Monday, February 28, 2011
Transit Where do you want Beltline transit to go? Here are planners' ideas.
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 11:25 AM
- Atlanta Beltline Inc.
- Behold! One of the segments above — or maybe a slight variation — might become the first Atlanta Beltline transit segment
And Beltline bigwigs want at least one of the project's future transit segments to have a shot at that cash.
To improve their chances, project planners have made the radical decision to veer from the Beltline's familiar leaf-shaped loop and propose a transit spur into Midtown and downtown. The move drastically changes the Beltline's reach — and just might impress state and elected officials who will decide which transportation projects receive funding from the tax. (More on why Beltline planners chose those spur routes, which are part of the city's transportation plan but have not undergone extensive analysis, later in the post.)
Among the concepts under consideration: Light-rail from southwest Atlanta to Georgia Tech; Streetcars zipping from Midtown to Piedmont Park and north toward Lindbergh; and a transit line that, in addition to linking with the downtown streetcar, would connect Glenwood Park to the Bank of America Plaza.
On Feb. 17, residents gathered at City Hall for the first of several "citywide conversations" Beltline officials have organized to present the potential transit segments. (Here's an updated PDF of the evening's presentation.) It's all part of — stay awake here — the Transit Implementation Strategy, a year-long process to determine how the Beltline's long-awaited light-rail component will be built.
Beltline officials dropped a lot of info on residents at the meeting. Expect more discussion of the segments — some of which might be a bit wonky — in the coming weeks. For right now, however, it's best to offer the basics.
After the jump, a look at the concepts, plus some takeaways. Keep in mind that these are just segments that could be funded by the one-cent sales tax. Other future segments — and perhaps some of these — might be built with funding from federal, local, private or other sources. We've included all the text from the specific PowerPoint slides in case readers had any specific questions about routes and other aspects.
>> WEST END TO MIDTOWN:
>> GLENWOOD PARK TO MIDTOWN:
>> BANKHEAD TO MIDTOWN:
>> ARMOUR YARD TO MIDTOWN:
Brief info and takeaways:
>> Why venture into the urban core? Projects eligible for the big pot of funding need to benefit the 10-country metro region. The best way to convince the state that the Beltline isn't a cute widdle choo-choo just a step above the one you find in Zoo Atlanta is to link the system to other transit systems — like MARTA, which crosses county lines — and feed into the dense urban core's job and activity centers. (You'll recall Mayor Kasim Reed said much the same last year when he defended his decision to support the streetcar, rather than the Beltline, for federal funding.) Whether such a proposal passes muster with Planning Director Todd Long, who will give his blessing to a list of transportation projects before a five-member executive committee vets them, remains to be seen.
>> You'll note that several segments propose linking to the downtown streetcar. Great minds think alike, we say.
>> Jim Schneider, a community watchdog, asked at the Thursday meeting why Beltline officials gave residents so little time to decide on the transit segments. The team of planners is expected to submit the proposed segment (or segments) they'd like to see funded by March 30. "This is a lot of information to get our hands around," he said. Beltline officials noted that they'd first introduced the concept of building transit segments at the December quarterly briefing.
>> Noticeably absent from the proposals is a stretch of railroad tracks in southwest Atlanta south of Cascade Road that ABI currently leases from the state. When asked by CL why, Beltline officials said the preliminary modeling showed low population density for transit ridership along that area of the project. Cascade and Ralph David Abernathy, the activity center that includes the Kroger Citi-center, would be served by transit under the proposal. (The surrounding areas, which predominantly include abandoned warehouses, could cause problems for pedestrians, a Beltline official says. Such an area, which Beltline officials say has strong redevelopment potential, would be better suited to receive funding from the Tax Allocation District, the project's main source of funding.)
>> Wondering why there aren't many transit segments proposed for the northwest and southeast segments? Beltline planners opted to focus on transit segments the project currently owns or controls via leases. The process of negotiating and acquiring with railroad companies for those tracks — which still serve freight customers — wasn't realistic or feasible with deadlines to submit projects fast approaching, planners said.
