Monday, November 22, 2010
Transit The most ridiculous op-ed you'll read all day
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 1:42 PM
The AJC today continued hating on the downtown streetcar — this time with a hastily written op-ed by Mark Arum, a traffic reporter and radio host with sister company WSB. And man, the piece is a gut buster.
Arum writes in the column that the millions of dollars the city plans to contribute to the streetcar project would be better spent not on Beltline trails, bike lanes or new transit planning, but...
Left hand turn lanes on Peachtree Street. That would be the most effective way to help traffic flow through the city.
Ah, yes. Because decades of planning around the automobile have made Atlanta such a rich, vibrant city. This is bold new thinking. Please continue.
If you drive between Downtown and Buckhead it might appear that Peachtree is a six lane thoroughfare, but in actually there are really only four travel lanes. Two in each direction. Because in reality, it is impossible to travel in the left lane on Peachtree in either direction. Why? Because if one vehicle is in the left lane trying to make a left turn, it renders that whole travel lane useless. Try it out today during lunch. Get in your car and drive on Peachtree in either direction staying in only the left lane. I predict you only make it a handful of blocks before abandoning the exercise, because it is truly an exercise in futility. I drive on Peachtree every day. I know better than to get in the left lane. It's a war zone. Try driving in the left lane on Peachtree between Roswell Rd. and Peachtree Battle in Buckhead. Go ahead, I dare you. Try driving in the left lane on Peachtree between Ponce and 14th Street in midtown. I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out one by one than deal with that kind of pain.
Kind of makes you dizzy, doesn't it?
Arum's column — which should be read in its entirety — sounds like, well, the rantings of a guy who gets caught in traffic trying to turn left into WSB's Midtown headquarters. Or as Decatur Metro correctly noted, a selection from The Vent.
Left-hand turn lanes might shave some minutes from the daily commutes of office workers and disgruntled media types, but it won't do a thing for pedestrians and people who choose to live in downtown. Hell, we have an inkling that purchasing the rights-of-way needed to create this turnable wonderland along Peachtree Street would cost a pretty penny. And once these magical turn-lanes are complete, how much better off would the city actually be?
The streetcar has plenty of faults. It's got plenty of potential benefits. But please, let's start thinking a little bigger.
Comments (24)
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I'm so glad I moved away from Peachtree. When I lived in the Peachtree Park apartment complex near the Fresh Market (near Piedmont Hospital), I had the choice of driving 2 miles north to the Lindbergh MARTA station or 5 miles south to my job downtown. No matter which I chose, Arum's right that driving on Peachtree (especially, trying to turn left on Peachtree) was a nightmare.
And then they REDUCED the number of lanes on Peachtree, just to make the commute more fun. And they would reduce them even more with the Peachtree Streetcar. And somehow I doubt the Streetcar could make up for the lost lanes and absorb all those commuters. I would love to be proven wrong.
But right now, I'm just glad I moved to East Atlanta.
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Arum's right. More left turn lanes would be way better than a stupid streetcar, not nearly as sexy, but way more needed.
Damn, Dave. Why don't you shut up and go along with the program? This street car is for your own good. We here at the benevolent Guvmint don't care that there's no money in the bank to pay for it, we think you need it because our experts say it's good for society. So put it on our account, we're good for it, build the damn thing. Never mind that's it's a money sink that will never pay for itself while it's backing up traffic downtown.
Um they already are spending tons of money on Peachtree to improve traffic flow - granted its also for making it prettier but that's what's happening in Buckhead.
Also if they really wanted to do left hand turn lanes there is far more availability of road dollars through the mythical "constitutional" restriction against spending gas tax dollars on transit.
Agree or not this is partially an economic development tool to increase the city of Atlanta's tax base in a severly underutilized and underperforming area of Atlanta.
Finally instead of subsidizing car oriented development and/or SPRAWL (omg i used that word) through transportation investments in the metro region we are throwing what is relatively a drop in the total transportation bucket at a project that if implemented correctly will return far more revenues to the city and GA while encouraging (not forcing) more sustainable development patterns.
