Atlanta’s sustained transformation into a vibrant, interconnected metropolis hinges on pivotal transit decisions. Among these, the introduction of light rail along the Atlanta BeltLine stands as a beacon of progress and promise for our communities since the Beltline’s inception. As Atlanta continues to grow, the implementation of a comprehensive transit system becomes not just a convenience but a necessity for fostering sustainable development, equitable access, green commutes to and from work, and a thriving urban environment.
The Atlanta BeltLine project, with its vision of converting old railway corridors into a 22-mile loop of parks, trails, and transit, represents a pinnacle shift in urban planning. At its heart lies the concept of connectivity — linking up to 45 neighborhoods, including mine in SW Atlanta. The project would enhance accessibility to jobs and amenities and promote healthier lifestyles through pedestrian-friendly spaces. Having access to numerous transit options, including this, is personal to me because I will use the system; I reside two blocks away from the main trail, and I imagine once the neighborhoods have access to a system like this. I am a frequent transit user.
Light rail plays a pivotal role in realizing this vision. Unlike traditional heavy rail systems, light rail offers a more flexible, cost-effective solution tailored to urban environments. It integrates seamlessly into existing neighborhoods, reducing congestion, minimize pollution by providing a reliable alternative to cars. For BeltLine residents, this translates into shorter commute times, increased mobility options, and reduced carbon emissions, aligning with Atlanta’s commitment to sustainability.
Moreover, the economic benefits are significant. Studies consistently show that neighborhoods served by light rail experience higher property values, sustained affordability through housing, increased commercial activity, and enhanced quality of life. By attracting investment and fostering economic vitality, the BeltLine light rail becomes a catalyst for inclusive growth, benefiting both current residents and future generations.
Equally significant is the social impact. The BeltLine light rail promises to bridge disparities in access to transportation, reconnecting and restoring underserved communities south of I-20 with educational opportunities, healthcare facilities, jobs, entertainment and cultural landmarks. It promotes social equity by ensuring that all Atlantans, regardless of background or income, can participate fully in the city’s economic and cultural life.
Also the implementation of light rail must prioritize community engagement and environmental stewardship. Collaborative planning processes, the environmental assessment when the corridor reaches early design in 2025, and proactive mitigation strategies are essential to address concerns and maximize the project’s positive impact on the neighborhoods.
As we continue ahead, the success of the BeltLine project rail hinges on collective vision and decisive action. Public support, political will and strategic investment as well as the support of Atlanta’s business communities, big and small, are indispensable in turning aspirations into reality. By embracing this transformative project, Atlanta reaffirms its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity — values that define us as a city poised for greatness. Atlanta is known for accomplishing bold things, and the opportunity is now to come together and contribute to the project to ensure it remains on course to delivery.
Ultimately, the BeltLine rail project isn’t just about transportation; it’s about weaving together the fabric of our communities, empowering individuals, and laying the groundwork for a brighter, more interconnected future. Let’s seize this opportunity to shape a city where opportunity knows no bounds and where the journey is as enriching as the destination. Together, we can unlock Atlanta’s full potential and create a legacy of progress for generations to come.
Brian Sumlin, an Atlanta native who grew up in the suburbs, now lives in Southwest Atlanta. He served in the U.S. Navy, specializing in engineering. After his service, Sumlin has been working in Atlanta’s hospitality industry primarily in downtown Atlanta. In 2020, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from DeVry University, where he became interested in community development and public engagement. He has since become involved with several civic organizations.
If Mr. Sumlin expects the Beltline streetcar to make it over to SW Atlanta, he’s going to be waiting a very long time — most likely, forever.
The only funded portion of Beltline rail will mainly serve well-to-do neighborhoods (Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Va-Hi). It’s really, really difficult to figure out where money would come from for the second segment … and that segment most likely would serve even wealthier neighborhoods (Morningside, Ansley Park, etc.)!
Meanwhile, the upscale section currently under design is competing with desperately needed transit that actually WOULD connect neighborhoods and advance equity. A good example: The mayor’s proposal to run a bus rapid transit line from the struggling but growing Hollowell Parkway corridor to North Avenue and Ponce City Market. That would serve about 17 neighborhoods for perhaps a fifth the cost of Beltline streetcar. It also would advance equity by connecting some of the city’s most transit-dependent communities to Midtown, Georgia Tech, two MARTA stations and two Beltline crossings.
