A local transit advocate is using legal pressure in an effort to hold the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) accountable for bus transit cuts in the early months of the pandemic.
"DeKalb County resident Ed Williams has asked a Fulton County Superior Court judge to order the [MARTA] transit agency to restore 70 bus routes it eliminated in April to promote social distancing and focus service on key corridors," reports David Wickert.
"Williams also has filed a complaint with the Federal Transit Administration, saying MARTA’s actions were illegal and disproportionately affected minority customers," adds Wickert.
MARTA eliminated 70 of its 100 bus routes in April, and has already restored some bus service, but has yet to set a timetable to fully restore service. The decision to eliminate service during the pandemic as a result of public health requirements and in response to plummeting ridership has been common among transit systems around the country.
According to Wickert, the lawsuit claims that MARTA lacked the authority to cut service without public input.
Read the full story: Lawsuit seeks restoration of MARTA bus routes
The Realities of Pandemic Public Transit Service
Recent analysis by TransitCenter quantifies the effects of the pandemic for the 150 largest U.S. transit systems.
D.C. Metro Seeks Public Input on Proposed Service Cuts
D.C. Metro Seeks Public Input on Proposed Service Cuts
Post-Pandemic Transit Plan Announced in San Francisco
The recently announced post-COVID plan for public transit in San Francisco looks a lot different than the pre-COVID days.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority