Archive for the ‘Transportation’ Category

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Last week, I wrote about my frustration with long wait times on MARTA and talked with agency officials who explained the cost of adding more service. Today, I visit with a Georgia Tech engineering professor who is trying to cut down on the inconvenience of waiting by introducing technology that will keep riders informed on how long it will take before their bus or train reaches their stop or station. In our second column, a transit consultant comments on the Atlanta streetcar system’s projected wait times.

Commenting is open below.

Aiding transit in real time

By Tom Sabulis

Given metro Atlanta’s transportation mess, it’s refreshing to find progressive thinkers who are looking to improve things within the existing infrastructure, at little cost to anyone.

Kari Watkins is an engineering professor at Georgia Tech who, while at the University of Washington, co-developed a computer application for Seattle transit called OneBusAway. The app taps into …

Continue reading MARTA, streetcar wait times »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Wait times and ridership are inversely proportional, a MARTA official told me recently: If wait times are increased, they lose passengers. So it’s no surprise that the deficit-troubled agency has been losing customers since it cut service on trains and buses in 2010. And with fewer riders, how do you justify improving the long wait times that frustrate commuters? It’s a tough fix, but something needs to be done, as I write today along with a local transportation advocate.

Commenting is open below.

Waiting on our rapid transit

By Tom Sabulis

When visiting family in upstate New York, I usually take the Metro-North rail line from Grand Central Station in Manhattan, which glides up the east bank of the Hudson River to my stop in Beacon, just south of Poughkeepsie. It leaves roughly every half-hour during peak travel times, and every hour otherwise.

Like many people, I consult a schedule before I go, lest I wind up with a lot of time to kill on the …

Continue reading MARTA wait times »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The Georgia Department of Transportation says the new “price-managed” lanes being built on I-75 in Henry County are an option for commuters that will provide welcome reliability and relief from traffic congestion. But a local highway engineer argues that new free lanes are the best way to go for taxpayers, even if it means raising the gas tax.

Commenting is open below.

New toll lanes can provide reliability

By Toby Carr

How long does it take for you to get home from work? If your answer is, “It depends,” then you are like most commuters in metro Atlanta. We determine the length, in miles, of our daily commutes by choosing where we live. But the length, in time, is too often out of our control because of other commuters, wrecks, stalls and other variables.

Time is a precious and non-renewable resource, and none of us wants to waste it by sitting in traffic. Georgia’s transportation agencies are working together to provide an option to car and …

Continue reading I-75 toll lanes »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A county official says the Georgia General Assembly showed lack of leadership this year in declining to move on proposed bills that would have allowed counties to fund transportation projects. One thing Gov. Nathan Deal and legislators did do, however, was extend $8.1 million in funding for the Xpress bus service, managed by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. GRTA’s board chairman explains why that’s a good move.

Commenting is open below.

Legislature ignores good funding ideas

By Steve Brown

When the Transportation Investment Act (also known as T-SPLOST) referendum failed last July, voters expressed their extreme disappointment and mistrust of the state Legislature. The latest attempt at ethics reform, complete with king-sized exemptions for lobbyists, will do little to restore public trust.

Sen. Josh McKoon deserves a pat on the back for attempting to tame a group of legislators who flourish on free expensive dinners, trips to resorts, …

Continue reading Xpress bus, missed opportunities »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Flexibility and collaboration on small strategic projects will be key as the region seeks to upgrade transit and transportation with minimal funding. Today, we hear from a Cobb County official who welcomes a new flex bus route and urges residents to give input. A GDOT leader looks at the bigger picture, saying it’s time to deliver real solutions working with what we’ve got.

Commenting is open below.

Flex bus service a small step forward

By Lisa Cupid

Movement is a hallmark of life. So when two of Cobb County’s transit routes were cut in 2011, it was little surprise that families were upended.

One gentleman now walks for an hour to get to the nearest bus stop, so the bus can take him another 90 minutes to work. One way.

Another woman with acute asthma walks at least four miles to get medical treatment.

A young mother must now walk at least one mile, with children in tow, to buy groceries at the nearest mini-mart.

