Lee May raises some reasonable points in mailer

I got an e-mail recently from Lee May’s office concerning the lack of rail service into South DeKalb. What was nice to see was his lack of enthusiasm for an additional penny to fund transportation improvements in the metro. Here are a few excerpts. Though he has not come out against it, it seems the tone of this e-mail suggests that we should take a long, hard critical look at what is being asked of us versus what we are getting in return.

First his argument against “Bus Centers”

It is also noted that one of the residents, though disappointed about the rail projects not being funded was quoted as saying “…I think it would have been much more beneficial than premium bus service because it’s already harder to provide an incentive to get people on a bus than it is with a rail line.” This has been one of the many reason for supporting funding for the I-20 East Rail project. Bus service, albeit, bus rapid transit service, is still buses —- which equates to still sitting in traffic.

The promise of rail decades ago

  Proponents of the project list will say that DeKalb residents are getting $1.6 Billion from the total $6 Billion allocated for the region.  On the surface this might sound like a great deal:  for a mere additional one cent tax you get $1.6 Billion in roadway projects (minus the $700M for the Clifton Corridor project) — but no rail.  You will receive Bike/Pedestrian improvements.  But no Rail.  And you will receive bus rapid transit — but again, no rail.  Over thirty years ago, an agreement was made with the taxpayers of DeKalb and that agreement was in short, “pay the one percent sales tax and rail will be constructed throughout DeKalb.”  Thus far no new rail projects in 20+ years have been constructed in Central and South DeKalb — Central and South DeKalb have been left alongside the road.

His question to residents

Review the list. Yes, there are roadway improvement projects in Central and South DeKalb but the crux of the issue is: does Central and South DeKalb continue to pay a one percent tax and not get rail?

His Conclusion

Road improvement projects, in effect, are road widening projects and intersection improvements are to accommodate more traffic.  South and Central DeKalb will have great roads that will continue to be clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic.  South and Central DeKalb will not be in a position to get people out of their cars and on to rail for another 40 years

These seem like reasonable grievances to me. Buses must be complimented by other forms of transportation including light or heavy rail. Buses are at the mercy of traffic conditions like any other road vehicle. Unless the buses have an exclusive right of way that no other traffic can enter into, then it is not a solution. I don’t need to speak about the promise of rail. If rail (light or heavy) goes out into Cobb or Gwinnett, we are truly being shafted. And to me that what this penny boils down to. Are we getting our money’s worth?

See the full text here of the May’s mailer

 

 

 

I will not vote to have my tax dollars redistributed to Cobb, Gwinnett

CrossRoadsNews – No rail for I 20 in final transportation projects for referendum.

Why am I not surprised by this?  This was DOA and anyone with half a brain knew it. No one on that roundtable was interested in helping marginal folks in South DeKalb. Whats worse is that the member we had who was suppose to look out for our interest caved. CEO Ellis made a bold statement wanting to yank funding from the GA400/I285 area, but I bet he knew that was going nowhere and can hide behind the fact that he did offer up an alternative. It pisses me off that I have to live North of the Stone Mountain Freeway to get decent schools, decent roads, clean streets and transportation alternatives. We are a marginalized people who are being asked to give 1 cent of every dollar spent here to citizens in Cobb who don’t even want rail and have historically been downright hostile to it.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is just redistribution in the other direction. Take our tax dollars and spend them on projects that people don’t want just because they can.  If they rely on my vote to help pass it, then we all we be stuck in 20th century transportation options.

Blame elected officials for lack of transit in South DeKalb

I am a big supporter of public transportation. When I was in my early teens growing up in Indiana, my mother bought me a pass for our local bus system. I was the only one of my friends who knew how to catch the bus. When we moved to Georgia, the first thing I did was buy a MARTA card. I learned more about this city riding transit than most locals knew who had lived here all their lives. When we bought our house several years ago, one of our desires was it be close to mass transit. It all was a matter of choices. Unfortunately in South DeKalb, public transportation choices will be limited to buses. No rail of any sort for those of us who have been supporting MARTA for decades. The roundtable, that is deciding what projects to include in next years tax referendum, scrapped any idea of a train system running into South DeKalb. Instead they chose to link Emory with the Lindbergh area, and extend MARTA up to Cumberland in Cobb county. I am in agreement with the roundtable that the Emory/Clifton corridor needs more than  buses, but to extend rail to Cobb is really a slap in the face for us long time riders and supporters of MARTA. Cobb, along with Gwinnett, and Clayton, decide decades ago that they did not want public transportation. Only recently have they embraced the idea that some public transport is needed. Now Cobb residents get to enjoy the spoils of an already in place system that was paid for by Dekalb and Fulton residents. But what is even more distressing is that one of the two elected leader that repesents the county on this roundtable was rather dismissive of any sort of transit choices in South DeKalb. Here is what CEO Ellis had to say:

Transit addresses traffic and belongs where there is the greatest concentration of people,

He should have added on to that “who will actually use it”. MARTA has done the needed studies to for rail service in parts of the I-20 corridor. They have shown that it is a viable project. They have done environmental impact studies, and have presented it to the public. The only thing that stood in the way was funding. Now that there is a possible funding plan, the rug is pulled out from under our feet. All of this is due to a lack of political resolve by the elected officials that represent us. This is just one of many times where our elected representatives have failed us. From quality of life issues to economic development, the county, our state reps and even our congressmen fail us at every turn. They do this because they know there will be few if any repercussions for their inaction.  The rally for rail that Lee May held earlier this week was well intentioned, but a little too late. That should have been done earlier in the process to let the roundtable know exactly where we stood. Much of South DeKalb has been written off as ignorant and unworthy of proper representation. Until we hold our elected representatives to a higher standard, we will continue to get sub-standard representation.

Issues South DeKalb should keep an eye on.

Congressional District Lines

the redrawing of congressional lines and legislature lines will take center stage this summer. In August, a special session will begin the process of redrawing district lines to accommodate this states increase in population. As it stands the legislature will have 14 districts to draw as oppose to 13. Since republicans control all three branches of state government, you can expect Democrats to fare poorly during this once a decade redrawing. I for one hope the legislature looks at how DeKalb is carved up. DeKalb, with a population around 750 thousand has 4 congressional districts. That’s more than Fulton or Gwinnett. The legislature should bring all of DeKalb that is not in the 6th district or in the city of Atlanta back into the fourth. See a possible district breakdown here. DeKalb is basically an urban county with issues that more align with the central city than with more rural areas like Rockdale, or Henry, or South Fulton county. It is going to be interesting to see how the legislature deals with DeKalb. Aside from the congressional redrawing,  what could have a greater impact on DeKalb is the representation in the statehouse. As the AJC has reported on several occasions, DeKalb, along with Fulton has not kept pace in terms of growth with its exurban counterparts. In the state legislature DeKalb could lose a seat or two, weakening its delegation in the statehouse. That weakening would be a strengthening for a county like Forsyth wich has only a fraction of the population of DeKalb. If DeKalb does lose a seat or two, we all can guess where those seats will come from. If you want more info on the redrawing, check out this Google search

Transportation

In the fall people all across the Metro area will vote whether or not to tax themselves an additional penny to fund transportation infrastructure throughout the region. By late August we should know exactly wich projects voters will be asked to fund. Many projects will affect South DeKalb. Things like mass transit, road improvements and interchange improvements are all on the list for DeKalb. I have stated in a prior post that I am not against a self-imposed tax for better transportation service throughout the metro. What I fear is that DeKalb residents will pay more and receive less. Rail service has been talked about in South DeKalb for decades, but none has materialized. The state DOT has already nixed the idea of rail service to Conyers, and rightfully so. The density of the population that far out just doesn’t warrant it just yet. But some sort of rail service to South DeKalb is long overdue. Two options benefitting South DeKalb could be placed on the final list for voters to approve. One  is rail transit from downtown to Candler Road and the other is  an extension of the Blue Line to Wesley Chapel. The cynic in me says neither will get the needed support from the roundtable that is tasked with providing the final list. If the final list comes out, and all we get in DeKalb are interchange improvements and other areas get more options, I would be inclined to say no to a new tax. But I will keep an open mind about the whole thing.

