Save The Beltline

Panel Discussion at Atlanta's Center for Civil Innovation (6/18/2024)

Beltline Forum at the Center for Civic Innovation

Entire Video
Excerpts:
To promote equity, we should instead deploy transit to OUTLYING neighborhoods
Private developers support equity
Concern about Beltline rail arose from north and south Atlanta
Mayor Dickens' Re-priorization of transit projects
Implementation, implementation, implementation
Ryan Gravel's very interesting history of how it all started

Blog: "Equity, Mobility, and the Beltline" (hosted on Nextdoor.com)

Blog: "Transit *to* the Beltline" (hosted on Nextdoor.com)

Panel Discussion on WABE (3/29/2024)

Prof. Hans Klein debates with Beltline Rail Now
[WABE, Rose Scott's "Coffee Conversations. 3/29/24. Starts at 15:15]

In the News:

Blog:

Beltline Rail Brings a Fence

Hans Klein 30 December 2023

Where's the fence??!!

This widely-published photo erroneously omits the fence that will block neighborhood connectivity.

Image of the Beltline, but it shows no fence

Concerning the fence along MARTA’s proposed Beltline tracks, it is MARTA itself that insists on this barrier.
[Continue reading]

Panel at Georgia Tech (Weds. Oct. 18 at noon):
What Transit Modes Where?
New modes of getting around are exploding. Now, in addition to fixed rail, bus, and streetcar,
smartphones and algorithms have expanded on-demand mobility such as microtransit vans, scooters, and e-bike rentals.
What kind of city, social equity, and neighborhood form do these different modes shape?
In Atlanta, the Beltline is a 22-mile trail loop that has proven the popularity of walkability and bike-oriented development
but promised to include future transit. Should that transit continue the city's historic but troubled investment in streetcars
or bet on emerging technologies like AV shuttles? Helping us answer these questions are Eric Kronberg of Kronberg Urbanists and Architects;
Tejas Santaman, who works for Beep; and Rebecca Serna, Executive Director of Propel Atlanta.

Could the Beltline host innovative transit systems?
Cobb County (and the state?) are pushing ahead with autonomous transit.
Urbanize: "Driverless transit system set to debut in Cobb County"

Sadly, We must Admit That
Today's Beltline Is Dangerous
Children on the Beltline

"I feel compelled to say something...
I believe it is a mistake to extend the streetcar to the Beltline and on to the Beltline...
I cannot vote for it..."
-Jim Durrett. MARTA Director (23 April 2023)

"The Beltline is an incredible thing.
If you put a train down there, what's that going to do?!
What's the impact?"
William Floyd, MARTA Director (23 April 2023)
(See all our quotes)

The Streetcar does not catalyze development:
"In the 2+ years since the streetcar was completed, the only development has been to add solar panels to the parking lot next to the stop."
See: "Parking Madness: San Bernardino vs. Atlanta"

An Academic Perspective:
"[the author] focuses on how the power of myth helps to create
the popular desire for urban rail, regardless of its actual performance.
The political support for the [Los Angeles] Blue Line had little to do with cost effectiveness or transportation efficiency..."
Transport of Delight: The Mythical Conception of Rail Transit in Los Angeles

The Beltline needs "modal separation"
(i.e. separate tracks for cyclists and pedestrians.)

"As someone who was in a collision with a cyclist today [on the Beltline],
I agree there needs to be some major change for the safety of all.
I was running without headphones on, and he was coming from the opposite direction.
We both didn’t see each other and he was going too fast to stop -
we collided and he went over his handlebars and hit the pavement hard (no helmet), his front wheel bending in two.
My arm felt like it had broken but I think I’ll only have a huge bruise to live with.
Had we hit dead on, we both could’ve been seriously injured.
Sharing my story on Instagram, I’ve had responses from other people being hit by cyclists and motorized bikes -
one friend even ended up in the ICU from her injuries.
What’s happening [on the Beltline] is not ok."
[Source: Nextdoor.com]

Instead of rail, promote Light Individual Transportation (LIT).
Separate pedestrians and wheels

Better inform the public, as with the Peachtree Street Demonstration.
For the elderly and infirm, boost MARTA paratransit.
Deploy Bus Rapid Transit on city streets instead of light rail through our park.
Reallocate funds to disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Above all complete the Beltline!

The City of Atlanta, MARTA, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. are planning to run light rail on the Beltline.
This could degrade the Beltline experience.
Motorized rail will reduce safety, the tramway will squeeze cyclists, and safety barriers will reduce access.
Join us to preserve Atlanta's best linear park.
Join us to save the Beltline!