>> Following the presentation, the audience sat in several groups with consultants to offer input. The list of suggestions included everything from using the transportation tax funding to build the project's bike trails to changing the east-west transit route. Some residents agreed with planners' idea about ultimately building what looks like a "ladder" of transit "rungs" inside the Beltline — east-west lines connecting people across the project. Beltline officials say the suggestions will help them fine-tune the proposals.
>> One observer — who also happens to be one of the Beltline's most vocal (and respected) critics — was happy to see the emphasis on linking transit to downtown and Midtown. Mike Dobbins, a Georgia Tech professor and former Atlanta planning commissioner, applauded ABI's decision to create spurs connecting to activity centers. However, he wondered why the process had taken them so long — especially when a similar concept, the C-Loop, would've connected Atlanta to Emory had been pitched to City Hall years ago. (Sources tell CL that project was one of several competing for city leaders' attention and possible funding at the time.)
>> How much will this cost? Good question, and since the proposals could undergo some tinkerin', it's hard to actually say. Beltline planners are using capital cost estimates of $45 million per mile for in-street lines and $55 million per mile for transit lines inside the Beltline corridor — or in English, the light-rail or streetcars that will operate along the project loop.
If you're interested in learning more — and offering your comments and suggestions — be sure to attend one of the following "conversations." Details are below.
3/7/2011 6:30 PM
Northside Study Group- Transit Implementation Strategy
Piedmont Hospital
1984 Peachtree Rd.
McRae Auditorium
Atlanta, GA 30309
3/10/2011 6:30 PM
Northeast Study Group - Transit Implementation Strategy
Butler Recreation Center
98 William Holmes Borders Drive
Atlanta, GA 303133/14/2011 6:30 PM
Southeast Study Group - Transit Implementation Strategy
Trees Atlanta
225 Chester Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 303163/24/2011 6:30 PM
Southwest Study Group - Transit Implementation Strategy
West Hunter Baptist Church
1040 Abernathy Blvd SW
Atlanta, GA 303103/28/2011 6:30 PM
Westside Study Group - Transit Implementation StrategyJoseph B. Whitehead YMCA (formerly the Ollie Street YMCA)
101 Ollie Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30314UPDATE: Beltline officials say the 3/28 study group meeting location is TBD.
UPDATE, 3/1, 5:28 p.m.: This post has been updated with a link to a corrected version of ABI's transit presentation. The previous transit presentation included an error about the potential West End to Midtown segment's route.
Comments (52)
Showing 1-50 of 52
As usual they are looking for more spending and leaving the real problems unfixed. If they'd fix the I-20 downtown connector interchange, the I-75 / I-285 interchange, both ends of the I-20 / I-285 interchanges and of course both ends of the I-85 / I-285 interchanges. If these were "fixed", the traffic flow would be greatly improved. But lets start new projects while leaving the same old problems. Sounds like the DOT and those wonderful advisory groups in action...business as usual. No real solutions, just more taxes and more spending.
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My vote, Glenwood Park to Midtown. That line would service the highest population density, with the highest willingness to adopt usage. Both, two critical ingredients to success, and success breeds faster and greater willingness to expand service.
Connecting the Beltline transit to MARTA in at least 4 places (N,S,E,W) is the only way that anything other than a bike path makes sense. Doing transit without MARTA connectivity is absurd. Glad they have at least owned up to this.
Building a simple transit connection between a MARTA station and the Beltline path is a good idea. I'm glad to see proposals like these being made.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know enough about the DL Hollowell and Cascade Rd areas to judge how successful a transit route would be in either. But I like the sound of a transit line to connect Howell Mill Rd & Atlantic Station to MARTA. I vote for Bankhead to Midtown -- though they all look good to me, really.
I gotta a pay another 1% and all I got was a segment!
