Fresh Loaf

Transit Implementation Board Chairman Eldrin Bell was not about to let that agency’s inaugural meeting today turn into a boxing match between the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Much to the disappointment — or relief? — of those involved, Bell didn’t allow the two sides to argue whether light-rail or heavy-rail should run along several miles of unused railroad tracks near Piedmont Park. GDOT and AMTRAK argue that the tracks are the only viable options if transit advocates want to see commuter rail and a long-planned downtown terminal. Officials for the Beltline, the planned 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, say there are alternatives and that commuter rail drastically alters the design that planners, neighborhoods and developers have crafted for the area.

Bell said he’s hesitant to discuss the Beltline’s future unless all the stakeholders were in the room.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Yesterday, the Georgia Department of Transportation said its out-of-the-blue opposition to allowing light-rail along the Beltline near Piedmont Park — a move it made with the help of AMTRAK — didn’t necessarily mean the end of the city’s 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit. A GDOT spokesman  said both intercity rail and light-rail could run side-by-side along the 3.5-mile rail line. There would have to be modifications, of course. But it’s do-able, he said.

Beltline officials, however, say that’s virtually impossible. Federal regulations, safety concerns and neighborhood opposition would most likely prevent that possibility, Atlanta Beltline Inc. CEO Terri Montague told an Atlanta City Council committee yesterday.

Add to the fact that residents and developers have invested time, money and energy into a vision of that portion of the $2.8-billion project that includes lower-speed people movers and lush parks with bike trails, and you can see why a train roaring behind the neighborhood isn’t exactly what stakeholders had in mind. Atlanta Councilmember Kwanza Hall, whose district has seen much of that investment — e.g. City Hall East’s proposed mixed-use revival and the recently announced Historic Old Fourth Ward Park near the Masquerade — estimates the city and others have spent as much as $250 million on that portion of the Beltline. Stakeholders feel their investment is in jeopardy and that the loss of this key part of the project could send financial and logistical ripples throughout the Beltline, impacting the possibility of transit and smart-growth development in Atlanta.

GDOT and AMTRAK say they’re protecting future options for commuter rail. Their trains couldn’t run alongside freight traffic on tracks to the west of Atlanta, they argue, because the routes don’t make logistical sense. Nevermind that the rails in dispute run smack into DeKalb Avenue. Quite a roadblock! (There’s a study about this that I’ll post in a few minutes.)

So how was the decision to halt the Beltline in Northeast Atlanta made? According to David Doss, a GDOT boardmember from Rome, he and his fellow officials weren’t aware of the agency’s move until the news media came calling yesterday. And he even sits on a special committee that specifically focuses on transit.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Man, the Beltline can be pretty confusing, huh? So can writing about transit agency disputes.

To put it plainly: The vision of a 22-mile loop of transit, parks and trails is now in jeopardy after the state Department of Transportation and AMTRAK unexpectedly announced they had their own heavy-rail plans for the project’s northeast section along Piedmont Park.

On Wednesday, members of the Beltline Network, a citizen group that supports the project, will meet for a special-called meeting to discuss how to keep the $2.8 billion “Emerald Necklace” — the largest public-works project of its kind in the country — on track.

Liz Coyle, chair of the Beltline Network, writes in an “urgent” e-mail sent yesterday to members (emphasis added for the more civic-minded Fresh Loaf readers who want to get involved):

I am calling a special meeting of the BeltLine Network on this Wednesday, January 28, at 4:30pm at Trees Atlanta, 225 Chester Avenue. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and strategize a community response to a threat to BeltLine transit. I will provide more details as available at the meeting, but to summarize the situation and get right to the point, AMTRAK has begun condemnation proceedings on the NE Corridor of the BeltLine. This is in response to Norfolk Southern Railroad (NSR), Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) pursuing rail abandonment on the Northeast Corridor (aka the “Decatur Belt”) with the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), a necessary step to advancing light rail transit in the BeltLine corridor. Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and AMTRAK have filed Motions to Stay the abandonment proceedings.

More on Coyle’s e-mail and the issues — and questions — surrounding this dispute after the jump.

(more…)

Bookmark It

HIT THE BRAKES Beltline faces another obstacle — from GDOT and AMTRAK

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Beltline, the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit proposed to circle Atlanta, it’s that surprises are to be expected. And some interesting developments are afoot with the $2.8-billion project.

