Tag: Atlanta Streetcar

MM: Edgewood-Candler Park Redevelopment, Farmers Markets, and Edna Lewis

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  • Redevelopment of Edgewood-Candler Park gains speed [ABC]
  • Developing Sustainable Farmers Markets [3ten]
  • When was the Veterans Administration Hospital on Clairmont Road built? [AJC]
  • Streetcar extension to Beltline’s Eastside Trail hits stumbling block [AJC]
  • Some upset Ponce City Market changed to paid parking [WSB]
  • Atlanta History Center finishes renovations, more on the way [Intown]
  • Callaway Gardens shutters large attractions [ABC]
  • Edna Lewis and the Black Roots of American Cooking [NYT]

Rendering courtesy of Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta Applies for Grant to Extend Streetcar To Beltline

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You all hear about this yet?

The Saporta Report is reporting that the City of Atlanta has applied for a $29.3 million federal TIGER grant to extend the Atlanta Streetcar to the Beltline at Irwin Street.

The application states that the total cost of the 1.8 mile track round trip would be $65.4 million, which would include the cost for two new streetcars and two new stations – one along Edgewood and one on Irwin Street.

For lots more info on the application and streetcar plans, read the full Saporta article.  Grants are due to be awarded in mid-October.

Map courtesy of City of Atlanta via Saporta Report.

Check Out This Great Atlanta Streetcar Map

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Tucked at the bottom of Maria Saporta’s recent report from the launch of the Atlanta Streetcar, there’s this great map of the Atlanta Streetcar system from the 1940s that you’ve gotta see.

CLICK HERE for the high-res version of the map, so you can zoom in close and see all the different trolley and bus routes all over the city!

Here’s a quick peek at the Decatur/Druid Hills/Avondale area to get you started.

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Solid green lines are the trolley lines, and the dashed red lines are bus lines.  (And if you run across the dashed green “Trackless Trolley” line – like up in Buckhead – it was basically an electric bus that drew its electricity from overhead wires.)

Eye on the Street

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Jackson Street @ Edgewood Ave, Atlanta GA (pic submitted by Robert)

Atlanta Streetcar Testing Commences, Safety Guidelines Posted

Have you driven over the streetcar tracks in downtown Atlanta of late and thought “How do I navigate these things?”.

Well, it’s time to figure it out, because construction of the Atlanta Streetcar route is largely completed and the four, big blue streetcars are about to start taking their test runs.  The city of Atlanta has released a list of safety guidelines for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists…

Pedestrians:
– The Atlanta Streetcars are big, beautiful, and powered by an overhead electrical system which means they are VERY QUIET when operating.
– Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings when near streetcar tracks and intersections – always, STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN before crossing the street
– A Streetcar traveling at 20 miles per hour takes almost 60 feet to stop.
– Do not run in front of an approaching streetcar.
– Step over tracks to avoid catching heels or wheels in the track gap
– Streetcar stops are located on the side of the streets and in the middle of the road. When heading to a stop use designated crosswalks, obey walk signals and look both ways.

Motorists:
– Streetcar operators must obey the same traffic and speed laws as motorist
-Streetcars travel at or below the posted speed limit and must obey all traffic signals.
-Its okay to drive on the tracks, be aware that vehicle tires may feel a bit different on the tracks, but the tracks are not electrified.
– Look for Streetcars before you make a right at a red light, the Streetcars are very quiet.
– Streetcars are NOT cars- they cannot stop quickly and are on rails, they cannot maneuver out of the way of vehicles and pedestrians.
-A Streetcar traveling at 20 miles per hour takes almost 60 feet to stop.
-Do not attempt to pass a Streetcar. The Atlanta Streetcars are big- they’re nearly 9 feet wide and 12 feet tall and they will block your line of sight. Do not pass a streetcar at a stop and be alert for those disembarking.
-Streetcars cannot go around cars parked on tracks. Park your entire vehicle within the white lines. Do not double park.

Bicyclists and other human-powered wheeled vehicle:
-Watch your wheels-Streetcar tracks can be challenging to ride alongside and to cross for anything with wheels: bikes,
strollers, wheelchairs, scooters, skateboards, in-line skates, etc. Cross tracks as close to right angle as possible; don’t lean into turns when crossing tracks; remember wet tracks can be slippery, sometimes it is safer to walk your bike across the tracks.
– Beware of the Door Zone – cyclists traveling between traffic and parked vehicles should be aware of the Door Zone. When a driver in a parked vehicle suddenly open their door into your travel space, it may cause you to swerve and put you the cyclist in the path of other vehicles or the track.

Map courtesy of the Atlanta Streetcar website

DHC Lunch & Learn Series: The History of the Streetcar in Atlanta

From the DeKalb History Center…

The History of the Streetcar in Atlanta & DeKalb County. Presented by Patrick Sullivan. Patrick Sullivan will present a talk on the establishment, growth, and decline of streetcars and inter-urban commuter lines in the Atlanta area with a special focus on the development of the transportation network in DeKalb County.

The history of the streetcar is as large and as colorful as history gets. Expansive, fast (for their time), noisy, and romantic, they were much loved by urban Georgians. Businesses, neighborhoods, recreational sites, and schools were tied into the new transportation system that provided movement to places people wanted or needed to go. Social relations changed as they brought white and black riders into close contact within the Jim Crow South. While the trackless trolley and personal automobile would bring an end to their use, funeral parties held in many cities honoring “last trolley rides” testified to their strong hold on the traveling public.

In 2011, the Georgia Department of Transportation hired New South Associates to develop a context for resources associated with Georgia’s historic streetcar systems, with an emphasis on the metro Atlanta area. The purpose of the report was to provide GDOT staff and preservation professionals with identification guidelines for streetcar-associated resources when they are encountered during road construction projects and a framework for evaluation of their historic significance and eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Patrick Sullivan is a historian and architectural historian with New South Associates in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He received his M.A. in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University in 2007. Over the course of his seven-year career at New South Associates, Mr. Sullivan has worked on a number of architectural and historic resource surveys throughout the eastern United States for clients that include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the General Services Administration, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the National Park Service among others.

  • November 13, From Noon to 1:00 p.m.
  • Historic DeKalb Courthouse, Second Floor, 101 E. Court Square
  • Free – bring your lunch!

Photo courtesy of the Wren’s Nest

A Sneak Peek at Atlanta’s New Streetcar

Atlanta’s Streetcar Facebook page posted this “sneak peek” of the city’s new streetcars on the back of a flatbed truck.  According to the overly excited text of Thomas Wheatley…

…the vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in September to Siemens’ Cumming facility where they’ll be fitted with their propulsion systems.