Granted interesting segments.
So are all the proposals put in this so called list are required to own or control and thus commit the Right of Way? Not a bad idea if true. Though I question if it is actually true.
Are they seeking 100% funding from this tax or trying to match Federal Funding like MARTA does.
If matching Federal Funding how do they get around the fact that they don't have a 20 to 30 year commitment for funding (since the tax only lasts 10 years) that the feds generally require for transit projects.
The C Loop was a great idea - though some of its west and south side are addressed by the Beltline or that street car proposal posted here. The differentiation of it was the connection from Lindberg to the Emory/CDC corridor. It was a response to the vehement opposition of the NIMBY's who took to the street at the discussion of running an arc from Lindbergh to Decatur or East Lake to serve this corridor which is one of DeKalb's highest employment density areas (Perimeter Center is higher).
Unfortunately DeKalb's to broke and spread out to devote resources to this and MARTA's can't take the lead these days.
I don't think the operation agency/organization is determined yet, and may actually be MARTA. They are handling the project management and then operation for the Downtown streetcar.
most of these segments sound good, but i gotta say if the beltline crosses marta's east line without connecting at the King station or the Inman Park/Reynoldstown stations, they will have missed an opportunity.
I, for one, will not be utilizing the DL Hollowell line without packing heat and/or emergency flares and mace.
...or, we could create a solution that would benefit all residents in the metro area, and use the funding to give tax breaks to companies that have a certain percentage of employees telecommute.
I'm on your roads, clogging your intersections during my commute, but everything I do is online and could be done from home.
Give the companies incentives, and they will start to get a significant percentage of high-tech industry folks off the roads, which will solve most all of the commuting concerns.
Rhale, you've got it backwards. Historically and, sadly, currently, the DOT is all about highways. For those of us that want actual transportation choices, the Beltline is one project that will improve our quality of life, while, guess what, getting cars off of the streets for you.
"As usual they are looking for more spending and leaving the real problems unfixed. If they'd fix the I-20 downtown connector interchange, the I-75 / I-285 interchange, both ends of the I-20 / I-285 interchanges and of course both ends of the I-85 / I-285 interchanges. If these were "fixed", the traffic flow would be greatly improved. "
I don't think you read the article, rhale. I'm not sure if you're aware of the difference, but you're talking about Interstate highways here. This article, and the Beltline itself, are discussing future surface rail projects in the city. Cars and trains are not the same thing. Look it up on wiki if you don't believe me.
Besides, there are some severe jurisdictional issues that I'm quite certain you are not aware of. The Interstates are under the auspices of GDOT, in partnership with the FHA. The city of Atlanta has no more authority to screw around with the Interstate system than you or I do.
In the future, please educate yourself on the issues before you say something so totally ill-informed and lacking in factual substance.
"Fund MARTA and fix it before starting another transit org/agency!"
I agree, but the state refuses to fund MARTA. Did you know that MARTA is the only major metropolitan transit system in North America that does not receive state funding? It's true. Did you know that the legislators in the statehouse refuse to provide additional operational funding, or allow MARTA to modify their charter and access some of the capital funds that legally cannot be touched to expand operations? Also true!
Since the state refuses to help the most significant city in the state actually function as a city, the city has to help itself. This is what the city is doing about it.
"most of these segments sound good, but i gotta say if the beltline crosses marta's east line without connecting at the King station or the Inman Park/Reynoldstown stations, they will have missed an opportunity."
Yeah, agreed. There are some problems in that corridor with connectivity, though. There just isn't a good, cheap way to functionally link the Beltline to the inner portions of the east line. The problem is the CSX freight rail which hugs MARTA. Those tracks cannot legally be used for passenger rail (safety concerns) and it would be incredibly expensive to engineer some physical solution which allows the Beltline to interface with MARTA stations without interfering with CSX operations.
If the Beltline doesn't link to MARTA in that area, it's not for lack of planning. It's simply unfeasible at the present time. Some kind of shuttle bus between the stations is the best solution at the moment.