The Beltline has been highly successful as a short-distance micromobility route. It’s an ideal first/last mile extender for transit TO the Beltline, which is one thing we do need. Why would we jeopardize that success (and starve more worthy transit projects) to fulfill an extremely expensive and unneeded streetcar?
It’s a nice thought to say that Beltline rail will enhance equity and connect neighborhoods. The problem is that’s not the reality.
Here’s documentation for most of what I wrote above: https://betteratlantatransit.org/save-the-beltline
Ken, I totally agree with your assessment. Not one additional yard of additional track should be laid until MARTA (and the BeltLine, and the City) can determine the full cost across the entire BeltLine, and prove that the sources of funds exist to pay for it. Otherwise, we will end up with a bunch of different projects that look like the existing Streetcar – empty cars on short stretches of track that are not maintained and have periodic safety concerns. And, with unhappy residents living and shuttered businesses no longer operating, right next to the tracks. Why is it so hard for many people to consider alternative modes like small buses or autonomous vehicles, which are much less expensive and require much less infrastructure?
I agree as well. What Mr. Sumlin, and his compatriots, do is throw out a bunch of adjectives and imprecise words to make their case. They rarely talk about the cost, the timeframe, the environmental impact, the damage to adjoining properties, the eminent domain issues, etc. It’s easy, Mr. Sumlin, to engage in generalities. It’s when you start to get practical and put pencil to paper, so to speak, that your argument falls apart.
Hi Ken, do you reside in a SW Atlanta beltline neighborhood? This is my opinion, I think its safe for me to think about this project as a taxpayer as it being inclusive to all neighborhoods once it is built. Come share your thoughts with SW Beltline Neighborhoods because my neighborhood and others along the south loop and the NPUs continue to endorse this project. You can express what you want, but your suggestions would be taking away from other neighborhoods as well.
The same copy paste comment on every Beltline Rail article – get new material!
Why do people want rail and steel wheels? Why not a dedicated concrete path and buses like some cities have (think Denver). External and internal configurations can be about the same, just the wheels are different. Buses are more flexible – can drive around obstacles – and less expensive. And I love rail, ride MARTA rail frequently, have railed across much of Europe and some Asian countries. Rail is great but not always the most practical or cost effective solution.
Because neighborhoods want what they were promised and because we are paying taxes for it.
To be clear we are paying taxes to expand and enhance MARTA service. The streetcar was not part of MARTA in 2016 when the city voted. As someone who voted for the tax I would be extremely disappointed to see any money spent on the streetcar failure when there is so much more that can be done. Have you ever taken the downtown streetcar? It’s slower than walking!
I find it amazing that we are still talking about a project that has not even applied for federal funding (thus costing local taxpayers 60% more than if fed funds were included). Is the reason we insist on going it alone because it is known that the project does not pass the Federal Transit Authority’s rigorous Small Starts project justification rules. Let’s focus on projects, like BRT and in-fill stations that actually qualify and stop kidding ourselves that the VISION of rail on the Beltline is more important than any other transit project ever imagined.
Seems unlikely to me that FTA would be willing to fund a standalone infill station outside of adding an intersecting transit line. Washington Metrorail’s Potomac Yard station opened in 2023 got $0 federal grant funds.
Deliberately excluding a continuous BeltLine alignment from Ponce to Glenwood from the 2022 VHB study and failing to apply for Small Starts funding when ARC’s activity based model shows nationally competitive ridership projections for the Streetcar East extension says more about MARTA’s deliberate sabotage of BeltLine Rail than it does about the project’s inherent merits.
Mr. Sumlin, I have no doubt that you mean well. But the idea of rail transit on the beltline is a horrible idea. It has always been a horrible idea because the route fails to connect major population and employment centers. It is an even more horrible idea now than it was 20+ years ago, because implementing it would greatly diminish the appeal of the trail and linear park that so many people love and use. It is an even more horrible idea because many technologies have been developed over these years that can provide many of the benefits of a rail transit system at a tiny fraction of the cost. This is an idea that never really deserved to live, and now most certainly deserves to die and never be heard of again.
The “extra space” available along the Beltline corridor should be used as a bike lane. Let the walkers use the existing trail, and put bikes on their own lane (with a dividing line down the middle of the bike lane). Bikes — especially eBikes! — give people an easy way to get to the Beltline, then travel along the Beltline’s bike lane, then travel from the Beltline to their final destination.
eBikes are a great way to mitigate the heat, and hills, of Atlanta. We simply need safe corridors for bikes.