If you recall, Atlanta Beltline Inc. — the nonprofit agency in charge of planning and implementing the project — finalized its purchase of a 66-acre piece of property in October owned by Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason and his son Keith, an Atlanta attorney. The Mason property included  land and transit right-of-way. The $66 million purchase riled city watchdogs not only for the ultimate payout to the Masons — more than double what father and son originally paid for the land in 2004 — but also the deal ABI cut with a private partner group it needed to buy out if it wanted to use tax-exempt bonds to finalize the purchase before a Halloween deadline. That’s background, and for all intents and purposes, irrelevant for the moment.

Beltline leaders hoped to complete planning the area, implement transit, and sell off excess land to developers. They would then re-invest the windfall from those sales back into the overall project. But before it could do anything with the property, it first had to abandon the transit right-of-way. That humdrum process is conducted by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and largely involves just some time for public comment and a shuffling of papers. It was supposed to be a walk in the park.

Looks like that’s not turning out to be the case. An eleventh-hour move by the state Department of Transportation and AMTRAK has potentially thrown a wrench in the Beltline. And why those two odd entities decided to hold hands and insert themselves into the conversation — this late in the party — is making folks scratch their heads.

(more…)

Bookmark It

A coalition of officials from the state and metro region’s transportation planning agencies have vouched to now take the next step in addressing the issue — moving past pretty blueprints and visions and focusing on the more complex process of actually finding ways to build the mobility solutions.

The Transit Planning Board yesterday, in its final meeting under that banner, unanimously approved a “new year’s resolution” to create the Transit Implementation Board, or TIB. That agency, which will supplant the board, will examine how the region can implement Concept 3 (PDF) — a gridlock-relieving vision of light-rail, heavy-rail and bus routes that would spider throughout metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and MARTA — members of the board — have all passed resolutions in support of Concept 3.

From a press release from the group:

“Two years ago, our region needed to focus on developing a vision for transit that we could all support,” stated TPB and Clayton County Chairman Eldrin Bell. “Today, we’re saying our focus needs to be on implementation. This year has filled me with optimism regarding what our region can accomplish when we work together Now, however, the hard part begins.”

The TIB’s first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29.

Bookmark It

A transit plan designed to make mobility in metro Atlanta more than just cars, cars and cars inched forward today.

The Atlanta Regional Commission this afternoon approved Concept 3, a regional transit plan that advocates are calling “the most far-reaching transit expansion plan in decades.” Designed by the Transit Planning Board, Concept 3 includes heavy rail, express buses, light rail and streetcars. Included in the design are the Beltline and portions of the Brain Train.

“If we actually build the projects in Concept 3, it will transform metro Atlanta in the 21st century just as assuredly as the railroads did in the 19th Century and the Airport and highways did in the 20th Century,” Lee Biola, president of Citizens for Progressive Transit, said in a press release.

To be clear, the commission’s seal of approval doesn’t mean we’ll be riding light-rail to Roswell in a year, it just makes it eligible to be added to a future regional transportation plan, or RTP — a necessary step if the plan hopes to compete for sorely-needed federal funding. A commission spokeswoman says transportation projects in the RTP fall under one of two designations  — one for plans whose funding has been identified, and another for those the commission “aspires” to see come to fruition. Concept 3 would be considered the latter, she says.

A little wonkish, yes, but stick with me here. As I reported last week, there’s a movement underway — yet again — to find more funding for transportation projects. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has pledged — scout’s honor — to re-introduce a regional sales tax to pay for transportation fixes. (It failed by three votes in the lieutenant governor’s chamber last session.) Dick Anderson, executive director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, says he’s been examining a number of new funding mechanisms, including the oh-so controversial public-private partnership.

So while today’s news might not be like breaking ground to lay rails, it’s a start.

Bookmark It

Literally. The Transit Planning Board — the agency that brought you the regional-transit vision called Concept3 — kindly asks for your help to determine how a more mobile metro Atlanta would look.

Visit this survey the agency created that asks what works and what doesn’t. Did a set of railroad tracks look better with or without a commuter rail station? Should downtown Atlanta be served by a bus or light-rail? Should buses run on I-75 or should commuter rail zip along the shoulder?

The board did a commendable job by actually showing how many of the possible solutions to metro Atlanta’s traffic woes would actually appear. If you’re a fan of what-could-be, it’s worth your time to check it out.

(Screenshot from TPB survey)

Bookmark It

It’s still two weeks away, but now’s a great time to let you know about Citizens for Progressive Transit’s “Toast to Concept3″ at Shout on Dec. 2. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.

