Design Your Own MARTA Expansion (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartment complex, gym, suburban)

[bu2]

MARTA needs to become broader, but there's a long road to get there. Maybe you have inside sources, but I'm skeptical Cobb County residents can be convinced at this point in time. Not sure enough of Gwinnet can be convinced either. And I don't see the state forcing it on them or offerring a bunch of state support to encourage them.

I don't remember the source on the N. Fulton mayors decision not to promote the northern MARTA extension as part of the sales tax, it was probably either AJC or a patch article, quoting one of the North Fulton mayors in the last couple of weeks.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

Isn't part of the point of these connections to allow for many different kinds of commutes? Maybe there aren't a number of Kennesaw-Dunwoody drivers, but there are certainly TONS of daily commuters with a Kennesaw-Cumberland trek as part of their commute. Similarly, there are plenty of commuters with a 285-ish daily commute that includes all or part of a Cumberland-Dunwoody path. I thought they were stressing something more like this rather than a direct Kennesaw-Dunwoody line. But even with that, it might create more opportunities for people to get to/from Kennesaw to MARTA and intown.

It just seems smart to create these links to help expand the transit path options throughout the metro area. Kennesaw State alone is expecting to have something like 35,000 students enrolled by 2016. And they're seriously commuting in from all over (as 75 and 575 get increasingly clusterfreaky).

The figures I've seen quoted are that you lose 25-40% of your riders whenever you force a transfer. Most of these people are already transferring from cars or a bus to a train, so this would be a second transfer. And they may need another transfer once they get there. The lines need to go directly to enough destinations to be justified. That's why I dislike the Cobb and Gwinnet light rail proposals. I believe that creates a "dis-connected" disfuntional system, not a connected system. Expansion of MARTA trains rather than a new light rail system makes more sense in high capacity corridors. I don't think the Turner Field extension makes sense, but to use it for an example, you could have a Kennesaw-Cumberland Mall-285-Perimeter Mall-Downtown-Turner Field line that serves 285 while still going to high employment destinations like Buckhead and downtown.

And the transfer problems don't even get into the inefficiency of requiring whole new repair and maintenance infrastructures for separate, dis-connected proposed light rail systems in Cobb, Gwinnet and several in Fulton & Dekalb.

[RandyWatson13]

Originally Posted by bu2

The figures I've seen quoted are that you lose 25-40% of your riders whenever you force a transfer. Most of these people are already transferring from cars or a bus to a train, so this would be a second transfer. And they may need another transfer once they get there. The lines need to go directly to enough destinations to be justified. That's why I dislike the Cobb and Gwinnet light rail proposals. I believe that creates a "dis-connected" disfuntional system, not a connected system. Expansion of MARTA trains rather than a new light rail system makes more sense in high capacity corridors. I don't think the Turner Field extension makes sense, but to use it for an example, you could have a Kennesaw-Cumberland Mall-285-Perimeter Mall-Downtown-Turner Field line that serves 285 while still going to high employment destinations like Buckhead and downtown.

And the transfer problems don't even get into the inefficiency of requiring whole new repair and maintenance infrastructures for separate, dis-connected proposed light rail systems in Cobb, Gwinnet and several in Fulton & Dekalb.

Agreed, I'd be much less likely to ride if I have to transfer.....

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bu2

The figures I've seen quoted are that you lose 25-40% of your riders whenever you force a transfer. Most of these people are already transferring from cars or a bus to a train, so this would be a second transfer. And they may need another transfer once they get there. The lines need to go directly to enough destinations to be justified. That's why I dislike the Cobb and Gwinnet light rail proposals. I believe that creates a "dis-connected" disfuntional system, not a connected system. Expansion of MARTA trains rather than a new light rail system makes more sense in high capacity corridors. I don't think the Turner Field extension makes sense, but to use it for an example, you could have a Kennesaw-Cumberland Mall-285-Perimeter Mall-Downtown-Turner Field line that serves 285 while still going to high employment destinations like Buckhead and downtown.

