Randall O’Toole is at it again. Just as MARTA, Atlanta and possibly DeKalb County seem poised to help fund a transit line to the Emory University area, O’Toole – one of the nation’s outspoken critics of transit and smart growth policies – is out with new reports saying the transit era is over.
Tag: transportation
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Driverless cars are the future, but Ga. law could delay it
By Eric Tanenblatt Editor’s Note: This commentary originally ran in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution Those of us who called Atlanta home in 1990 — when the world’s great cities openly mocked our bid to host the Centennial Olympic Games as a threadbare offering from a ramshackle town — recognize a similar stirring across our city today. Then […]
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Time has arrived to unite for Atlanta’s kids
By Guest Columnist DAVID SUITTS, founder of Unite For Kids Atlanta
When people ask why I care about early childhood development, I think back to when I first thought I could maybe teach.
There’s a Youtube video of that summer: I’m filming and talking at three girls, none whom could be older than 6 years.
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Metro traffic congestion to be eased as seaport cargo shifts from truck to rail
Metro Atlanta commuters can find solace in a factoid nestled in a report released Thursday by the Georgia Ports Authority. Some 50,000 trucks a year are to be removed from the region’s highways once an inland port served by rail opens next year in Chatsworth, officials say.
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Memorial Drive: A step toward increasing safety for cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles
Atlanta is moving forward with an ambitious program to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians as they interact with vehicles along burgeoning Memorial Drive. The project starts about a half-mile east of the state Capitol and extends about a quarter-mile.
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International award to GRTA for program that reduced congestion on toll lanes, to serve NW Connector
A pilot program GRTA tested in 2015 to see if commuters would bite on a financial incentive to shift their commute patterns has won the highest honor from an international toll organization. The program is to be brought back full time in 2018 on the Northwest Corridor, in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
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Atlanta’s GM for road, transit projects appointed to board of newly retooled GRTA
Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed Atlanta’s chief of road and transportation construction projects to the board that oversees GRTA, which advises on Xpress bus service in metro Atlanta and authorizes state and federal spending on transportation in metro Atlanta.
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Atlanta mayoral hopefuls talk traffic, transit fixes
Last year, Atlanta voters approved new sales taxes to pay for transportation and transit builds. This year, mayoral candidates are talking about what they would do in a city that’s raising cash, is predicting a lot of new residents and that aims to attract big employers.
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Harvey shows need for national infrastructure plan; use Georgia as P3 model
By Guest Columnist MARK BURKHALTER, a board member of the Georgia Department of Transportation
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the stress on our nation’s infrastructure is now more pronounced than ever as collapsed roads and bridges in Texas and Louisiana make it impossible for many residents to get on with their lives.
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Ga. Tech to crunch data from high-tech traffic system to improve flow of commuters
The demonstration project hasn’t even opened, and Atlanta already is expanding its deal with the Georgia Tech Research Alliance to crunch data in an effort to move commuters – whether by foot, bike or vehicle – more quickly and safely through the busy North Avenue corridor.
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Georgia’s transportation plans advancing amid turmoil in Washington
This hardly seems a good time for Georgia to update its transportation spending plan, given the drama in Washington. For starters, President Trump is attacking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao – who is rumored to be considering resigning her post.
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The future of mobility being planned for SW Atlanta’s Campbellton Road
Atlanta’s first transportation corridor of the future is to be established in Southwest Atlanta along Campbellton Road by the city and MARTA. Naturally, a computer and the internet of things are at the heart of the effort.
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MARTA saves millions by paying off a debt incurred partly to fund bus rapid transit
MARTA expects to save a total of $41.6 million in future interest costs by refinancing $250 million in bonds that were sold in 2009. Part of the money was to have helped pay for a long-envisioned bus that would travel in a dedicated lane
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Moreland Avenue’s remake will promote alternative transit in a growing community
By Guest Columnist CARL HOLT, an avid promoter of bicycling who volunteered as project manager for the installation of Atlanta’s first bike corral, in the Kirkwood neighborhood
The Georgia Department of Transportation, along with City of Atlanta and Little Five Points Community Improvement District, has been working to transform a half-mile section of Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23/Ga. 42) from a traditional urban highway to a Complete Street. A Complete Street usually involves a road diet, to provide a safer corridor for all modes of transportation. What is unique about this corridor is that Moreland Avenue is a six-lane roadway passing through one of Atlanta’s more pedestrian active business districts, Little Five Points.
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I-85 collapse prompted greater use of telecommuting, transit: CBRE report
A new report from the real estate firm CBRE on lessons learned from the collapse of Interstate 85 in Atlanta shows that telecommuting played a greater role than MARTA in helping employees continue their work while avoiding traffic congestion.
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A section of Spring Street to be retooled with bike lane, trees, better sidewalks
Atlanta and Midtown Alliance are collaborating on an effort to make the northern stretch of Spring Street more inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists. The city issued a request for engineering proposals Monday and Midtown Alliance released it Tuesday.
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Yes, you can bike in Atlanta
By Guest Columnist KEVIN H. POSEY, an advocate for sustainable transportation and urban development practices worldwide
Atlanta is notorious for being a car-dependent city. Whether it’s minor snowstorms that create scenes akin to a bad disaster movie or burning bridges made of steel and concrete – materials not known for their combustibility – Atlanta’s car addiction is now in the same league as that of legendary Los Angeles. But in a revolutionary change of direction, the bike is being elevated as a legitimate way to get around for those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead in Lycra.
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Are We There Yet?
By Guest Columnist ANDRE DICKENS, a member of the Atlanta City Council who serves the entire city
Every day, Atlantans share our roads and rails with our 5.7-million-person region. How you get to work, school, and home matters to me – is it stress-free, smooth, safe, and predictable?
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Jackson Healthcare adding 1,400 jobs in North Fulton County via groundbreaking today
Gov. Nathan Deal and a host of civic and business leaders are slated to break ground this morning on a $100 million expansion of the headquarters of Jackson Healthcare, a healthcare staffing company that intends to add 1,400 employees over the next five years.
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GRTA riders can get discount Uber fares on trips that begin, end at a GRTA parking lot
GRTA passengers are eligible for a 50 percent discount on a shared Uber ride for trips that begin or end at an Xpress Park-and-Ride lot during weekday commute hours. The promotion runs through May 31, GRTA announced today.