Policing

A friend of mine had his home broken into recently. The police responded and we started talking about police coverage where he lives. What he told me was astonishing. He said on any given night there are four cars patrolling an area from Moreland Avenue to Wesley Chapel/Flakes Mill Rd south of I-20. Yea that’s a huge area. I was shocked that an area that is so huge would have only four cars. My first instinct was to think the officer was exaggerating, but when a second car showed up, he said the same thing without knowing what we and the previous officer had spoken about. After a little bit of searching, I found this map of the South Precinct. If these divisions represent individual beats within the precinct, then I can see how its possible for only four cars to patrol the area. But even worse is that these same areas are becoming crime-ridden but a surge in police coverage has not kept pace.  It seems to me that the police are in a respond to incidents stage than proactively policing areas that are vulnerable to criminal activity.

Transportation wish list has many South DeKalb projects

Here is a list of road and transit requests that directly affect South DeKalb county. Many of them are just road improvements, but a few are massive projects that cost a lot of cash. As you know, in  2012 we all will vote on whether to impose an additional penny tax on ourselves to pay for improved transportation infrastructure. Right now the list is very long, but it will be pared down in the coming months. By October, a final list will be presented and it will be voted on in 2012. There are a few projects in South DeKalb that have some merit. Improvements to the interchanges at Panoala/I-20 and the 285/Bouldercrest Rd. Interchanges. Anyone who has driven on either of these roads know they are woefully inadequate for the traffic they carry. In terms of mass transit, there are several options on the table that will bring transit alternatives to many areas along the I-20 corridor including the possibility of a heavy rail extension from Indian Creek to Wesley Chapel Road. Here is a list I culled from the AJC. If you want more details and costs for each, check out their database here. If you want more info on the entire project check out the ARC page here.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name Bouldercrest Road from I-285 South to Linecrest Road – Widening

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Improve from 2 lanes to 4 divided lanes with landscaped median, sidewalks and bike lanes. Improve traffic flow, relieve congestion, produce safety and operation improvements and improve access to I-285. Linecrest Road to I-285.

 PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name SR 212 (Browns Mill Road) from SR 155 (Snapfinger Road) to Rockdale County Line – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Relieve congestion at key intersections and improve traffic flow by adding turn lanes, bike/ped and signalization upgrades. Snapfinger to Rockdale County line.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name Columbia Drive from US 78 (College Avenue) to I-20 East – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, and resurfacing. I-20 to E College Ave.

 PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name US 278 (Covington Highway) from I-285 East to SR 124 (Turner Hill Road) – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades and resurfacing. Evans Hill Rd to SR 124 (Turner Hill Rd), I-285 to Evans Mill Rd.

 PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name SR 155 (Flat Shoals Parkway) from I-285 South to Snapfinger Road – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal updgrades and resurfacing. SR 155 (Snapfinger) to I-285.

 PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name Glenwood Road from SR 155 (Candler Road) to US 278 (Covington Highway) – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal updgrades and resurfacing. SR 155 (Candler Rd) to Covington Hwy

 PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name Panola Road from SR 155 (Snapfinger Road) to US 278 (Covington Highway) – Widening and Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Convert a 2-lane to a 4-lane divided with sidewalks, bike lanes. US 278 (Covington Hwy) to SR 155 (Snapfinger Rd); Covington Hwy to Redan Rd.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name SR 155 (Snapfinger Road) from Flat Shoals Parkway to River Road – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose To relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, and resurfacing. From Flat Shoals to River Road and intersection improvement.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name Wesley Chapel Road from SR 155 (Flat Shoals Parkway) to Boring Road – Corridor Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose To relieve congestion at key intersections, add sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, and resurfacing. From Boring Road to Flat Shoals Parkway.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name I-20 East at Panola Road – Interchange Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Construct interchange upgrades at Panola Road

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name I-285 South at Bouldercrest Road – Interchange Improvements

Agency Dekalb

Project purpose Interchange improvements at Bouldercrest Road, adding turn lanes, improved ramps and bridges.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name I-20 East Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Improvements – Phase A

Agency MARTA

Project purpose This project is Phase A of the I-20 East Transit initiative to construct and operate high capacity transit in the I-20 East corridor. Phase A will construct a Park & Ride lot and Transfer Center at the Mall at Stonecrest off Mall Parkway asouth of I-20 in Dekalb County. Bus service from this facility will include local and semi-express service to and from the Perimeter Center, Central Atlanta, Cumberland and Airport acitivity centers and the South Dekalb residential area.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name I-20 East Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Improvements – Phase B

Agency MARTA

Project purpose This project is Phase B of the I-20 East Transit initiative to construct and operate high capacity transit in the I-20 East corridor and assumbes Phase A is fully funded and selected for the Transportation Investment Act investment list. Phase B will construct three Transit Centers with associated needed parking at three locations along I-20 consistent with the I-20 East Transit Initiative scheduled for adoption in July 2011. The most likely locations as of March 30, 2011 at I-20 and Candler Road, I-20 and Wesley Chapel Road and Fairington Road/Dekalb Medical Center Hillandale. Bus service from these facilities will include local and semi-express service to and from the Perimeter Center, Central Atlanta and Cumberland activity centers and the South Dekalb residential areas

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name I-20 East Corridor High Capacity Transit from Central Atlanta to Candler Road

Agency MARTA

Project purpose To provide transit service to South Dekalb County that directly connects to Downtown Atlanta. This segment will achieve the goal of connecting the South Dekalb area and Downtown Atlanta in the shortest length possible. There would be connections to the existing MARTA heavy rail system once reaching central Atlatna. Light rail or bus rapid transit would be the possible technologies utilized.

PROJECT PURPOSE & TYPE

Project name MARTA East Heavy Rail Line Extension from Indian Creek Station to Wesley Chapel Road Near I-20 East

Agency MARTA

Project purpose To provide transit service in the South Dekalb area by implementing a segment of the I-20 East transit project. This segment would be HRT and would connect to the existing MARTA Blue (East) Line. The first phase would begin at Wesley Chapel and travel to Indian Creek. This is about 5.4 miles.

MARTA Rail along I-20 still a longshot

I attended the last of the community meetings that MARTA was having to discuss the I-20 corridor last night, and came away with the following observations

There are three options on the table for better transit in south DeKalb; Heavy rail, Light Rail, and Bus Rapid Transit. I prefer a light rail alternative that will ferry folks within the corridor and connect to an existing MARTA rail station or a yet to be constructed multi-modal terminal in downtown.

There have been three studies that concentrated on the I-20 corridor in the past ten years. All three have been shelved. There have been an additional four studies that involved South DeKalb in one way or another in the last ten years. None have been acted on, and this study, though using some data from previous studies, will basically start over from scratch. I have to wonder whether anything will become of this latest study.

There are nearly 400,000 people in the corridor. In twenty years that number is projected to grow 26%. Sorry folks, but a few buses traveling the main roads is not going to cut it. Also, MARTA rail stations tend to bring positive development to areas in which they are located. You want to see better development opportunities in South DeKalb, improve the transit options.