The bike lane would increase safety on the Beltline — mixing bikes and walkers is dangerous. That’s why other countries create separate bike and pedestrian lanes.
Adding a bike lane to the Beltline would be far cheaper than rail, be immediately useful to many, and address the crowding/danger of mixing bikes with walkers.
It’s time to consider other options the mayor is pursuing that are more cost effective and provide more efficient service, like Bus Rapid Transit and infill stations to the Beltline. The author is incorrectly stating that 22 miles would be connected when there is only one mile planned in the most wealthy area of the city. The Beltline is already connecting neighborhoods by walking, riding bikes and scooters on the path. People from all over the city, young and old, in wheelchairs, locals and visitors, all enjoy the Beltline. Rail on the Beltline would only bring more inequality, government waste, and minimal (if any) transit benefit. Very hopefully that the mayor is pursuing a modern and innovative approach than this single-minded solution to expand a failed streetcar.
Rail on the Beltline leading to *more* inequality? What does that even mean?
I suppose I should be encouraged that the best that anti-transit advocates can come up with are incoherent statements like that.
You realize there is only one potential project for the next 10+ years for a mile on the Eastside Beltline between Krog and PCM?
It is simply the first of many segments to be built, yet somehow I feel there would be the same resistance from your group even if it was the last mile to be laid down.
I would still love to hear how it will somehow increase inequality, though. Will ONE segment of the entire 22 mile transit line solve the Beltline’s accessibility and affordability issues? Of course not, but derailing the entire project will do far more to keep that segment of the trail a gated and exclusive community.
There is no plan to start design for any segment other than the Eastside Beltline, the end result would be one mile. You are advocating that we should pursue this project in this wealthy area and then start another segment when billions of dollars of funding magically appear in 10 years? Or we can be realistic and pursue the mayor’s priorities to actually reach all areas of the city in a more cost-efficient timely manner now. I disagree that the Eastside Beltline is a gated exclusive area – it attracts millions of people per year, and people from all over the city use the path.
The usual suspects out in force to denigrate Beltline Rail, it’s like y’all have a bat signal or something!
Amazing how every time a Beltline rail article is posted now half of the board of BAT brigades the comment section. Don’t they have any other supporters? (Rhetorical question of course)
I am really confused as to why so many people commenting are unsupportive of Beltline Rail. Here is what I am getting from all these comments: 1) it’s not ever going to happen – not if you all keep pushing for it not to happen; 2) it’s only going to serve wealthy neighborhoods – this is planned as a 22 mile loop and that is what was voted on several times; 3) we should do buses instead – we can do more than one thing at a time; 4) it won’t connect populated areas – I have no idea what this even means since the next comment is that we don’t need it because it already connects neighborhoods; 5) people can get around using scooters and bikes – this is an old and ridiculous argument that needs to be squashed because people don’t commute to work (and yes the beltline connects many places of work to neighborhoods), people don’t bring their kids to school, people don’t pick up groceries – on a scooter or bike! not to mention the cost of a scooter or bike compared to affordable MARTA rail. Beltline Rail is transit – it gets people to where they need to go affordably. It gets cars off the roads. It sets us up for the incredible populate growth we expect to see in the next 5-10 years. We can’t keep putting cars on the streets and expect to sustain a livable city. This is the future of Atlanta.
This is the crucial claim that leads people’s thinking astray: “[rail on the Beltline] gets people to where they need to go affordably.”
That is incorrect. If anyone does a neutral, fact-based assessment, they will see that this claim does not hold up.
Rail on the Beltline is extraordinarily expensive, in part because it requires a large number of new bridges and tunnels.
That same money delivers much more transit capacity if spent elsewhere (where there is more demand) and on a different technology (rubber-wheeled vehicles are cheaper, more flexible, and faster to deploy.)
A simple cost-benefit analysis quickly shows that rail on the Beltline is not a viable transit investment. Other options deliver much more bang for the buck.
Get past the vision and focus on the numbers, and anyone supporting transit quickly sees that money is better spent elsewhere.
Brian, I have been reminded today that I am a person of color. I am a brown man who has chaired the organization BeltLine Rail Now for 3 years and served as its co-chair for two years before that. I am reminded of that fact as I read arguments against a project of unity voted upon and paid for disproportionately by people of color in systemically divided and underinvested neighborhoods. The comments strike me in a way that they may not strike others who have not been on the receiving end of discrimination or suspicion for who they are and how they look. Some of these comments seem like they are directed against you. And after some reflection and counsel, I decided to speak up for you and to “see” you and the role that color and class have in our city’s promises and priorities.
