Cobb Pkwy BRT line included in Cobb County's Comprehensive Plan (Atlanta: sales, sales tax)

[MattCW]

Wrong! People will use the mode that gets them where they need to go quickly and conveniently. If that's a bus, they'll ride it. People "don't want to ride buses" because THE ROUTES SUCK! Run the buses in the core with frequencies to match the trains, run them on routes that don't meander everywhere, and people will ride them! It is NOT that hard! Why MARTA consistently refuses to actually improve the bus routes is far beyond me.

[Datdudebrah]

I get that BRT would be nice, but are the 10 routes Cobb runs between Arts Center and Cumberland that bad? That already runs at 15 minute headways and they have plans to improve the routes (10X route). I think we need better advertisement of whats available & more cooperation between entities (ie., show high frequency bus routes on the marta map)

Sure more could be done to improve connections through cobb & kennessaw, but we'll see.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Have we really still not come to the understanding that the majority of people that use mass transit do not want to ride buses? No matter how you fancy it up with the BRT title?

Wait so is this like a general statement? And I take it you've spent a lot of time in Seattle and Portland and other cities besides ours? Since you have such great understanding and are saying this?

Because I know I was over there (Seattle) all of 7 days, a couple years ago, and after that I never wanted to ride in anything BUT a bus again for the rest of my life. The experience was absolutely superior in every way, and such a savings vs Uber. And none of the hassle of finding and paying for parking or parallel parking or any of that. No hassle of any kind. Fast, convenient, frequent, reliable, and logical straight routes that were easy to figure out and everything just made sense. It was much like the experience of spending a week in Chicago and relying on the also fantastic L system. Neither of those vacations did I get in a car once or feel any need or desire to, and I wasn't staying downtown, either.

I never commute by transit and have hardly gotten much use out of Metro Atlanta's transit- but it's not because of bias against transit or buses inherently, it's because it's never been reasonably feasible or reasonably worth it. If there was a good bus option between my home and destination, then I'd be all about giving that a shot. But I'm also not so hardcore into transit that I have to live in Kirkwood or something because not driving is that important of a factor to me. Driving is fine, it works.

The transit, regardless of what types of rubber wheels or if on a track or the technical aspects- it should serve me- it should come to where I choose to live and be useful to me in my day to day life. It should be convenient and a competitive option. If so, I'm more than down to try it and probably use it often. If it's not, then I'll just drive most of the time and otherwise use ride shares. Uber/Lyft is great especially when living in Cobb. It's basically our (generally expensive) transit system.

I would think the majority of people just want to get from Point A to Point B in the all around best way possible. When considering all the various factors. Like cost of owning and maintaining a car certainly is one such factor. But no one's gonna do a 3 hour indirect commute via abysmal transit services when they have a 30 min via car direct option w free and abundant parking at the workplace. Or I know I'm not.

Awesome quality BRT between Cumberland and the Perimeter/Dunwoody area would actually totally change the situation for me. I would absolutely try commuting with it in my current living situation.

But the likelihood goes down if BRT-creep compromises are made and the service quality degrades. It can't be a worse overall experience vs my driving option. But there's no reason a BRT type bus service that bypasses traffic congestion couldn't be better than my driving option.

It's pretty simple- quality is hugely important- but Metro Atlanta leaders don't fathom that or don't care.

100% what MattCW said.

Originally Posted by Datdudebrah

I get that BRT would be nice, but are the 10 routes Cobb runs between Arts Center and Cumberland that bad? That already runs at 15 minute headways and they have plans to improve the routes (10X route). I think we need better advertisement of whats available & more cooperation between entities (ie., show high frequency bus routes on the marta map)

Sure more could be done to improve connections through cobb & kennessaw, but we'll see.

The 10 is definitely decent as a normal bus route, but the main problem is it's having to be the transit backbone and the only connection for the main corridor of Cobb County with Atlanta and the rest of the metro. It's a standard length bus that hold like maybe 40 passengers, and Cobb has over 750,000 people.

