARTA leader calls for “moon shot” metro Atlanta transit effort
With an audience of elected leaders from all over metro Atlanta and beyond, MARTA’s leader said the region needs to have a “big goal” as it looks toward the next 40 years of transit.
Posted inThought Leader, Transit
A tribute to Cheryl L. King; An early architect of Atlanta regional transit, devoted friend, mentor, and culinary queen
By Lyle V. Harris Cheryl Lynn King was a bona fide transit champion in metro Atlanta way before it was trendy. Twelve years ago, her professionalism, pragmatism, and passion helped forge a visionary blueprint to connect the sprawling region with a seamless network of buses, trains, and streetcars. Insiders say that one of the notable […]
Posted inLatest News
ATL board sworn into office, begins process of establishing presence and purpose
The board of ATL, metro Atlanta’s new regional transit agency, was sworn into office at its first meeting Friday and voted for the typical measures necessary to set up shop. In addition, board members were cited by a ranking member of the state House as the appropriate ones to set the region’s transit trajectory.
Posted inLatest News
MARTA preparing to post ads targeting Super Bowl fans at Five Points Station
MARTA is preparing to post advertising on the jumbotrons in the Five Points Station during the Super Bowl. The ads are to be placed on panels that are to be attached to the jumbotrons and removed after the event.
Posted inColumns
People, not cars, at center of Atlanta’s new transportation plan
With the adoption of an updated master transportation plan, Atlanta is taking another step toward establishing the “beloved community,” the city of the future envisioned in the guiding document, “Atlanta City Design.”
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The suburbs are becoming more urban
By King Williams At the end of this post there will be a survey on what do you think about the suburbs, I hope you fill it out, let me know how you feel and share it. No one actually knows what a suburb is. No one. But neither does the federal government, which classifies […]
Posted inMaggie Lee
Metro Atlanta has a new agency that’s supposed to make transit smoother — so what’s it going to do?
“The whole idea of being county-specific is obsolete,” said Michael Thurmond, a board member of the new state-created transit authority that covers 13 counties, several transit operators and something around five million Georgians.
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‘The ATL’ board needs more visionaries and fewer political appointees
Atlanta is a city founded on transportation.
Railroads were the economic engines of Atlanta and the state. After the railroads, there were horsecars, streetcars, buses and pedestrian-filled streets that enabled the city’s growth.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Gwinnett’s path to transit influenced by San Diego
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 18, 2018
When it comes to expanding regional transit in Atlanta, all eyes are focused on Gwinnett County, the second most populated county in Georgia.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta Streetcar’s (few) riders give thumbs’ up reviews of weekend trips
Ruby and Michael Lamb didn’t think too much about being almost the only passengers on the Atlanta Streetcar early on Saturday afternoon. “I think they built it for tourists,” said Michael Lamb, visiting from Macon with his wife.
Posted inRegion Matters, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
South Fulton Ready to Take Off: Q&A With Head of Connect South Fulton
By Lyle Harris With the world’s busiest airport in its backyard, convenient access to multi-modal transportation and large swaths of land primed for development, South Fulton County is on the move. Michael Davis, Executive Director of Connect South Fulton, is understandably “bullish” about the prospects for the region to emerge as a flourishing hub for […]
Posted inThought Leader, Transit
MARTA BUS OPERATOR RECOGNIZED FOR BRAVERY
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) bus operator Winston Douglas was recently recognized for saving a woman’s life while on his route. On Sept. 9, Douglas was driving his route on Ormond Street in southwest Atlanta when he saw a man attacking a woman. Douglas parked the bus, grabbed a stick from the ground outside, […]
Posted inColumns
Downtown Connector’s bridges evolving from spartan crossings to garden-like settings
Atlanta’s Downtown Connector is a bit like a house that’s been expanded with additional rooms, in the form of bridges, and now there’s a lot of conversation about adding a second floor – in the form a platform above the highway that would host greenspace and buildings – and sprucing up the 10th Street Bridge.
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New mobility options like Uber and Bird present challenges for transit
I remember growing up in the 1990’s daydreaming during community meetings while my mom and countless advocated for better MARTA bus service in our section of Decatur. As a kid, the walks seemed endless – miles between our apartment complex and South DeKalb Mall – our connection point for buses and the occasional expensive cab ride.