The problem is no one is pointing out all the money GDOT got and had available via the stimulus money.
Thank goodness for the city of Atlanta if not for them stepping up the region would not have gotten any transit investment from the stimulus pot - and that is an even more telling fact than this Arum fellow love of left hand turn lanes. --- (btw, treat the left lane on Peachtree as a left hand turn lane. - more btw benjy this is left hand turn lanes off of peachtree not on to peachtree - unfortunately what you needed was a traffic light unless its a suicide lane you want but they don't build those anymore since their name was based on fact - the suicide lane is dangerous for cars and people and has no place on a densely populated road - that's one thing I agree with GDOT on.
oydave: If you drive from Downtown to Buckhead, why in hell would you drive peachtree? Peachtree is not made to move traffic, thats what the other, parallel, 4+ lane one way streets are for (Spring, Juniper, West Peachtree, Piedmont). Thats 4 lanes of one way traffic on 4 separate streets. Okay, so once Spring ends it merges you on peachtree, but by that time you are already in Buckhead.
There is no reason Peachtree should be a high traffic flow street. In fact, it was designed NOT to be high traffic flow, but to be for entering and exiting buildings with addresses on Peachtree...
The real solution to gridlock in Atlanta is in creative, flexible, high-tech solutions.
Look at traffic today. Or any day that school is out. Traffic was brilliant. Perfect. Any government or banking holiday, traffic is a breeze. Numbers show that on a school or banking holiday, 12% of drivers are off the roads.
Give tax rebates to companies who show that %15 of their employees are working form home on any given day.
Simple, bang. Traffic is better.
I expect to be thanked for this idea.
Arum's piece is a sophomoric argument that willfully ignores the full goals of the streetcar project (including encouraging growth in the long-neglected King Historic District & reconnecting the disjointed western and eastern sections of downtown) in order to make the point that his commute is REALLY IMPORTANT and that he's in a SUPER HURRY.
"Dude -- this traffic sucks! I'm late as hell and this jackass in front of me is trying to turn left! Why are there no frikkin' turning lanes?"
"Mark, you know what you should do?"
"What?"
"You should totally write a thing for the AJC slamming that stupid Nobama Streetcar and tell it like it is!"
"Dude, they would totally print that! Awesome..."
Whenever I drive between Midtown and Downtown on Peachtree Street (several times a week), Peachtree is one lane in each direction. That's right, one lane each way. It might appear to be two lanes each way, but the right hand lane, north and southbound, is unusable. That's because it's a parking lot. One block it's a FedEx truck, the next block UPS, the next block a CocaCola truck, then a food delivery truck, then some guy's pickup truck......and on and on and on.
All this despite the no parking signs. One benefit of a north/south streetcar would be that no one could park along Peachtree Street any more (if you've ever been to a city with a streetcar, you understand this). So it would actually open up the right hand lane.
As for the east/west line, the current Centennial Olympic Park route would not be my priority for those funds (although it will serve more people than most commenters seem to think). However, if this route is just the beginning, as it should be, then we are onto something. An east/west line that ran up Marietta Street, along the western part of Tech's campus, through the emerging WestSide design and gallery district, to Atlantic Station.........and in the other direction toward L5P, would be a great civic asset.
If we banned cars on Peachtree, then the buses and bicycles would fly through and everybody would get where they're going faster.
I really do believe that -- but I know it's not going to happen, so ... more realistically: If he's right about the left lanes being unusable because they're used as turn lanes, why not convert the configuration in which there are three lanes in each direction so that instead there are two in each direction, with a bi-directional turn lane in the middle. This would give the same flow patterns in a five-lane roadway that we now have in a six-lane roadway, and would allow the creation of bike lanes along the edge. Further, these bike lanes would probably also benefit the car users as much as the cyclists, as it would (1) get bikes out of the right-most car lane and (2) decrease car traffic by encouraging more people to use bikes.