I didn’t realize I was a person of color until the questions came as I grew up in the well-to-do suburbs of Los Angeles and here in North Fulton County. “My, you speak English so well” and “Rao, what kind of name is that- is it A-rab or I-talian?” some asked in high school here in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis. My parents talked about being refused registration in a New Orleans hotel on their honeymoon, because in New Orleans in 1948, my father was “colored.” In my lifetime, I knew him as an American from India.
So when I see someone like you write about what BeltLine rail means and why it means that, I applaud you. I applaud you for your willingness to express your belief in our city’s plan, the promises made via your vote, and your eagerness to use BeltLine rail when it reaches your SW Atlanta neighborhood. I say to you, continue to dream that dream and work for it as you have. We need more people like you in this city who get the power of unity and the part they are playing in its ultimate achievement. You and I and even the people that want you to dumb down your dream are all a part of the Beloved Community that is a goal of this city. I think there will be flak for what I am saying here, and so be it, because it’s time we stopped whispering it and acknowledge the part that color and class play here. There would not have been a BeltLine at all if communities like yours had not endorsed it.
Many do not know that this city’s charter was amended to create the Atlanta BeltLine with transit at its core, and along with the trail and the other elements of its mix, a new city, a circumferential greenway belt where density and development could thrive in a former decaying industrial ring. The power of that idea united this city as no idea ever did before, and we amended land use and zoning in the BeltLine corridor to receive density that only places like downtown and midtown could have before. And this all was predicated on the infrastructure investment in BeltLine rail that would make these new areas adjacent to some of Atlanta’s most beautiful inner suburbs and neighborhoods work as places with a higher quality of life and preservation of their character even as tremendous growth came their way.
Many do not know that streetcar light rail envisioned from the beginning has been vetted on 3 separate occasions over 17 years by MARTA and ABI. That all of it has Tier 1 Environmental clearance at the FTA and that portions of it have Tier II EIS and have met the other federal standards necessary for grant application, which under the Biden Administration can reach 60% match. This includes the Streetcar East Extension (SCE), for which MARTA will submit NEPA and Tier II EIS as part of its final design going on right now. This is a fact, not an opinion. Brian, you are told here in a variety of ways by older white men that you are naive. That you do not know what you are talking about. You are even told by the originator of comments in this thread that “you are going to be waiting a very long time- most likely forever” to see the BeltLine rail where you are. The quiet part in that comment is that the people who are telling you that are the same people leading the effort to make sure you and no one like you will ever receive BeltLine rail. The temerity. But people in SW Atlanta, especially those of color, know about “waiting a very long time,” so it is more condescension than a news flash to you, I would expect.
The real deal and the promise of BeltLine rail to which Brian alludes is the way the BeltLine and its infrastructure would connect this city and transform it. The idea that we could use infrastructure to repair the damage that segregationist policies did throughout the mid-20th century via interstate highways, redlining, zoning and sustained disinvestment in communities of color is no longer new. When Ryan Gravel gave the BeltLine redevelopment idea to us, it was novel, and since then the idea of the greenway-light-rail pedestrian corridor has been adopted around the world, but here, where the idea was born and where it has the greatest potential among all places to achieve a true transformation in the community, people like Brian who live in SW Atlanta are told that a BRT line in another part of town is a fair substitute for light rail steps from their house. Really? Or that getting to the BeltLine but continuing on foot or a bicycle is a better choice for you and all you should settle for. After all, they know better what is good for you, don’t they?
Brian, they are telling you that what you advocate is too expensive and that we can’t afford it, and they are telling you it was never a good idea to begin with. That the pie must be sliced into smaller pieces rather than grown larger. They assure you that there are “other technologies” that are superior, and though you have waited this long, you should embrace their directive to you and wait longer for those to pan out. None of the projects they speak of are proven as public mass transit solutions. None qualify for FTA funding. The fact is that the streetcars today contain the highest-tech components and are among the greenest mobility solutions and most efficient public mass transit technologies we have. And they are a prevalent part of transit networks around the world, including more than 30 American cities. Don’t let them persuade you that because we began our streetcar career in Atlanta with poor execution, that it means the streetcars themselves are to blame. They leave out the fact that at the Federal Transit Administration, right now, is a document filed by the Atlanta Regional Commission as part of its ATL2050 plan that projects the entire buildable BeltLine rail program (16 of the 22 miles) as having 31,000 daily riders by 2050, 4,000 of whom would board the Streetcar East Extension daily to and from Ponce City Market, a center of employment and residential development. Anyone with a MARTA connection would get there or to the rest of the system with a one-seat ride via Peachtree Center MARTA and later to other MARTA stations on all sides of town including where you live when the rest of the loop is built.
