Switching to Transit in Atlanta—Affordable but Unlikely

Darin from ATL Urbanist picks up on a recent report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) finding that residents of Atlanta can save big money by ditching their cars and riding transit.

1 minute read

November 17, 2014, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"$9,253 — that’s the average annual savings for someone in Metro Atlanta who, according to this new APTA report, gives up a car and switches to public transit," reports the ATL Urbanist. The report, released in October, has similar data for other cities around country as well.

But a sober assessment of what it would really take to switch to transit in Atlanta is in order. According to the post: "Here’s a BIG asterisk for that dollar amount: the Atlanta region is so heavily dominated by car-centric sprawl that there are many here who might like to save this money and make the switch to transit, but can’t."

The post pivots on the report—as well as another Brookings report showing Atlanta's dismal workforce transit access—to make the case for more compact development.

Thursday, November 13, 2014 in ATL Urbanist

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