Unfortunately, Mark Arum doesn't seem given to thinking creatively. Fortunately for him, though, he's chosen the right employer for his skills.
I'm impressed that Arum somehow persuaded the AJC to run his column without any pesky copy-editing.
Maybe someone should alert Arum that his Buckhead to Downtown commute would take approximately 15 minutes on MARTA, and then he wouldnt have to worry about pesky left hand turners...
Mark Arum needs to learn more about the cost of urban right of way, the limits placed on funding provided by community improvement districts, and the principle of triple convergence.
You can learn more about the principle of triple convergence at http://tinyurl.com/2d9y9f8
As the article explains, peak hour traffic congestion is a sign of a vital metropolitan region – it is not a problem that can or should be solved. Atlanta does not want to be the next Detroit.
Much of the local funding to support the Atlanta Streetcar is being provided by the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, a self-taxing district whose funds can be used only in downtown Atlanta. Redirecting these funds to Peachtree Road in Buckhead is not an option.
Widening roads in urban areas is extremely expensive. When the Georgia DOT added two lanes to three blocks of 14th Street two years ago, the right of way cost $106 million. Construction costs added over $80 million beyond that.
Transportation improvements and housing options that encourage more people to live close to jobs are the region’s best hope for reducing the amount of time people spend in cars. Numerous condos have been built in Buckhead in recent years, which are enabling more people to walk to work.
If left turn lanes were added to Peachtree Road, crossing the street would become a daunting task, especially if no median was provided in the middle of the street. This is especially true for seniors, who within twenty years will account for one out of five people in the region. Streets have many purposes, only one of which is moving cars.
Like streetcars in Portland and other cities, the Atlanta Streetcar is likely to spark increased housing development in downtown Atlanta – which will help create a better jobs/housing balance there as well.
The region cannot build its way out of traffic congestion. Revitalizing downtown Atlanta – which is a primary goal of the streetcar – enables more people to reduce their need to travel. Those who don’t want to live close to jobs or in areas sufficiently compact to support transit need to accept the things they cannot change. In a vital region, urban streets will not provide free flow for motorists who choose lifestyles that require long distance commuting.
Arum's suggestions on where to invest $25 million are goofy, but what is the point of the Streetcar? The Streetcar may be a cutesy tourist amenity for awhile, but will it draw a single tourist and will it do anything substantial for mobility within Atlanta? The BeltLine has steadily growing management and vision problems, but doesn't it at least have potential? Are these the times to be spending money for pet projects supported by a limited number of people?
Question Man I think the street car has significant ridership potential and the land use impacts it will have will do more for mobility than most rail projects.
Problem with many regions is mobility is narrowly defined as the ability to travel over said distance in said amount of time. But shouldn't mobility be about the ability to get from ones residence to work and recreation? If we merely use distance and trip time then projects that promote longer distance trips at faster speeds (and thus the development it feeds) will always win out.
I hope when the belt line is near the stage where it is ready to implement transit it will secure the adequate funds.
The above comment by WalkThere should be printed in the AJC and read by any one who has any doubts about Atlanta's new streetcar.
Strictly speaking about the planning/engineering aspect, it would be interesting to hear straightforward conclusions from the transportation experts who have been studying this road for decades. Unfortunately, it seems all we hear about are political agendas and media bias (and those "experts" who drive it everyday). I've been hearing this a lot lately: "Engineers don't design roads; politicians do." Sad, but true.
In: Does the Streetcar support "the ability to get from one's residence to work and recreation?" Isn't it "yes" to recreation but "no" to residence and work? A small number of people live or work along the route, but doesn't viable transit need more? In these days of so few dollars, shouldn't they be directed to projects with the most enduring impact? Or to ones that benefit the broader community? And can you remind me how it is that the Streetcar initiative unexpectedly changes its route and is suddenly showered with money?
