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Let’s use technology to better address metro Atlanta’s 21st century traffic ills

By Guest Columnist GEOFF DUNCAN, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor

For anyone who lives in metro Atlanta, there isn’t a day that goes by that their greatest nemesis – traffic congestion – isn’t a topic of conversation.

For far too many of us, just figuring out how we get from Point A to Point B has become the greatest challenge of living and working in this region. INRIX, the transportation analytics firm, ranked Atlanta’s congestion the fourth worst in the nation last year and eighth worst in the world.

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Four decades of the Old Fourth Ward, seen from my office window

By Guest Columnist WILLIAM VANDERKLOOT, a film director/producer with a unique insight into Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.

A few years ago Google announced it would archive older images from its Google Maps StreetView program to create a StreetView History section for various cities. StreetView is less than 10 years old, but decades from now it will be a local historian’s delight. I only wish we had StreetView back when I moved my company to the Old Fourth Ward in 1979.

Like the proverbial frog submersed in slowly heating water, familiarity with our immediate surroundings makes us oblivious to incremental change. That is until one day we suddenly realize almost everything is different. That happened to me regarding my studio in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.

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Enough already: GRTA, SRTA, MARTA, GDOT, ARC…and now….the ATL

Nearly 20 years ago, key business and government leaders heralded the creation of a new transportation authority that would tackle metro Atlanta’s traffic problems by expanding transit.

And so the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority – GRTA – was born.

At the time, there was one naysayer – the late Harry West, the longtime executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Posted inThought Leader, Transit

 MARTA TO ASSUME OPERATIONS OF ATLANTA STREETCAR THIS SUMMER

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will assume ownership of the Atlanta Streetcar from the City of Atlanta on July 1. The four-car light rail system will be under MARTA’s rail operations. MARTA is currently focused on four transition objectives; enhancing and fortifying safety and security on the streetcar, implementing a ridership growth program, reducing […]

Posted inThought Leader, Transit

MARTA THROWS BLOCK PARTY AT ASHBY STATION   

                                               Mural Dedication Features Food, Music, Arts & Crafts The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) celebrated the completion of the Ashby Station mural with a block party on Saturday, March 24 from 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by WonderRoot, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Invest Atlanta, and MARTA’s Artbound program was […]

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ARC Sets the Record Straight on Metro Atlanta Traffic

You may have read about the recent Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard, which ranked metro Atlanta’s traffic congestion as the 8th-worst globally. While that made headlines here, there’s a lot more to the story: Atlanta fares much better using another Inrix measure The Inrix report also ranks regions by percentage of driving time spent in congestion. In […]

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The year ahead in Georgia transportation

By Guest Columnist RUSSELL MCMURRY, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation

Transportation infrastructure plays a pivotal role in driving Georgia’s economy, supporting community growth and maintaining Georgia’s position as the No. 1 state in the U.S. to do business. It also makes Georgia more attractive as a home to prospective new business operations like Amazon’s second headquarters, as well as those in the freight and logistics industry and our largest industry, agribusiness.

The Georgia Department of Transportation takes its responsibility for managing the nation’s 10th-largest transportation network very seriously, and we work diligently to ensure it meets the needs of all Georgians. GDOT focuses on innovation, safety, sustainability and mobility to provide well-maintained roads and bridges. But that is just the beginning.

Posted inThought Leader, Transit

MARTA SAVES MILLIONS DURING BOND REFUNDING

 The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors approved a resolution to refund $56.8 million of its series 2012A bonds, saving the Authority $6.5 million in net present value of future interest costs. MARTA’s average interest savings is $588,000 per year. MARTA moved quickly on this partial refunding to take advantage of favorable […]

Posted inLatest News

Census says commute time in metro Atlanta up 30 seconds in seven years, transit usage dips

The typical one-way commute time between home and work in metro Atlanta has grown by 30 seconds in the seven-year period ending in 2016, according to the latest report from the U.S Census Bureau. The proportion of workers who commuted by public transit declined during the period in Fulton and DeKalb counties, the core of MARTA’s service district, the report showed.

Posted inThought Leader, Transit

Introducing the MARTA Mobile Command Vehicle

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Police Department continues to lead the way in public transportation emergency preparedness. Members of MARTA’s police force, executive management team, and board members gathered recently to dedicate the Authority’s new $1.2 million state-of-the-art Mobile Command Vehicle. The 45-foot vehicle allows the MARTA Police and Emergency Management Department to have […]

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