The More MARTA Tier 1 program contains 2 billion dollars spread among 9 projects to be completed in the next 5-8 years. The Streetcar East Extension is one of those 9, and the only rail project in More MARTA Tier 1. It has been allocated 12% of that budget, far less than the $1.1 billion that the 3 largest projects (Emory Clifton BRT, $600 million; Campbellton Road, BRT $300 million; and the Five Points Plaza reno and roof replacement, $250 million) will cost. Brian, to say to you that BeltLine rail is sucking the ability of More MARTA to deliver transit expansion is ludicrous, when getting to the most important economic and cultural assets on the BeltLine is the whole point in your argument and SCE is number 4 on the list in cost. They underestimate your intelligence. To say that those places aren’t important for people like you who navigate this city without a car speaks to what they really think- of you and people like you. They don’t think of you at all in their calculations. Except when you are out of line. Then they pile on like a pack of wolves to discredit you, an ordinary citizen, a black man in SW Atlanta who had the nerve to speak up for what you believe and WHY you believe it.
Brian, they are telling you that they know better than you what you would wait for and what is worth waiting for, because they’re saying to you that because you’ll be much older by the time rail reaches you, that it isn’t worth beginning at all. The fact that they are all chiming in with their respective notes of a dark and cynical melody reveals their fear of what you are saying. They throw around half-truths like “the streetcar extension or BeltLine rail can’t qualify for federal funding.” It is widely understood that the SCE was never intended to be funded with federal grants because it was thought that the project could move faster without them and that the larger asks should be saved for the bigger segments like the ones that would come to SW Atlanta where you live. Several years later that quick start hasn’t happened and as with all infrastructure projects, its cost has increased significantly, from $129 million to $230 million. SCE is the smallest piece of the new streetcar network planned under More MARTA, and all the rest including Streetcar West would enter the FTA’s New Starts program. The Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, selected Atlanta in May 2021 to announce the Biden Infrastructure Bill which became the Build Back Better Biden Infrastructure Act later that year. He stood in the HQ of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and said to a national audience that BeltLine rail was just the kind of project the Biden Infrastructure Act was intended to fund. So the Secretary of Transportation, who has presided over the award of $16 billion to cities other than Atlanta these past 4 years, more than 75% of it to urban rail projects, must not actually have an understanding of what projects qualify and which do not. Brian, do you buy that? There is still $7 billion more in that program to apply for. Brian, do you think we should give up on that? Let other cities get that money? Score a Zero for rail at the FTA? Or maybe we could find a way together to increase the size of that pie, so that the false choices of downgrading projects and delivering less while you paid full tilt via your taxes are not only unacceptable to you but to your neighbors. Do you think that simply getting to the BeltLine on transit is better than traveling on it on quiet, comfortable air-conditioned electric streetcars? Somehow, I doubt it, and I doubt that most readers seeing your piece would either, wherever they live.
amen
I find it disturbing that a member of the Beltline Rail Now leadership is trying to insert race into this discussion. This is especially true because transit corridor improvements that serve some of Atlanta’s most diverse but economically disadvantaged areas are being pushed onto the back burner in order to pay for a streetcar in one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in the city.
BRN has been using equity in a very cynical manner, to put it mildly. I guess we truly live in a post-shame society.
The lack of self awareness to bemoan inserting race into the discussion, then immediately inserting race into the discussion in the next sentence (as a member of the BAT leadership no less!), is pretty astounding, especially considering that over 80% of surveyed Southeast, Southwest, and Westside residents indicated they would be likely to use Beltline Transit.
It’s incorrect to say Northeast (Morningside, Ansley Park) would be the second segment of BeltLine light rail to come on line. We don’t know that; it seems that’s being floated to support the narrative that light rail, in the short term, will benefit well to do neighborhoods exclusively. Streetcar West, which is a Tier 2 More MARTA project, could be next, as could Streetcar Southeast, Irwin south to Memorial Drive.