Has anyone ever listened to Mark Arum's weekend radio program...? It has morphed so many times, due to Arum's pathetic radio persona, that I'm sure listeners are begging for the return of Royal Marshall to the airwaves. And Royal's program was excruciatingly bad.
QM I'll start with WalkThere's line "Transportation improvements and housing options that encourage more people to live close to jobs are the region’s best hope for reducing the amount of time people spend in cars. "
To expand, there is a significant amount of office space within a 1/2 mile of the street car route. We do need more residential but there is a significant amount of that if you include the GA State residential component - and don't forget linkage to MARTA riders.
Importantly the area has good "bones" aka the layout is good and conducive to further development of work, live, play developments. And since the route goes by many underutilized or readily redevelop-able areas close to downtown it will spur such Live/Work/Play development that is Transit/Bike/Pedestrian friendly.
So is it the most beneficial transit project possible? I can't say yes to that. But is it the only relatively low priced shovel ready transit projects in the metro area? That I would say yes. And since its complementary to other potential future transit projects then it actually helps them move forward so its good.
Not sure what you mean about the unexpected change in route. If its the switch from the North South Peachtree route to this East West route I think it became eligible for the stimulus funding because it has a much lower cost, is less redundant of the existing MARTA service and goes through an area that has more potential for development (I mean Peachtree Street is already pretty marketable for development and doesn't have the same amount of undeveloped or underdeveloped area).
But costs are a big thing, especially operating costs - I suspect they never were able to adequately demonstrate viable funding for operating costs for the Peachtree Street car.
Operating costs will be an interesting hurdle for the beltline along with crossing the Connector and the CSX tracks.
In: I see your points, but wouldn't it be novel if Atlanta built transit to move people? Why do the City's transit initiatives always seem designed to accomplish other objectives (e.g., development)? In terms of spurring development, doesn't Atlanta have its hands full trying to spur development along the BeltLine and in other TADs? Wasn't the MLK district moving forward well prior to the Great Recesiion, and won't it and Centennial Park do just fine without the Streetcar? In these days of limited resources, why not use precious dollars to deliver actual mobility improvements? Isn't it hard to list any existing transit needs met by the Streetcar, and for that matter, how does the Streetcar fit in with the rest of Atlanta's transit "vision" in terms of connectivity, technology, etc.? Isn't the Streetcar just a gimmick that will connect with little and won't it drain resources without substantial transit benefits?
QM, Good questions. Its tough to comment on transit initiatives in the metro region since there have been so few real ones. Lots of passed up opportunities such as the redo currently underway of Johnson Ferry from Cobb through Sandy Springs on Abernathy to the Sandy Springs MARTA station - a great opportunity to add facilities for BRT type bus service - heck even like a couple of que jump lanes like on Memorial - that would move people but no go.
Actually the bigger fault of transportation has been a lack of resolve by the counties to push for transit oriented development near the station - see perimeter center. MARTA has done it themselves at Lindbergh.
But to the point, Agree Centennial Park doesn't need help but the east side I guess might have been on a path back but there is tons of opportunity (empty lots) and if done right this street car will influence the type of development and perhaps lead to even more density.
Perhaps I'm like the guy who hasn't been on a date in years - I'm just so thrilled to see some transit infrastructure being built that after years and years and years of only words maybe I've got beer goggles on at the prospect of something actually being built.
Seriously though this could really have an incredible effect on downtown. Since the Olympics I've wanted to Atlanta to follow examples in Minnesota and NYC and close off a corridor from Centennial park down Auburn and limit it to transit and pedestrians/bikes so that we could get a sidewalk cafe / leisurely stroll thing going on. This could be our Pearl District (way to rub it in). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Distric… http://www.explorethepearl.com/ http://pearldistrict.com/
Or to put it another way, maybe its about time we built transit infrastructure focused on small scale sustainable land use development instead of doing the heavy rail designed to many people over long distances with the necessity of parking decks.
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