Putting CRT/LRT/HRT aside, and assuming we never get those nice things in the Cumberland area, I would like to see a real, quality MARTA BRT-type link between the Galleria and Arts Center. Way better than now.

From my nearby condo in Vinings I want to be able to drive (or Lyft) a short distance, park somewhere in the core of the mall/Galleria/Akers Mill area as a free, abundant MARTA park&ride right off I-75, I tap my Breeze card and then within like 5 minutes I board the next bus, which would be a high capacity, articulated (maybe even bi-articulated that looks like a light rail), then from the station it directly accesses (what should be) the managed Peach Pass lane system on I-75 ITP, with no traffic lights or delays.

Then on the other end, same thing, as direct and fast and efficient access to Arts Center station from I-75 as possible. Even if that meant some kind of new flyover or tunnel or something.

And ideally I think that bus should be just a shuttle, with no other stops or intermediate stops. Just shuttles between a new, robust and nice Cumberland Transit Center, and Arts Center rail station in Midtown, where you connect either direction from there. At Cumberland you would connect to other buses.

And yes, absolutely, put it on the main MARTA rail map in the trains. Show that it's a direct MARTA link.

I would be using the train system a lot more, because I would be more conveniently connected to it. As it stands the regular 10 bus, even with the 10x changes, is not going to be all that convenient or exciting or advantageous vs the experience of driving or hailing a ride to the Midtown area. Especially since it's an awkwardly long and very hilly walk for me to the current bus stop area and there's no park&ride there.

Man at the very least, they should allow for commuter parking at that Macy's lot out front, and set up some kind of shared system that way. With like a pedestrian bridge or tunnel, or hugely improved crossing.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by primaltech

But I'm also not so hardcore into transit that I have to live in Kirkwood or something because not driving is that important of a factor to me. Driving is fine, it works.

You laugh, but that decision has paid off my property is worth 2X what I paid for it.

[Atlanta Scientist]

Originally Posted by Datdudebrah

I get that BRT would be nice, but are the 10 routes Cobb runs between Arts Center and Cumberland that bad? That already runs at 15 minute headways and they have plans to improve the routes (10X route). I think we need better advertisement of whats available & more cooperation between entities (ie., show high frequency bus routes on the marta map)

Sure more could be done to improve connections through cobb & kennessaw, but we'll see.

This 10x route may get me out of Fulton and into Marietta. Glad it is also making stops at Atlantic Station.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by cqholt

You laugh, but that decision has paid off my property is worth 2X what I paid for it.

To be fair, you bought near the bottom of the market, so not exactly the best example. You're also more than a mile from MARTA rail, and don't have any more bus lines nearby than I do up here in Upper Westside. I don't think transit connectivity would be a major selling point on your block.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by cqholt

You laugh, but that decision has paid off my property is worth 2X what I paid for it.

I don't laugh at all. Glad for you, that's great. I also probably couldn't have afforded that property.

I'm pretty glad mine in Cobb is valued about 50% more than I paid for it 3.5 years ago.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

To be fair, you bought near the bottom of the market, so not exactly the best example. You're also more than a mile from MARTA rail, and don't have any more bus lines nearby than I do up here in Upper Westside. I don't think transit connectivity would be a major selling point on your block.

Route 21 is a few blocks away, with direct service to Five Points.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Have we really still not come to the understanding that the majority of people that use mass transit do not want to ride buses? No matter how you fancy it up with the BRT title?

It entirely depends on image. Did you ever take the Braves shuttle when they played at Turner Field? Those shuttles were often packed. And yet they were just MARTA buses!

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Route 21 is a few blocks away, with direct service to Five Points.

Route 21 (like 99% of all MARTA bus routes) is a total joke! 20 minute headways at rush hour, 30 the rest of the day. Its one saving grace is that it runs pretty directly and doesn't meander all off its route.