The city’s transit agency says bus rapid transit will be cheaper and faster to build than light rail.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is one step closer to approving a bus rapid transit (BRT) line in southwest Atlanta, reports David Wickert in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The board’s planning committee voted to select bus rapid transit — not light rail — as the preferred alternative for the line, a move needed to pursue crucial federal funding.”
The article outlines the history of MARTA’s transit lines, which remained largely unchanged since the completion of major work in 2000. The agency released the findings of a study of the Campbellton corridor in February. “MARTA officials said the transit improvements — along with sidewalks, bike lanes and other improvements included in the project — will be a boon to southwest Atlanta.”
The article states that “MARTA found rapid buses would cost far less than light rail ($130 million versus $340 million). It also found a rapid bus line could open in 2028 (three years sooner than light rail) and would be almost as fast (18 minutes for the full 6-mile trip) as light rail (16 minutes).” BRT is also more likely to receive federal funding, according to MARTA.
The agency is also weighing a redesign of their bus system to provide more frequent service on fewer routes.
FULL STORY: MARTA committee approves plans for Atlanta transit line
Atlanta Proposed Rail Line to Become Bus Rapid Transit
MARTA officials argue that bus rapid transit will be faster and more cost-effective than the originally proposed light rail option.
MARTA Narrows Clifton Corridor Transit Line to Three Options
The agency has selected three potential plans for building a light rail or bus rapid transit line that would serve Emory University and other major employment and commercial hubs.
As Projected Beltline Costs Rise, Atlanta Considers Other Options
MARTA's light rail project could cost more than twice original estimates, prompting the agency to weigh different routes and the potential for bus rapid transit as an alternative to rail.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association