All rights reserved. Sign up for our newsletter designed specifically for you! The council unanimously requested an audit of the More MARTA Atlanta transit expansion program. The citys Finance Department would conduct the audit. The list was narrowed from 70 proposed projects to 17 that were adopted by the MARTA Board in 2018. The citys first official Bus Rapid Transit project the Capitol Hill/Summerhill BRT is slated to open in 2025. More MARTA is a large transit expansion program within Atlanta supported by a 0.5 percent sales tax approved by voters in 2016. . MARTA 2040, More MARTA Atlanta and Connect Clayton. Kotak thinks that transit advocacy in Atlanta hasnt always been well coordinated, and getting different factions on the same page will be key to advancing major improvements in the coming years. MARTA has a second tier of projects on its long term listvery long term. } Historically, MARTA has also been the only transit system for a major U.S. city to receive no state funding. More MARTA votes are in: Atlanta Beltline rail, Clifton Corridor are The Atlanta City Council is poised to ask MARTA to account for money it has spent, and plans to spend, from the 0.5 percent More MARTA Atlanta sales tax city voters approved in 2016. This way we get the most objective assessment of the way More MARTA is going.. Also in the planning phase are a redesign of the Five Points Station, which is MARTAs downtown rail hub, and a new Greenbriar Transit Center, a multi-modal hub for the Campbellton Corridorplus the eastward extension of the downtown streetcar to the Beltline Eastside corridora project that has drawn some vocal opposition from local residents. A virtual update is set for Wednesday, April 19, via www.itsmarta.com/moremarta. We are adding approximately 200 new shelters and amenities at our bus stops each year. To Councilmember Amir Farokhi, who chairs the councils transportation committee, thats a lot of words that dont actually say much. The More MARTA program is funded by a half-penny sales tax approved by Atlanta voters in 2016 specifically to build new rail, streetcar extensions, new bus lines and new stations. It wants detailed information on why MARTA has spent about half the proceeds of a voter-approved . An interactive tool that measures the state of transit equity in major U.S. cities. Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. } Much of this work isnt visible to the public, but were making significant progress.. Many of the agencys longer term-projects, like the Clifton Corridor light rail extension to Emory University, are awaiting additional sources of funding before proceeding to the planning phase. The sales tax is expected to generate $2.7 billion over 40 years; more money for the More MARTA program is coming from public and private dollars. Given the resources at hand thanks to More MARTA, the slow pace of capital expansion projects, and the imperative to rebuild confidence in the transit system after the pandemic, increasing the budget for bus service in tandem with the network redesign looks like the surest path to give riders significant improvements while the 2016 referendum is still fresh in voters minds. MARTAsecured a $2.6M grant for the purchase of 6 New Flyer Xcelsior battery-electric buses that will reduce fleet emissions. 36 North Decatur Road / Virginia Highland. As the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority advances its More MARTA Atlanta Program, the agency's position is bolstered by what an executive called "unprecedented" state funding. The board had to make several difficult choices about which projects to add to the final program roster. NYC Edition. Crew operator availability remains the agencys biggest challenge, as well as adjusting weekend maintenance schedules in order to run service that matches strong weekend demand. Farokhi and the Atlanta City Council, along with Mayor Andre Dickens, approved a resolution in March demanding increased financial transparency for More MARTA, including an audit. JOB FAIR MARCH 11, MARTA STORYBUS DRIVES HOME IMPORTANCE AND JOY OF READING, STREETCAR RETURNS TO SERVICE, SHUTTLE VANS CONTINUE ON ROUTE, MARTA IS HIRING! Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet said, placing this audit in the Citys hands guarantees that we can find an independent third party to review the numbers. Your email address will not be published. If all that sounds like a lot of money, thats because it is. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the sequencing of the transit projects in the More MARTA Atlanta program on June 13. The project is only 2.5 miles in length, but will provide a proof of concept for the rest of the BRT projects planned around the city. MARTA and the City of Atlanta jointly MARTA celebrates Autism Awareness Month with new program It will include 14 stops with buses. Atlanta City Council calls for audit of 'More MARTA' program We have answered these questions, and instead of accepting the answers, Council is playing politics by demanding a full performance review of decisions made by previous MARTA and City of Atlanta leaders. And decisions had to be made. UPDATED: The Atlanta City Council wants to conduct an audit of how MARTA is spending taxpayer dollars to expand transit after the agency recently announced it could only prioritize some of the capital projects approved by voters seven years ago. All that is missing is the political will.. Last week, the More MARTA project list was submitted to Mayor Bottoms for her review in advance of the full MARTA Board's vote on October 4th. More MARTA is funded by a half-penny tax passed in 2016. Apr 21, 2023 Updated Apr 21, 2023 (The Center Square) As the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority advances its More MARTA Atlanta Program, the agency's position is bolstered by what. Of that sum, $174 million will go to the northeastern section linking Ponce City Market to MARTAs Lindbergh Station and $196 million to a southwestern stretch between I-20 and Oakland City Station. by Collin Kelley April 13, 2023. h3 { h3 { MARTAs collaboration with Emory University will transform our ability to connect people to the more than 40,000 jobs along the Clifton Corridor and improve access for over 2 million patients who visit Emory University Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center each year. Despite the massive declines in fare revenue wrought by the pandemic, MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker told Atlanta Magazine in February that federal transit relief funding has put the agency in good financial shape until at least 2024, and that the More MARTA program can proceed as planned. Capital Delivery Projects - Atlanta The audits scope will include all revenues and expenditures associated with the More MARTA Atlanta program. More MARTA is a transit improvement partnership between MARTA and the City of Atlanta that is designing and building transit projects to address the current and future transportation needs of Atlantans by increasing accessibility, mobility, and connectivity. But he emphasizes that the agency also needs to focus on improving local bus service. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our mission is to serve civic-minded Atlantans the best in journalism and other resources to help foster a better connected and informed community. MARTA now open to sales-tax program audit demanded by Atlanta City } We will have more and better transit options to get to job centers, colleges and universities, hospitals, parks and neighborhoods across Atlanta. Height says that historically, transit boosters in Atlanta have been too fixated on a hierarchy of transit modes. MARTA attained the Silver level of recognition for its sustainability efforts. The council says the audit is simply good governance and that it wasn't . And then some stops are laden with kudzu on the road with no shoulder or no sidewalk. (Photo by Kelly Jordan.) The timeline for rail expansion is much longer the first light rail extension to Campbellton Road, which will serve the SW quadrant of the city, wont be completed until 2031. If you ask me personally, MARTAs too coverage heavy, said Height. font-size: 25px; Four years after the More MARTA referendum, what improvements are now tangible for Atlanta transit riders, and what can riders expect to see in the next four? If we are going to take the time and resources necessary to do this, then lets do it right, Overstreet said. Atlanta shouldn't settle for mediocre 'More MARTA' plan RIDER ALERT: Bus Service Changes Effective April 22: Select routes will have increased weekday service. In particular, a regressive sales tax hits some residents harder than others. More MARTA Atlanta Program paves the way for increased connectivity and economic development. Six years later, we do not have those projects, and I still dont believe we have a clear understanding of what money has been spent, what money plans to be spent and what money we will have for projects in the future, Shipman said. On Tuesday, Atlanta leaders called for an audit into the More MARTA program. Atlanta is always like, we have to study and study and studybut at some point we need some action.. By Mariya Murrow, Tim Darnell and Patrick Quinn Published: Mar. After what transit agency management has called a resequencing process, More MARTA is down to nine new projects from the original 17, and it is more bus-centric than the prior project list, which called for 26 miles of light rail, along with new rapid bus lines, new streetcar extensions, and new stations. The program aims to improve transit services in historically underserved communities and increase access to employment centers throughout the city. A list of 73 projects was narrowed to 17 priority Copyright 2023 WANF. The $3 billion More MARTA Atlanta program, funded by an additional half-cent City of Atlanta sales tax, will help us reach those goals with a list of 17 game-changing projects based on robust. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says a bullet hit family home, 24-year-old dies in crash on I-75 in Atlanta, House fire in Johns Creek displaces family, Can police intentionally shoot hostages? The latest news and developments from the transit world. MARTA Advances Capital Program with 'Unprecedented' State Funding Other improvements include: MARTA's Station . MARTA and the City of Atlanta will host three public updates to share information and take questions and comments about the More MARTA Atlanta Program. .featured { font-size: 24px; MARTA advances capital program with 'unprecedented' state funding Are these public dollars being spent as the public intended them to be spent, questioned Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi. below for recordings of the April 19 and 20 meetings, as well as links to the Atlanta BeltLine CEO is eager to link trail to transit - Atlanta More by Collin Kelley, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). In May, MARTA expects to break ground for the Summerhill bus rapid transit line along Hank Aaron Drive and Capitol Avenue. MARTA Future plans for the Main Street revamp at Uptown Atlanta call for connections to forthcoming portions of the BeltLine and South Fork trails, several community gathering spaces for events, and a large park. Meet the dynamic staff working to change transit in American cities. The program of projects is funded by an additional half . The digital home of Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta Intown. Tier I are projects that will be delivered in a first phase. It was MARTA leaderships expectation that after the recent City-requested resequencing exercise, we would focus on delivery of the program. MARTA, city host public updates on More MARTA Atlanta program $570 million for the Atlanta BeltLine corridor; including all high capacity transit modes, the More MARTA Atlanta program builds out 61% of the . In 2018, the MARTA board of directors approved 17 capital projects to be paid for with More MARTA funds. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Learn More Take MARTA to the Atlanta Jazz Festival at Piedmont Park May 27 - 29, 2023 Exit at Midtown Station Learn more MARTA MARTA, DEKALB COUNTY ADVANCE KENSINGTON TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT WITH REZONING APPROVAL MARTA CELEBRATES IMPROVEMENTS AT COLLEGE PARK STATION If you want to make this a better system for everyone, youre going to have to start from scratch and focus on corridors that provide essential services to current riders. He says that the agencys emergency bus network during COVID, designed to serve people who need transit the most, provides a good template for how this can be done. 3:00 pm. Link to information about and archived livestream of past events. ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Atlanta City Council has called for the first-ever audit of the "More MARTA" program. In Georgia, yes, Sign up for Atlanta News First Newsletters. Sumlin, the MARTA Army member, believes Atlanta residents are sympathetic to many of the external factors affecting MARTA and other transit agencies nationwideincluding ridership declines from the COVID-19 pandemic, construction delays, and higher costs for materials and labor from inflation. An interview series with the advocates, experts, and public officials working to improve American transit. In 2016, they voted by a nearly 3-1 margin to approve More MARTA, a half-cent sales tax within the city of Atlanta that currently generates about $75 million each year for transit. I would say that things that we were asking for were received in a combative kind of way, argumentative almost, said Overstreet, when asked to characterize the councils relationship with MARTA. MARTA is your direct route for all flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Thats something where MARTA doesnt have the ability to make the change themselves, but they should be more aggressive in asking local governments to do it., Height sees MARTAs focus on major capital expansion as necessary if Atlanta wants to remain competitive with other big cities. Metro Atlanta kids who are diagnosed with autism will now be able to record public service announcements with the new Autism Transportation Project. font-size: 30px; 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. MARTA has tapped Archer Western Construction to serve as a contractor for the project. 