The local grassroots organization that has done a lot of commendable — and breathtaking — work when it comes to encouraging public transit in metro Atlanta will host light-rail lovers and present speakers who’ll give you an update and summary of Concept3 (warning: PDF), a mobility-boosting vision conceived by the Transit Planning Board and slated for the region.

Anyone and everyone is welcome. And CfPT even provides you with directions on MARTA and a link to its A-TRAIN trip planner. If you guzzle too much, you can just ride the train on home. Genius, people!

Bookmark It

CONNECT THE WORKERS Rev. Timothy McDonald of First Iconium Baptist Church says movement and mobility are a human right and essential to getting people to hospitals, jobs and families.

Two groups hoping to help metro Atlantans move about our world came head to head last night at the Transit Planning Board’s final presentation of Concept3, its regional people-moving vision.

Prior to the plan’s presentation at the Fulton County Library’s downtown branch, several organizations outside rallied to call attention to their own two-year plan which they say places emphasis on riders dependent on public transit to live their daily lives. Concept3, they argued, was “racist” and “white supremacist” in its scope, eschewed the workers who often don’t own cars and don’t travel during peak hours, and served merely as a way to funnel residents of outlying counties into and out of the city — its goal was to relieve congestion rather than connect people. Missing from the equation was a people’s voice on the MARTA executive board, they said. They said the TPB needed to disband and that MARTA be given full authority over public transit in the region.

The ire grew to a boil inside the library’s auditorium when Terence Courtney of Atlanta Jobs With Justice heatedly addressed Cheryl King of the TPB and repeated the groups’ demands. Chief among the concerns he listed was accessibility for the disabled and ensuring that public transit would connect people to areas where they could find sufficient work. King reminded Courtney that the plan is not set in stone and the purpose of the presentation was to gain insight into residents’ needs.

To its credit, the agency — while it may be another bureaucracy in the state’s slow-moving transportation realm — has pushed for transportation solutions for the southern part of the region and city, as well. King is black, as is Clayton County Commissioner Eldrin Bell, chairman of the board. Lest the agency receive new funding or revive its purpose, the TPB is already slated to disband within the next two years. Save for the Peachtree Streetcar, Concept3 does very little to speak about city-specific connections, but one could argue that area is being addressed by Mayor Shirley Franklin’s ConnectAtlantaPlan.

To view the transit riders’ plan, click here. To get more information about Concept3 and the TPB, click here.

(Photo by Thomas Wheatley)

Bookmark It

A new study by the Transit Planning Board shows metro Atlanta voters strongly support transit solutions rather than business as usual when it comes to people moving. In a telephone poll of 4,123 registered voters in 11 metro counties, an overwhelming majority of respondents say that while roads must be maintained and improved, regions need to invest in transit expansion and options for pedestrians.

The numbers from the report:

Increased investment in public transportation would strengthen metro Atlanta’s economy, create jobs, reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and fuel consumption (85% agree, 12% disagree).
Metro Atlanta needs to continue funding road construction, but also needs to spend additional money on new public transportation options (80% agree, 17% disagree).
My community needs more sidewalks and bike lanes (77% agree, 21% disagree).
My community needs more transportation options like commuter rail service, light rail, buses and trolleys (74% agree, 23% disagree).

In contrast, less than half of voters agree with the statement: Metro Atlanta can solve its transportation problems by building new and wider roads, without including new public transportation options (40% agree, 56% disagree).

The study also shows that a regional sales tax that offered a glimmer of hope to the metro Atlanta’s crippling congestion woes may have found strong support had it survived. Of those polled, 58 percent say they would have supported a funding strategy similar to the one that has helped cities such as Charlotte build a light-rail project. The study says voters of all demographics appear open to allow MARTA act as the implementer of those funds.

Perhaps most eye-opening is that 90 percent of those polled say they drive to work alone, with many commuting from neighboring counties into Fulton. Worrisome is that significant numbers of voters say they prefer driving to work. Of those asked who work full time, 31 percent say congestion is a “very serious” problem in metro Atlanta.

Public transit earned applause as well — 81 percent of respondents say they were satisfied with experiences on the service during the last year.

To view PDFs of the poll surveys, click here for DeKalb, here for Fulton, here for City of Atlanta, and here for Clayton.

The board, a coalition of the Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia Regional Transit Authority, MARTA and other agencies, commissioned the study, which was funded by several community improvement districts throughout the region. To view the board’s vision of a more mobile metro region, click here.