A lot of the folk in the meeting were quite passionate about transit in the area. Many in attendance wanted better options for travel not only in South DeKalb, but to other areas of the metro. Most favored a light rail system when asked to vote on an option. That tells me people are aware of the realities of bringing rail to south DeKalb. Heavy rail will never come to south DeKalb. So we must look at other options the next best thing is Light rail. It costs less than heavy rail, but can carry more people than BRT systems. Also, it would be nice to see the regions first light rail implemented in South DeKalb.

This study is just that, a study. What many folks do not know is that this study has to make it onto a list of regional transit options that will be funded by an additional 1 cent sales tax on people. The sales tax referendum isn’t scheduled until the 2012 elections. Even if that passes, there is no guarantee that this project gets on the list. In short, the project has to be considered doable to make the list, then funding must be approved via this vote. I am a pessimist and my pessimistic nature tells me not to get my hopes up too high. There are other areas who will be pushing their own transportation projects, and many of those areas are much more politically connected than South DeKalb. If this thing happens I will be pleasantly surprised. It might even add a bit of optimism to my pessimistic outlook on this whole transit thing.

Finally, in addition to MARTA big wigs, there were a couple of surprise faces in the crowd. I was surprised to see School board member Zepora Roberts in attendance. Roberts, who could be ex-board member Roberts next week, was very vocal and passionate about transit in the area. Like many in the audience she was skeptical of the chances that transit will come to I-20 anytime soon. Also in attendance was 4^th district candidate Liz Carter. She says she has been to each of the meetings held in the corridor. Since I have only been to one of the meetings, I can’t verify that but Carter has been very visible in South DeKalb during this race. Far More visible than Hank Johnson, or some of our local elected officials. Say what you want about Carter and her party representation, but she seems to have a genuine concern about what goes on in the district

 

MARTA becoming less SMARTA

MARTA is cutting rail and bus service, as well as rasing fares among other cost cutting measures

We knew it was coming. MARTA was going to reduce the number of bus routes, and cut its rail service. Here is a snippet from their web site:

MARTA’s FY 2011 budget includes a number of internal cost containment measures; a 10.2 percent reduction in bus service (131 routes to 91 routes), a 14.2 percent reduction in rail service, an increase in weekly, monthly and Mobility pass prices; closure of two Ride Stores; reduced customer service call center hours; a reduction in the number of Station Agents assigned throughout the system, and designation of public restrooms at nine major transfer points and end-of-line stations

Here is a list of changes that Affect South DeKalb riders

Eliminated:

7

22

28

96

216

Changed:

9 – Toney valley, starts at Kensington goes to Covington Hwy, Peachcrest, Columbia, Toney Valley, Tilson rd. Second Ave, and Gresham/Brennan Rd. where it ends.

15 – South DeKalb, no longer going to Health center. Must use 114.

24 – Belvedere no longer serving South DeKalb, will meander around East lake, Kirkwood areas. 123 now serving portions of Belvedere and Midway.

34 – Gresham Park, will continue to serve Gresham Park area, but will end at GPC Decatur.

74, Flat Shoals, will continue to serve Whites Mill Rd. and on to downtown via Flat Shoals, Glenwood and I-20, but not clear if it will continue to serve S DeKalb mall area.

86 – Lithonia, will take you from Lithonia to East Lake station via Snapfinger Woods Dr., Wesley Chapel, Columbia, McAfee and 2nd Avenue.

123 – Church St,  Decatur Station  Route 123 will assume the Swanton Way, Commerce Dr., W. Trinity Pl., S/N McDonough St., W. Hill St., Oakview Rd., Fifth Ave. to Hosea Williams Dr. segments currently served by Route 18. From Hosea Williams Rd. Route 123 will then assume the S. Candler St., Midway Rd., Carter Rd., Fairlee Dr., Line St., White Oak Dr., Capistrana Place, San Gabriel Ave., and Belvedere Lane segments currently served by Route 24.

186 – Wesley Chapel/Rainbow,  Will go from Wesley Chapel to Candler then on to downtown via I-20. No more service to Indian creek station.

