How would more rail transit affect metro Atlanta? (Roswell, Marietta: buy, school)

[cityfilms]

marietta is a completely culturally diff. city than atlanta. They don't deserve transit here, and nobody in Atlanta wants to ride up there. Cumberland is a joke, it's mostly an overdeveloped office park with tons of empty lots and sidewalks leading to nowhere.

Let's stop rewarding stupidity.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I've been trying to get a handle on the specifics how the proposed new rail lines would affect our metro area, and would love to see links to any of the studies that have been done.

I know this data is a few years old but the latest numbers for station ridership are from 2007. Is it safe to assume these are still about right (i.e., within 10% or so)?

The top 10 busiest MARTA stations are: Five Points (25,200 daily passengers), Airport (11,500), Hamilton E. Holmes (10,600), College Park (9,500), Kensington (9,200), Lindbergh Center (8,200), Peachtree Center (7,900), West End (7,970), Arts Center (7,200) and Avondale (6,400).

Ham E Ho is in the top ten?? That means it should be extended west IMO...Maybe to Fulton Ind.

Art Center would get less numbers if it split off toward the 75/Cobb area. Im surprised Indian Creek is not high like Ham E Ho.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by cityfilms

marietta is a completely culturally diff. city than atlanta. They don't deserve transit here, and nobody in Atlanta wants to ride up there. Cumberland is a joke, it's mostly an overdeveloped office park with tons of empty lots and sidewalks leading to nowhere.

Let's stop rewarding stupidity.

How can it be overdeveloped with tons of empty lots??

I work in an office tower in Cumberland. The Cobb Energy Center is pretty cool, or at least the zombies thought so this past summer.

[StAubin]

I went to the public meeting yesturday in marietta. I belive a vast majority of the people there where for it. One guy went up and bashed it and mabye got one person clapping for him, the next guy gave an emotional speech about the need for better transit and job options for the region and he got a large applause,

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

The Cobb Energy Center is pretty cool, or at least the zombies thought so this past summer.

I thought they blew it up! I wonder if the zombies rebuilt the Cobb Energy Center over the summer, in time for a second season of their hit cable show.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

I thought they blew it up! I wonder if the zombies rebuilt the Cobb Energy Center over the summer, in time for a second season of their hit cable show.

Noooo... They blew up the copy ... you know, the CDC building that looked like the Cobb Energy Center. The real one is still there.

[jpatlanta]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I've been trying to get a handle on the specifics how the proposed new rail lines would affect our metro area, and would love to see links to any of the studies that have been done.

I know this data is a few years old but the latest numbers for station ridership are from 2007. Is it safe to assume these are still about right (i.e., within 10% or so)?

The top 10 busiest MARTA stations are: Five Points (25,200 daily passengers), Airport (11,500), Hamilton E. Holmes (10,600), College Park (9,500), Kensington (9,200), Lindbergh Center (8,200), Peachtree Center (7,900), West End (7,970), Arts Center (7,200) and Avondale (6,400).

If Avondale is no. 10 at 6,400 riders per day, I'd assume Dunwoody/Perimeter is probably in the range of 6,000 per day. Would that be a safe ballpark figure?

If there was a station at Cumberland, it seems to me it would most likely resemble the station at Dunwoody, with similar ridership. Is that also a safe guess?

Is 6,000 riders a day enough to justify the Cobb-Midtown line? If those figures are correct, how would the economics work out?


Also, aside from ridership and financial projections, what other effects are these lines likely to have? I'd love to see the projections.

Thanks!

These figures don't seem right to me or even close. I am often at Midtown and its busy thru-out the day and way busier than Arts station yet its not on the list. Same with Dunwoody and North Springs. I would say these numbers are under estimated by a good bit. Hasn't ridership gone up a lot in the past 5 years as well (50% ?)

[Mgyeldell]

Originally Posted by jpatlanta

These figures don't seem right to me or even close. I am often at Midtown and its busy thru-out the day and way busier than Arts station yet its not on the list. Same with Dunwoody and North Springs. I would say these numbers are under estimated by a good bit. Hasn't ridership gone up a lot in the past 5 years as well (50% ?)

I agree the numbers were alot lower than I thought they would be.

[Bizurko]

IMO more rail transit would affect the metro positively, if the demand is there though. The biggest issue I have is with those who put a bad rap on the rail lines, saying it'll bring crime or this or that. 1st it'll bring jobs for the region and 2nd it'll ease traffic (imo). Those that think it'll bring crime to the areas, that really is a load of crap it'll bring jobs, tourism, and help the economy for that area (if it embraces it and provides opportunities for shopping or restaurants or housing around those stations or at least reliable local taxi services). I think we should expand, just my thoughts

[SEAandATL]

More rail transit will have mostly positive effects of the metro. Mainly, it will boost the local economy. If done right, and the rail transit is privatized, then that will be revenue for the companies. Also, people will have more desire to travel to and live in Atlanta. Lack of rail transit could turn Atlanta into another Detroit. I would rather have Atlanta turn into a mini-Tokyo.