"...or, we could create a solution that would benefit all residents in the metro area, and use the funding to give tax breaks to companies that have a certain percentage of employees telecommute.
I'm on your roads, clogging your intersections during my commute, but everything I do is online and could be done from home.
Give the companies incentives, and they will start to get a significant percentage of high-tech industry folks off the roads, which will solve most all of the commuting concerns."
While I don't necessarily disagree with your technofetishistic solution, I must remind you that we are talking about transportation infrastructure and not transportation mitigation. The ARC does have some programs to subsidize companies that encourage telecommuting as a congestion reduction strategy, but that is somewhat incidental to the subject at hand, which is building new train lines.
On further reflection, I have to object to this comment, paynomind:
"Give the companies incentives, and they will start to get a significant percentage of high-tech industry folks off the roads, which will solve most all of the commuting concerns."
The implication that a significant portion of Atlanta's commuters are wrapped up in the computer janitor industry is laughable. I'm sure you would appreciate being able to torrent Twilight movies in your bathrobe as you 'work' but a very small proportion of Atlanta's workforce would find telecommuting to be helpful.
Service industry workers cannot telecommute, nor can public workers or health care workers, and these industries represent some of the most intensive employment growth in Fulton and Dekalb over the last decade.
I have to say that this strikes me as stellar work from the Beltline folks. My particular preference would be for the Armour Yard to Midtown segment, as I think the Armour infill station would provide a great foundation for future intermodal development as well as creating a much more transit-oriented section of the city that could (one hopes) spread outward.
Unfortunately, I do recognize that this would come at the cost of providing better transit options to less affluent areas of the city -- which is not a trade-off I'm particularly excited about.
Really, I would be thrilled with any of these options, and can imagine myself using all of them as a transit rider. Whichever one is chosen, I hope that the other three will follow in reasonably short order.
Armour Yard is a vital location for a second Multi-modal exchange station, (assuming that the planned downtown Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal (MMPT) get built in the railroad gulch, next to Five Points MARTA Station.) Everything (MARTA rail, commuter rail, and the Belt-line), planned on the Concept3 Transportation Master Plan links areas the north, the northeast, and the east of Atlanta, as well as AMTRAK will lead through Amour... I think a third multi-modal hub will be near the airport...
I see that the new plan leaves the SW corner relatively undeveloped and without transit. I am a resident of Capitol View, and we are huge supporters of the Beltline down here. We've invested in this project and are counting on it to help bring change and development to this area.
This will not get done without alot of money/taxes! The Feds will not swoop in and write the check - without local suport at 50-percent of funding meaning City/County/State funding; without our share - this will never get off the ground.
Unfortunately the urban core beneficiary is quite small to the overall metro population. This will be a tough sell with the shortage of funds as it stands now...
@ Real World: "Unfortunately the urban core beneficiary is quite small to the overall metro population. This will be a tough sell with the shortage of funds as it stands now..."
Intown residents have been paying for Marta, the BeltLine, city roads, and other infrastructure that suburbanites use every day. I pay property taxes to both Fulton and Atlanta, and a higher percentage of my sales tax go to funding this infrastructure as well since I buy everything intown at the higher tax rate. It's about damn time other people in the region that take advantage of the city's infrastructure every day (whether directly or indirectly benefitting from it) start pulling their weight.
I have another response to @Real world: I don't think the Beltline should be a touch sell to people in the suburbs, in light of the number of jobs in the city, and the number of people in the suburbs who work in intown Atlanta.
A lot of people from places already served by MARTA (Roswell, Alpharetta, Lithonia, College Park) would like to take MARTA to their jobs in town -- but they either (1) can't make the connection once they get to Five Points or (2) don't relish the time commitment of a bus-to-rail-to-bus commute.