107 – Glenwood, will go from Inman Park Station to Covington Hwy., and then continue on to Kensington Station.

111 – Stonecrest, Will go from Stonecrest Mall to Wesley Chapel via Snapfinger woods. Then down to Covington Hwy to South Indian Creek to Indian Creek Station.

114 – Columbia Woods, will go from Avondale Station to Clifton Springs terminating at the health center.

115 – Covington Hwy, will go from Evans Mill park and ride to Covington Hwy to South Hairston to Redan on to Indian Creek Station.

116 – Redan/Stonecrest will Terminate at Stonecrest Mall via Redan Road. It will no longer service Main St. in Downtown Lithonia.

117 – Rockbridge/Panola will go to the Panola GRTA lot at I-20 and Panola. It will service Fairington Pkwy as well as the Lou Walker Senior center.

In addition to route changes, MARTA also will increase fares on weekly, monthly, and mobility passes. Here is a PDF of the fare schedule for the next few years.

Trains will run fewer hours as well. Trains stop running at 1 am all days, and will start running at 6 am on weekends. Happy riding.

MARTA proposing major cuts in South DeKalb

CrossRoadsNews – MARTA proposing major cuts in bus service.

I have been trying to convince my wife that leaving Atlanta is the best thing we could do for our family. Although my mom, dad and brother are here, I have no attachments or personal loyalties that keep me here other than my wife. She won’t hear of it because here entire family, immediate and extended, is in the metro area. We both work in industries that are growing, and we both have the ability to find employment. I say this because I have come to believe that the Metro Atlanta area is dying. We may be the first Sunbelt city to start losing population to our more progressive and forward-thinking neighbors. I was reading an article discussing the future of MARTA, and that future was one of less service. For South DeKalb, it is the loss of ten bus routes, and the modification of 13 others that will have a huge impact on the way people travel to and from South DeKalb. For me personally, my direct bus access downtown is on the chopping block. I will have to travel to one of the MARTA train stations then head downtown. For many, it is going to mean getting used to riding a different bus, and riders can expect longer wait times and more crowded buses as the number of routes dwindles. With fewer routes, more users will be crowded onto fewer buses, and there will be fewer options on how to get to your destination. There are plans in place to modify other routes to cover parts of the areas affected like Toney Valley for example but these modifications will do away altogether will service to many streets in Toney Valley. What I see is MARTA forcing people who rely on their service to walk further and wait longer. I have always been a supporter of MARTA, but I think they are going to cut themselves right out of business, or into a state takeover. Even poor people can take but so much. When you raise your price, but cut your service level, people are bound to get fed up. Who knows what that breaking point will be, but If MARTA keeps up this cut service and raise prices strategy, that breaking point may come sooner than later. It may be high time for someone in South DeKalb to start their own local bus service that will get people where they need to be, sort of like what happened on Buford Highway.

Here is the list of routes MARTA wants to eliminate:

7, 9, 18, 22, 24, 28, 96, 118, 119 and 216

Here is the list of all routes with modifications, or eliminations.

Georgia gets jack on high-speed rail funding | Fresh Loaf

Georgia gets diddly-squat for high-speed rail funding | Fresh Loaf.

I am posting this, because I am a believer in more transportation options like high-speed rail between cites, and light and heavy rail within metro areas.  I also believe Metro Atlanta is going to find itself a second class city to the likes of Charlotte, Birmingham, and Nashville if we do not get our act together. These cities realize how important they are to their regions, and the regions realize how important those cities are as well. Here in the Metro, you have a leadership that has become lazy and complacent while “Rome is burning”. The leadership at the state level would cut off their nose to spite their perceived enemy, Metro Atlanta. Many rural legislators would rather see a failed Atlanta region, though they know that without Atlanta, this state would be in no better shape than our neighbors to the west. So the state needs to get off their arses and make things happen with transportation. If they don’t, A lot of us will be moving up I-85.