(Photo by Jim Stawniak)

Bookmark It

At a symposium organized by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce several months ago, the president of Charlotte, N.C.’s chamber said that his city, which is one-sixth the size of metro Atlanta but still a fierce competitor in attracting businesses and residents, enjoyed a distinct advantage over Georgia: Charlotte is more nimble, he said, and learns from the metro region’s mistakes.

Our more-nimble competitor last week showcased one of the perks such an advantage allows and hosted members of the Transit Planning Board, a multi-agency effort that includes some of the bigger noodles in Georgia’s transportation-planning alphabet soup — MARTA, GRTA, ARC and DOT. The centerpiece of the visit was LYNX, Charlotte’s upstart light-rail line. The project began service earlier this year, has seen ridership numbers exceed initial estimates, and was brought to life partly by a funding strategy that allowed a region to levy a local option sales tax on itself. Transit advocates in metro Atlanta hope a similar version currently navigating its way through the General Assembly will jumpstart the region’s lackluster and antiquated transportation situation. The resolution passed the House last week and now awaits tinkering in a conference committee.

The TPB recently unveiled Concept 3, its own multi-year vision for metro Atlanta’s transportation future which also includes light-rail. To view the agency’s plan, click here. Below are upcoming public meetings about the plan:

• April 1, 2008 — Cobb Central Library 266 Roswell Street, Marietta, GA from 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM

• April 17, 2008 — Education Room, Southern Regional Hospital, 11 Upper Riverdale, Road SW, Riverdale, GA from 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM

• April 19, 2008 — Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA starting at 10:00 AM

• April 29, 2008 — Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 235 Andrew Young International Boulevard, Atlanta, GA from 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM

TPB Chairman Eldrin Bell and MARTA General Manager Bev Scott, who both attended the Charlotte visit, found out about the House’s vote on Friday via BlackBerry. After the jump, view how they reacted to the news.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Gena Abraham, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, and Carol Couch, director of the state Environmental Protection Division, spoke today at the South Metro Outlook conference held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. Lots of interesting tidbits, but to aid you, dear reader, I’ve bulleted the eyebrow-raisers of the morning.

• “We have to look at alternate modes of transportation,” Abraham said. “We can not build enough roads and bridges to build ourselves out of this transportation problem.”

Increasing property and construction costs have presented a challenge to the cash-strapped and mismanaged state agency that for years has been known as “the Department of Roads and Bridges,” she said. (Abraham took the reins in December 2007.) While Abraham did not want to jump too far ahead and outline what she thought the metro region needed in terms of transportation fixes, she did say that she would support the findings of the Transit Planning Board. That board is a coalition of MARTA, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the DOT. View its plans for metro Atlanta here.

• Abraham said that MARTA should be the backbone for the transit system in the state. (I think she meant “city” here. She was speaking about how the transportation dilemma is a statewide problem, affecting Georgia’s ports as well as metro Atlanta congestion. Continued inaction would lead to economic impacts, she said. For example, freight traffic coming from the state’s ports into the metro region would be affected.)

• “Now, about public-private initiatives,” Abraham said. “They are not the panacea. They only cover a portion of these projects. We have to look at alternate modes of transportation in addition to PPIs.” Multiple sources of funding exist, she said, and should be explored and considered. (more…)

Bookmark It

There’s a lot of good going down in regards to transit ideas for Atlanta — let’s just hope the city can find the money to make the best ones a reality. Case in point: the just-released glimpse of what the Transit Planning Board, or TPB, has in store for Atlanta.

It wants mass transit, lots of it — light rail, commuter rail for longer trips, bus rapid transit, the works. MARTA would be extended farther along its routes. Light-rail transit is proposed for a variety of areas, such as the top end of I-285, the well-traveled corridor on I-75 North to Town Center, and from Lindbergh through Emory to Decatur. Click here to view a map of the plan.

TPB planners estimate the project’s $28 billion cost will raise total transit operations in the region to $54 billion through 2030. What’s that come down to per person? Per the agency’s press release:

Assuming a population of 6 million people living in the Atlanta region in 2030, funding transit will cost each metro resident about $1.00 a day, or less than a cup of coffee in most places.

The TPB, a collaborative effort between MARTA, the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Regional Transit Authority, is a relative newcomer to the chunky stew that is transit planning in the region. Mayor Shirley Franklin recently threw her name into the transportation game with the Connect Atlanta Plan, a public-driven effort that’s being touted as the city proper’s first-ever endeavor.

Click here to read the TPB’s release detailing the changes and expansions it’s considering.

Bookmark It