Design Your Own MARTA Expansion (Atlanta, Decatur: engineers, drive, lowest)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I forgot about that... hmmmm

Might make it a bit confusing with the Peach A-J lines.

Could name the lines after the terminating station?

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Could name the lines after the terminating station?

Aye, or could name the Streetcar lines based on the route plans

[CJ314]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

That's why it's labeled as the Fall Line, as a poke to the highway, and to keep all that **** out of the discussion.

I agree; it's just a color. I don't really care what they are. What's more important to me is where the tracks are and what kind of tracks they are. How much does it cost? How fast is it (this seems to be overlooked a lot when comparing HRT to LRT or BRT)? How much capacity can it handle? How well does it scale? How much are capital costs AND maintenance costs (this part is also conveniently left out of the HRT vs. LRT or BRT discussion)? Having HRT lines to the major population centers of the city seems like a really good idea to me. We don't need a spider-web network going to every neighborhood in the city since HRT does cost a lot to put in (I mean ... a LOT). But, having it going to the major development peninsulas from the city seems like a solid plan. I imagine that that is what the city planners were thinking in the 1960's before Cobb and Gwinnett backed out of the project.

Each technology has its place. The map FourthWarden posted does a fantastic job (or at least among the best of what I've seen so far) at dishing out the transit technologies into the spots that are best-suited for those technologies.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by CJ314

I agree; it's just a color. I don't really care what they are. What's more important to me is where the tracks are and what kind of tracks they are. How much does it cost? How fast is it (this seems to be overlooked a lot when comparing HRT to LRT or BRT)? How much capacity can it handle? How well does it scale? How much are capital costs AND maintenance costs (this part is also conveniently left out of the HRT vs. LRT or BRT discussion)? Having HRT lines to the major population centers of the city seems like a really good idea to me. We don't need a spider-web network going to every neighborhood in the city since HRT does cost a lot to put in (I mean ... a LOT). But, having it going to the major development peninsulas from the city seems like a solid plan. I imagine that that is what the city planners were thinking in the 1960's before Cobb and Gwinnett backed out of the project.

Each technology has its place. The map FourthWarden posted does a fantastic job (or at least among the best of what I've seen so far) at dishing out the transit technologies into the spots that are best-suited for those technologies.

I don't understand the color naming scheme. Its done pretty much everywhere. I guess if you are a regular its easy to remember. But for non-regulars, it would seem descriptive would be better.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bu2

I don't understand the color naming scheme. Its done pretty much everywhere. I guess if you are a regular its easy to remember. But for non-regulars, it would seem descriptive would be better.

It is easier to display on a map, if each line is color designated. I would hope non-regular users and even first time users would do a little bit of research before riding.

[ehoez]

what about this one?

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ehoez

what about this one?

Where is a line running thru most of Clayton County, a MARTA county?

[skbl17]

That map was made a year ago (January 31, 2014), so it was probably made while the fallout from 1/28 was going on. I also assume it's just a busway and HRT map (no commuter rail or streetcar), and that Clayton wasn't included because (1) it wasn't a MARTA county at the time and (2) MARTA hadn't published its commuter rail proposal at that point.

But those are all just assumptions.

- skbl17

[bu2]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It is easier to display on a map, if each line is color designated. I would hope non-regular users and even first time users would do a little bit of research before riding.

If a train comes up and you aren't a regular, its a lot easier if it is pulling past you to a stop to figure out Doraville or Perimeter instead of Gold or Red. Or to remember which one of the east-west lines goes on to Decatur and which one ends before that instead of Green or Blue.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by bu2

If a train comes up and you aren't a regular, its a lot easier if it is pulling past you to a stop to figure out Doraville or Perimeter instead of Gold or Red. Or to remember which one of the east-west lines goes on to Decatur and which one ends before that instead of Green or Blue.

This is probably why riders still refer to the northbound Red and Gold routes as the North Springs and Doraville, respectively. Hell, even the drivers tend to say "This is a Gold line, Doraville" or "Red line, North Springs" train when approaching Lindbergh.