2023 Hyperlocal News and Information for Metro Atlanta. Whats the reason for the gap? asked one of about two dozen Atlanta residents who spoke at the meeting. We dont need to look at transit as, Oh, this vehicle needs to be a train. We need to look at it as, Okay, this is a service that runs every 15 minutes or less, and this is wonderful for our community. He says the bus network redesign is a chance to start thinking holistically about transit, Hope in Trying Times: A Conversation with Transit Industry Leaders, Whats Going on With Transit Service at the Seven Highest Ridership U.S. Cities? This is yet another stall tactic from a collective group that has been wringing their hands and conflating the More MARTA program with the Citys Renew Atlanta TSPLOST program, the agency said. The digital home of Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta Intown. ATLANTA _ The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the City of Atlanta will host three public updates to share information and take questions and comments about the More MARTA Atlanta Program. All Rights Reserved. .featured-events__slide-heading { below for recordings of the April 19 and 20 meetings, as well as links to the The More MARTA Atlanta program is arguably the biggest boost the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has received since the agency was approved by DeKalb and Fulton county voters in 1971. MARTAs statement also said such an audit will delay all of its More MARTA projects. More MARTA Atlanta Program Paves the Way for Increased Connectivity and Economic Development The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors has unanimously. See their stories here. MARTA and the city of Atlanta are using these local dollars to leverage additional federal funding for some of the more expensive and more competitive projects. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to keep up with all things Housing and Democracy related in metro Atlanta. The council says the audit is simply good governance and that it wasnt spurred on by one specific action. Height says these improvements cant come soon enough. Farokhi said hes hopeful the two sides will be able to work towards a more collaborative relationship. We dont need to look at transit as, Oh, this vehicle needs to be a train. We need to look at it as, Okay, this is a service that runs every 15 minutes or less, and this is wonderful for our community. He says the bus network redesign is a chance to start thinking holistically about transit service, rather than the type of vehicle. Four years later, what improvements are now tangible for Atlanta transit riders, and what can riders expect to see in the next four? Instead, that exercise is being used as an excuse to further delay. MARTA and the City of Atlanta will host three public updates to share information and take questions and comments about the More MARTA Atlanta Program. This effort will be key in creating a more comfortable rider experience, says Height. On Tuesday, MARTA accused the city council of playing politics by demanding a full performance review of decisions made by previous MARTA and City of Atlanta leaders. The program of projects introduces new modes to the MARTA system, with 14 new miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) representing 22% of the expansion miles; 22 miles of arterial rapid transit (ART) representing 34% of the expansion; and 29 new miles of light rail service representing 44% of the new service. After the More MARTA vote, MARTA spent two years conducting public engagement, technical analysis, and systemwide planning to determine how to spend the new revenue. It. But to fully build out a robust transit system within the city limits, those dollars will need to be. PDF More MARTA Atlanta FACT SHEET - static1.squarespace.com This expansion program marks a major shift in MARTAs approach to project delivery, with a commitment to seeking public-private partnerships that will generate new sources of revenue and allow for faster completion of projects. Enhanced communication with riders will be key for the agency as it moves into the planning and construction phase of projects, the majority of which will take decades to complete. Though there have been annual changes to the network, the fundamental shape of the system hasnt changed since the 1970s, says Alhadeff. Atlanta city council OKs audit into billion-dollar MARTA program Their support elevates ARC leadership programs, research and events throughout the year. The Atlanta BeltLine was always envisioned as a transportation corridor, a plan validated by Atlanta voters in 2016, said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. The adoption of the More MARTA phasing today is a start towards fulfilling the promise of transportation options to some of the largest hubs for economic and workforce development along the BeltLine." Seven years later, some local elected officials and members of the public seem less than enthused with the transit agencys pared down, bus-heavy agenda, which one observer nicknamed Just a Bit More MARTA, at a public update meeting April 20. Despite the massive declines in fare revenue wrought by the pandemic, MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker told Atlanta Magazine in February that federal transit relief funding has put the agency in good financial shape until at least 2024, and that the More MARTA program can proceed as planned. DeKalb County officials are considering a separate tax referendum to fund improvements in the rest of that county (a DeKalb contingent recently flew to Minneapolis to check out that regions transit), and Gwinnett County has already scheduled a vote next year to finally invite MARTA into its borders. The