The Beltline and the Streetcar will begin to fill in some of these gaps. Just looking at a map of Atlanta with a few rail lines zig-zagging around will may a lot of people reconsider transit as a commuting option. And that will bring more opportunities for transit growth.
Aren't all these plans creating a wall at the perimeter of the BeltLine? While most of these ideas increase connectivity inside that perimeter, where is the connectivity from OTB to within? Is the early chatter about ITB--OTB envy going to be accurate?
@ meganl
The beltline is only for white people and was created to further separate the races and classes. I'm surprised they don't have segregated paths. Take a look at the parks and trails they are building near you on the Southside and those they are building on the northside of I-20 for proof. Why is it the people that most need public transportation are losing it and the people that are the least likely to take it/need it are gaining it.
damn, there are a lot of ignorant people (and at least one racist person) commenting on the beltline today.
here's a tip - if you don't want to enjoy this park space/future transit, then stay home and troll from your sofa. don't get out and enjoy it with the rest of us.
What is need is a regional agency and not have every little county do its own uncoordinated projects.
"Aren't all these plans creating a wall at the perimeter of the BeltLine? While most of these ideas increase connectivity inside that perimeter, where is the connectivity from OTB to within? Is the early chatter about ITB--OTB envy going to be accurate?"
Can't do everything all at once. It would be ideal to extend transportation out to the burbs but until Gwinnett and Cobb get on board and agree to participate in MARTA, nothing is going to happen. There are multiple plans ready to go tomorrow to extend rail all the way out to Buford and Marietta, but there's no political or financial will behind them.
Until that day happens, it's better for Atlanta to focus on building more infrastructure within the perimeter where it is more desperately needed.
"What is need is a regional agency and not have every little county do its own uncoordinated projects."
We've already got one - the Atlanta Regional Commission. The state has so far refused to give ARC the teeth it needs and there is currently a bill in the senate - SB86 - which would further castrate regional planning in metro Atlanta.
SB86 would make comprehensive planning by local governments optional, repeal the definition of a “qualified local government,” and eliminate reviews of developments of regional impact. Effectively, the senate wants to knock out what little power the ARC has left to coordinate regional growth and return us back to the boomtown development of the 90s.
Most of the problems that Atlanta faces in terms of land use and transportation can be directly blamed on a hostile political environment and state legislators who care more about developer lobbyists and their money rather than Georgians' quality of life.
"As usual they are looking for more spending and leaving the real problems unfixed. If they'd fix the I-20 downtown connector interchange, the I-75 / I-285 interchange, both ends of the I-20 / I-285 interchanges and of course both ends of the I-85 / I-285 interchanges. If these were "fixed", the traffic flow would be greatly improved. But lets start new projects while leaving the same old problems. Sounds like the DOT and those wonderful advisory groups in action...business as usual. No real solutions, just more taxes and more spending."
What are you talking about? This is only one project in a whole set of projects for the metro area. The city of Atlanta is allowed to have a project or two or even three since we will be double taxed as we already pay 1% for MARTA! The road projects and transit projects for the suburbs have not been released yet, but don't worry, they will be there too! Before you make anymore comments and before you VOTE, please EDUCATE yourself on the topic.
ANYWAYS, I also think they will be missing a huge opportunity by not connecting to not only Inman Park MARTA, but Lindbergh MARTA station.
I hope all 3 of these projects go through. Atlanta deserves it.
wesleywhatwhat... ignorance is thinking people of all classes and races can afford the 300k-500k houses going up all over the 4th ward. gentrification comes with a price... so build your fences high.
you seem very confused, mechanicsville.
i never claimed that people of all classes can afford houses that cost $300-$500 houses.
as for whether or not people of other races than white can afford said houses, of course some of them can.
you should try getting out of mechanicsville more often. it's a big world out there.
Mechanicsville: The BeltLine has the potential to polarize the community, but isn't that because those in power are using it to divide the community, get us fighting among ourselves, and then doing what they want to do regardless of public opinion? Isn't the Wayne Mason land deal a good example, where the BeltLine honchos proceeded despite significant NE opposition, the result being that people in other quadrants are saying that the NE is getting a disproportionate share of the goodies?