What’s disturbing is that some …

Continue reading Flex transportation enough of a start? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Despite last year’s failed transportation sales tax referendum and, more recently, a Georgia General Assembly session short on new ideas for congestion relief, there is some never-say-die optimism percolating in the private sector. Innovators and self-taxing business organizations are plowing ahead to find ways around our gridlocked geography. Two pieces today highlight, respectively, some concrete action in north metro Atlanta and a blueprint that shows the region how to break the mold and move forward.

Commenting is open below.

Perimeter business and its own Plan B

By Yvonne Williams

As part of comprehensive transportation solutions for metro Atlanta, the Perimeter business community has zeroed in on a “Plan B” to accelerate improvements to the I-285 and Ga. 400 interchange. This project of regional significance will help ensure the continued success of one of Georgia’s economic generators: the Central Perimeter business district.

The current …

Continue reading Other solutions for transportation »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Two views on fighting congestion today: The first comes from MARTA and its plans to promote real estate developments around existing stations. These will provide residential and business opportunities for citizens who really want to beat the vehicular madness by living or locating near MARTA. The second comes from a transportation think tank which reports that, while our traffic is awful, at least it’s predictable. If you’re flexible and plan adequately, you can find a way around the gridlock.

Commenting is open below.

Non-transit projects underway

By Keith Parker

In case you haven’t heard yet, MARTA is now open for business.

Of course, MARTA remains dedicated to its core mission of providing quality bus, rail and paratransit service to the metro Atlanta region as we’ve done for the past 34 years.

We also realize MARTA has an obligation – and an opportunity – to collaborate more closely with the private sector and other stakeholders to …

Continue reading Getting around traffic congestion »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are multiplying in metro Atlanta thanks, in part, to a push from the city and federal subsidies. Today, an EV enthusiast writes about his experience driving around town and finding a charge when needed. The city’s sustainability director cheers their environmental impact. But a conservative transportation policy expert says the numbers just don’t add up.

Commenting is open below.

Economical and “a blast to drive”

By Chris Campbell

I am an electric vehicle (EV) owner and enthusiast, one of thousands in the metro Atlanta area, and in recent months I’ve been overjoyed to see EV charging stations popping up all over town.

Electric vehicles are incredibly efficient, producing less total emissions than gas cars even if you include the power plant emissions. They are blissfully cheap to operate — the electricity costs only about $20 per month. And these cars are an absolute blast to drive, with full torque …

Continue reading Electric cars in Atlanta »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Gov. Nathan Deal has proposed that the state spend about $8 million this year to fund the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority’s Xpress bus service, which serves long-haul commuters in metro Atlanta. That’s an encouraging sign, writes a Georgia Department of Transportation official. A transit advocate agrees, but says the state should do more than fund one system over all others.

Commenting is open below.

State funding GRTA bus is a good move

By Johnny Floyd

This year, Governor Deal proposed utilizing part of the state’s budget to fund the operations of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) in running its Xpress Service in metro Atlanta. The State Transportation Board strongly supports this initiative.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has worked with GRTA since its inception helping remove thousands of vehicles from the roads during peak hours. Savings in lost fuel and productivity now total more than $140 million …

Continue reading GRTA funding a good thing? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

One of our guest opinion columnists has an out-of-the-box idea for a transportation experiment in the city – a maglev line running from MARTA’s Arts Center station to the Atlantic Station area. What do you think?

Commenting is open below.

By Dave Henson

After the failure of the metro Atlanta transportation referendum last year, Gov. Nathan Deal said it “slams the door on further expansion of our rail network any time soon.” Despite this understandable sentiment, I think commuter rail can get back on track.

It’s important to remember that the governor supported the referendum to the end, nobly going down with the rickety ship he inherited. The business community was grateful for his support, but other pro-transit groups undercut him by loudly opposing the plan. I believe a business-backed rail initiative could still pique Deal’s interest.

In addition to benefiting the business community, new rail would have to serve a large number of potential …

Continue reading Maglev test line for Atlanta? »