More MARTA Atlanta program is funded by a 2016 half-penny local sales tax. color:white; Questions and comments? Our Advocacy & Organizing team works with partners across the country to support and co-develop transit campaign strategies. In the fall of 2022 at the request of the Atlanta City Council, MARTA and City leadership began discussing a possible reorganization of the program based on available funding. BUS OPERATIONS JOB FAIR APR. Since 2020, MARTA has been advancing the projects in accordance with the prioritization in the sequencing plan. @media screen and (min-width:1200px) { NEXT STEPS Board Briefing: May Review More MARTA Program of Projects Recommendation Community Outreach Activities: May -August Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings Public Outreach Activities Atlanta City Council Briefings Mayor of Atlanta Briefing Board Work Session: August Review Public Response to More MARTA Program of Projects According to Bakari Height, co-founder of the grassroots action group MARTA Army, things havent changed dramatically for the average rider since 2016. Federal funding for transit projects like the BeltLine, Clifton Corridor, and Campbellton Road have the opportunity to successfully compete for federal funds from the Federal Transit Administration, creating the potential to bring some of our federal tax dollars back to Atlanta. The update sessions come on the heels of the Atlanta City Council calling for an audit of the More MARTA program, which is funded by a half-penny sales tax . In brief, the main upgrades so far are related to system upkeep and reliability. Posted on October 19, 2018 In Commuting in Metro Atlanta Sun, 4/23: All lines operate on special 20-minute schedules. Atlanta transit riders aren't thrilled with scaled-down More MARTA projects. The mood was meh at All Saints Episcopal Church in Midtown on Thursday eveningone of three public meetings that the Atlanta transit agency convened in April to discuss More MARTAs revised project list. MARTA needs to repay that faith by periodically opening up the books to the people so that they can see how their money is being spent.. Currently, expanding the Bankhead station to accommodate 8-car trains is a top priority for More MARTA (scheduled to be operational by 2025), given the growth anticipated in the area with. It includes light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and arterial rapid transit (ART) systems, as well as new transit centers, local bus service, and various station upgrades. But critics argue expansion efforts have fallen short. Granted, no one is actively lobbying against the Clifton Corridor projectit would connect MARTA users with jobs to the eastbut when Atlanta voters okayed the More MARTA sales tax in a 2016 . Atlanta has one of the lowest per capita transit ridership rates among big cities in the country, and ridership had been on a steady decline prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. More MARTA is a program set to span 40 years and a variety of projects to expand the public transportation system in Atlanta. h3 { Funded by the half-penny sales tax overwhelmingly passed in 2016 by Atlanta voters, the program includes improvements to existing service and investment in a variety of transit projects and systemwide enhancements. Seven years later, some local elected . So it definitely is a huge inequality with the transit experience, no matter what part of the metro youre in., Height sees MARTAs focus on major capital expansion as necessary if Atlanta wants to remain competitive with other big cities. By John Ruch Stepping back from a fiery rebuke of the Atlanta City Council's call for a "More MARTA". Please see And then some stops are laden with kudzu on the road with no shoulder or no sidewalk. Join our next career fair or apply online today. More by Dyana Bagby, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). font-size: 25px; Thus far, 92 new shelters have been installed, 100 are in the permitting and design phase, and eight are under construction. MARTA brings the Autism Transit Project to Atlanta - WABE The most immediate improvements for Atlanta transit Atlantans can potentially look forward to a new bus network as soon as 2022. More MARTA Project List Finalized October 2, 2018. MARTA, which took over the streetcar from Atlanta in 2018, says more people will ride if the line goes more places. Tejas Kotak, transit chair of the Georgia Sierra Club, believes that MARTA is on an upward trajectory overall. City residents passed an additional half-penny tax for "More MARTA" in November 2017. If successful, MARTA will be able to use these federal dollars to grow the amount of money available for these projects. Atlanta transit riders aren't thrilled with scaled-down More MARTA None of these buses have signal priority or anything else that would actually enhance their mobility., Height says that historically, transit boosters in Atlanta have been too fixated on a hierarchy of transit modes.
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