@Question Man: "While most of these ideas increase connectivity inside that perimeter, where is the connectivity from OTB to within?"
What are you talking about? The MARTA rail system has provided this connectivity for decades. What we need is the ability to move people around the central city once they get here.
I live in Edgewood (hence the name.) almost in EAV, almost in Kirkwood. We are just outside the beltline. This whole idea of the Beltline being for white people is just asinine. With the exception of the Virginia Highland and parts of Midtown, what neighborhoods in Atlanta are whites not the minority. Most of my neighbors are black. We will all enjoy the Beltline. Look at Peoplestown, Summerhill,the whole Cascade road area. In what world are these white parts of town. I hate that stuff like this even has to be pointed out but I guess Mechanicsvile wants a gold fucking star because he lives in a slightly "blacker area" than the rest of Atlanta. Do you really think that people of color will not be able to enjoy the beltline transit as well? From reading Mechanicsville's post it seems as though he is one of those idiots that bought a loft in an "emerging area" with the promise of a quick turnaround. Sorry your investment has not paid off yet, asshole.
FYI: All people that live in Fulton pay city taxes where they live (Sandy springs/Roswell/and so on) plus School taxes either Fulton or City plus County taxes to Fulton. So just b/c you live in ATL does not make your tax burden somehow speacial...FYI...
Dekalb and Fulton "are special" in that they both pay sales tax to fund MARTA and proerty taxes to Fund Grady (both with statewide use/appeal).
We do need both regional and statewide funding to make this work or it will never get off the ground...so you can't throw sand and salt at the Suburban areas which make up a large portion of Metro Atlanta...you have to build partnerships and give and take (not and all or nothing or I pay more so bump you...)
That will never work!
Joe: Isn't one key to BeltLine success the enabling of people OTB to get to the BeltLine? Otherwise, won't a significant number of potential transit customers remain in their cars for longer periods of time, hence clogging streets, increasing travel times, wasting fuel, getting annoyed, etc.?
@Question Man: You're not making any sense. Each of these Beltline proposals connects to MARTA at one or two rail stations. You don't have to run the Beltline out to North Springs on a parallel track for people to use it; all they have to do is ride in on MARTA and then transfer to the Beltline at one of the transfer stations.
Please tell me that you finally comprehend this.
"Isn't one key to BeltLine success the enabling of people OTB to get to the BeltLine?"
Not really. The alignment of the Beltline is all about intra-city connectivity. I don't know if you expect the ring ROW around the city to magically extend out to Roswell or something. The core concept of the Beltline is to provide for circumferential access to complement the already OTB-connected MARTA heavy rail. You might as well expect Beltline to cure cancer.
"Otherwise, won't a significant number of potential transit customers remain in their cars for longer periods of time, hence clogging streets, increasing travel times, wasting fuel, getting annoyed, etc.?"
A significant number of potential transit customers - like the people who live ITP but don't have ready access to MARTA rail? You're confused as to what the Beltline actually is versus what you've decided it is in your head.
For all of you curious about how transit intown connects to transit out of town, check out Concept 3:
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/5469/be…
It gives a visual breakdown of transit implementation plans for the future including the Beltline and commuter rails.
Money money money! We cannot even build sidewlaks let alnoe railways! First lets get a bikway/path installed! Way way ahead of ourselves here!
Thanks, Beep -- I hadn't seen that map in a while. Just as beautiful as it always was. Maybe someday we can afford to build this sweet, sweet stuff.
I know a lot of my neighbors in DeKalb just can't wait to help fund the Atlanta Beltline.
We get a big kick at what the "future" will look like. We love the pretend new MARTA lines that run in DeKalb! Just pretend DeKalb, pretend that we'll actually get more MARTA rail lines.