Regarding funding, the Streetcar East (SCE) extension is not federally funded for a variety of reason, most of which had to do with expediency; MARTA presumed More MARTA would fund SCE and is calculating that federal funds will be available for the rest of the project, a decent bet. SCE meets ALL qualifications required for a federal grant ask as do ALL the other sections from PCM to Lindbergh and from PCM to Memorial Drive.
As for the scarity argument that’s being proferred, here’s some helpful facts:
The nine Tier 1 More MARTA projects are valued at two billion dollars and at 230 million dollars, SCE is 12% of the total. Projects that are larger in dollars include
*Emory Clifton BRT — 600 million
*Campbellton Rd BRT — 300 million
*Five Points MARTA station Plaza and roof — 250 million
So the argument that Streetcar East is sucking all of the More MARTA funding pot simply doesn’t hold up.
The 1 mile starting point of $300 million is only useful if it’s expanded to all areas around the Beltline loop as BRN is transparently advocating as the end goal. That is a multi billion dollar project.
Of course the goal is a full 22-mile light rail loop. It’ll take place in four segments…….About cost, yes all four segments will total $1 billion-plus when added together. To that I’d say how much is too much for a city building project that will stitch together 45-neighborhoods as a truly transformative project. Let’s be clear: this isn’t really about cost, when it comes to the opposition. It’s that they just don’t want Streetcar East. The against arguments are a panoply of whatever will stick: cost, it’ll disrupt businesses on the Eastside Trail, overhead wires and made up barriers. Why else then is the BAT argument so disjointed: some advocate for autonomous pods, others for a road to be built next to the recreation trail for micromobility (scooters, bikes, skateboards). Yet others for the mayor’s four infill station plan (as if BeltLine rail and the infill stations aren’t complimentary). Which is it? I believe the answer is the opposition just doesn’t want light rail on their side of town.
Exactly right. No small surprise that you see only see anti rail signs outside of the million dollar townhomes that abut the trail, or that so many of the bios of the BAT leadership board include “O4W homeowner”. It’s about property values and perceived disruption- nothing else. To say that there’s any sort of genuine concern about transit alternatives is very disingenuous.
Matt E sounds like he’s all about keeping costs down, I’m sure he spends most of his time protesting the $4B a year spent on roads… although I only ever seem to see him protesting against ready to build transit projects.
Mr. Sumlin while I appreciate your vision of uplifting your SW neighborhood – this train will not help.
What you/we were promised was something that cost about 300% less to implement from that “rail for the masses” promise. 10 years out is the accepted target for rail in SW ATL – so it could be a 500% uplift?
Autonomous Shuttles can be implemented for 50-80% less – that solves the problem you have noted. Technology not available the day the train decision was made.
Be careful what you wish for.
I have support for Beltline rail, but keep it on the Beltline. Rails in the streets are another hazard on the streets for bikes and scooters (when on the road) that are the main alternative transportation on streets. What will the rail frequency be? Will it run with the same frequency of Marta trains?
Recycle the downtown loop and experiment with rail on the Beltline. You have the spaces to run it. Think of ways to make single track go both ways. I have.
If you want enhance rail let green line run every day to Candler Park/Edgewood. Thousands of apartments are there as well as the Edgewood shopping center. Currently they shorten the time and during the day and on weekends and holidays the line stops at the MLk Station. It makes no sense. I have asked them several times since Covid to extend the stops.
They could also enhance the bus system so people only wait 20 minutes not up to 45 minutes. The busses are in nice shape, versatile and turning electric.
Invest in good bike lanes and make them safe and smooth. The eMobile sector is new and never planned for. Time changes things and be open to new ideas. Electric busses are actually wireless trolleys. We had trolleys in the past and many people miss them now. They could come back in a less impactful way. Let’s reinvent trolleys.🤔😎
I have been car free for 5+ years
The Boomers Against Transit folks really showed up for this article, unsurprisingly. The same folks with the same tired arguments. For those of us who venture outside the NIMBY bubble, we realize that the BeltLine rail project has broad support across the city. As with most NIMBY-type opposition, it is a small wealthy and well-connected group that is very vocal and doesn’t represent what the vast majority of Atlantans want. If you don’t believe me, look at the number of likes/followers BeltLine Rail Now has on FB vs ‘Better’ Atlanta Transit. It’s something like 100:1
You don’t own the BeltLine – it’s a public space, and the city, the mayor and ABI should do what the public want. Period
Keep the rail on the Beltline as the movement states and it is almost in my backyard.