And the transfer problems don't even get into the inefficiency of requiring whole new repair and maintenance infrastructures for separate, dis-connected proposed light rail systems in Cobb, Gwinnet and several in Fulton & Dekalb.

I agree with you about the deterrent effect of transfers. If it's as simple as walking from one train platform to another it's not a big deal, but if the transfer becomes much more complicated and/or time-consuming than that a lot of folks will pass.

Still, you've got to somehow address the needs of folks in the north metro area.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by bu2

The figures I've seen quoted are that you lose 25-40% of your riders whenever you force a transfer. Most of these people are already transferring from cars or a bus to a train, so this would be a second transfer. And they may need another transfer once they get there. The lines need to go directly to enough destinations to be justified. That's why I dislike the Cobb and Gwinnet light rail proposals. I believe that creates a "dis-connected" disfuntional system, not a connected system. Expansion of MARTA trains rather than a new light rail system makes more sense in high capacity corridors. I don't think the Turner Field extension makes sense, but to use it for an example, you could have a Kennesaw-Cumberland Mall-285-Perimeter Mall-Downtown-Turner Field line that serves 285 while still going to high employment destinations like Buckhead and downtown.

And the transfer problems don't even get into the inefficiency of requiring whole new repair and maintenance infrastructures for separate, dis-connected proposed light rail systems in Cobb, Gwinnet and several in Fulton & Dekalb.

I agree with this in theory. The catch, however, is that to truly minimize rail transfers, all the proposed rail lines would have to be heavy rail. I don't think rail-rail transfers should be too bad as long as they schedule them properly, which is more doable under a consolidated, regional system.

[tomno00]

it'd be nice if there was a stop at turner field

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by tomno00

it'd be nice if there was a stop at turner field

That is a current proposal

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

I agree with this in theory. The catch, however, is that to truly minimize rail transfers, all the proposed rail lines would have to be heavy rail. I don't think rail-rail transfers should be too bad as long as they schedule them properly, which is more doable under a consolidated, regional system.

No, only extensions on current lines would need to be heavy rail.

All other new lines can be light rail, because people would have to change lines at stations/transfer stations anyway. For right-of-way light rail in Atlanta, I prefer the light metro/medium-capacity system version (#1). For surface streets (ie Peachtree and Downtown streetcars), I prefer the streetcar/tram/trolley version of light rail (#2).

1. Medium-capacity rail transport system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2. Tram and light-rail transit systems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For example, the Belt Line can be light rail (tram or light metro)...it will cross the heavy rail blue and green lines at the new Cabbagetown Station (as well as other stations).

A light rail line (light metro!) from Gwinnett, through Tucker, Northlake, Leafmore, Emory, and Cheshire Bridge would cross the gold and red lines at the new Armour Valley Station (as well as other stations). This light rail line would then continue on to/through Brookwood, Atlantic Station, Hemphill Circle, West Midtown, on down to Grand Five Points.

[green_mariner]

I say expand the MARTA rail out to the outer suburbs of metro Atlanta.
Gold Line: Should be expanded to Buford. Extend the Gold Line to Clayton County to the South
Red Line: Extend it to Alpharetta/Roswell area in the northern part. To the South, extend it to Henry County. Also, the Red Line needs to be forked to extend it to Woodstock,GA to the northwest.
Blue Line: Extend to Gwinnett County to the east(Snellville) and Douglasville to the west
Green Line: Extend to Lawrenceville in the east, extend to Dallas,GA in the west, going through Powder Springs.

Furthermore, there should be concentric rings, like the planned beltway, going further out, connecting different lines within the same county.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

The catch, however, is that to truly minimize rail transfers, all the proposed rail lines would have to be heavy rail.

You can't interface light rail one of MARTA's heavy rail lines?

Not arguing, just asking.