In the mean time allow us to fork over another penny for the Beltine. We would love it. Don't be greedy, give some of that money to Cobb, Gwinnett and Cherokee counties.
So sometime between Feb 17 and Feb 28, the midtown spur got pulled out of someone's ass and is now the center piece of the Beltline?
Does ABI actually have any authority to propose/build on-street operations?
I'm not going to say the spur is without merit, but it sucks to see something brand-spanking new and not even part of the Beltline take precedence over the entire portion south of I-20 - and yes, I live south of I-20.
So many people forget that there are actually people who live OTP..
Maybe MARTA would have done a lot better if they realized this. Giving the folks in Marietta, Roswell, Alpharetta, Gwinnett, ect. a railway in the first place would have provided those OTP to commute a lot easier. Instead, they thought too small.. WAY too small. They don't even have a railway that goes AROUND the city for Christ's sake! New York has train lines going 45 minutes outside of the main city!
MARTA was originally proposed for DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Gwinnett, and Cobb counties. Via referendums in the 1960s & 70s, Clayton, Gwinnett, and Cobb counties opted out of joining.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_…
Thanks @Darin for getting to this before I did.
It's amazing how in some people's minds, it's always Atlanta's fault. First the city was a frightening, horrible thing that they wanted to keep away. Now it's the city's fault for not embracing them.
I'd be wary of adding the beltline to MARTA;they might grab all the money and squander it for something else. In all my 32 years of riding MARTA, I've never seen such squandering and guess who gets hurt in the cutbacks while new service is added to others?
"So many people forget that there are actually people who live OTP..
Maybe MARTA would have done a lot better if they realized this. Giving the folks in Marietta, Roswell, Alpharetta, Gwinnett, ect. a railway in the first place would have provided those OTP to commute a lot easier. "
MARTA most definitely realizes this. A continual majority of the citizens of Cobb and Gwinnett do not.
Looks like a desperate attempt to find a problem their solution can solve. The beltline group is in love with light rail. The beltline concept is an economic development idea that has nothing to do with transit. The rest of the region doesn't want to fund Atlanta's politically connected developers.
The reality is there is low density and almost no destinations along the beltline. If there was, extending Marta through the beltline would make more sense. But no, Marta is "inconsistent" with the neighborhoods (ignoring the fact that this is a former heavy rail line that was there before the neighborhoods and co-existed with them for decades). These people fought very hard against Amtrak using the beltline.
If there was a transit solution that made sense along the beltline it would be dedicated bus lanes. That could serve a variety of actual transit users and do so at a vastly reduced cost. Instead, Atlanta wants to support developers with street cars and light rail while cutting 40% of bus service to people who rely on transit.
"Looks like a desperate attempt to find a problem their solution can solve. The beltline group is in love with light rail. The beltline concept is an economic development idea that has nothing to do with transit."
Better transit access IS economic development.
"The rest of the region doesn't want to fund Atlanta's politically connected developers."
This is true, but the rest of the region absolutely hates giving Atlanta it's fair share of transportation funds. Atlanta has spent years funding highway expansion in Dooley county. It's time for Atlanta to receive some attention so that it can continue generating over 2/3 of the state's economic output.
"The reality is there is low density and almost no destinations along the beltline."
You're basically flat wrong about this. Densities on most of the East-North sides of the line are well within acceptable tolerances for light rail. BRT might be a better solution but the land-use judgments you pass are quite frankly ill-informed.
"If there was a transit solution that made sense along the beltline it would be dedicated bus lanes. That could serve a variety of actual transit users and do so at a vastly reduced cost. Instead, Atlanta wants to support developers with street cars and light rail while cutting 40% of bus service to people who rely on transit."
The Beltline's choice of transit mode and MARTA's lack of funding are two different issues. They did not cause or influence each other. Don't confuse them.
Where is the love for West? Putting rail in Douglasville would reduce traffic on I20 a lot and make some money.
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