How would you de-congest I-285?
Revive285 Top End — an initiative launched by the state Department of Transportation and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to figure out how to clear up congestion along the northern crescent of I-285 — is seeking public input.
Revive285 has proposed eight alternatives, ranging from weak (just one new bus lane in each direction) to pretty darned exciting stuff that should have happened years ago (a rail line, presumably from the Perimeter area to Cumberland). You can download the PDF here.
I just got a note from Katie Little at Hayslett Group asking me to post information on how to comment (see below).
I hope people who are concerned about Atlanta’s transportation systems — and particularly who want alternatives to the automobile — will comment. But I’d also like to learn more about it, er, the lazy way — that is, by getting someone to explain it to us with some comments.
Stop! Don’t comment here. For the rest of this post — and to comment — head on over to My Green ATL.
Reviving bus idling debate
Photo credit: Joeventures via Flickr
Some people take issue with the pollution, noise and unpleasantness created by commuter buses when they idle in downtown traffic, as evidenced by an article that ran in the AJC in June.
I’m not interested so much in whether the buses can be ticketed for idling too long.
My question is this:
Why do non-Fulton County buses pick up and drop off passengers at so many spots in Fulton County (namely downtown)? Why not have the buses pick up or drop off passengers at stations at the outermost edge of MARTA’s system, closest to the county of origin of the bus company?
I was walking in Woodruff Park last week around rush-hour and I saw a Cobb County Transit bus drive by. That bus was about 10 miles from the border between Fulton and Cobb counties.
Why is a Cobb County bus so far away from its home territory? Why not route the bus to a MARTA station closer to the Cobb County border?
Some may say Cobb County riders don’t want to ride on MARTA. But I have to guess what I’m saying is what the bus systems originally envisioned.
Why? Because in the case of Cobb County, at least, the county’s bus system uses the BREEZE card, which MARTA also uses, allowing for smooth, free transfers between the two systems.
What I find interesting about the AJC article is the following quote:
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