Inman Park isn’t mincing words about gubenatorial candidate John Oxendine’s proposal of building more bypasses and highways around Atlanta. CL’s Thomas Wheatley has the note to the candidate from Inman Park President Lisa Burnette.
The idea has obviously picked open the old scab that Inman Park has worn since a coalition of in-town neighborhoods defeated the plan of connecting the road with the most laughable 35mph speed limit sign in the city (Freedom Parkway) with Highway 78.
Now in politics, pissing people off is kind of inevitable. But pissing off people with money? Oh, that’s bad. Very bad.
These Atlanta neighborhoods, including Inman Park, most soundly defeated this highway proposal decades ago, at a time when they had little organization and little resources. Today, we are highly organized and closely networked. We have neighbors and friends in many high places, and we have a lot of money, set aside specifically to protect ourselves against these kinds of proposals.
The Inman Park Neighborhood Association demands that you immediately retract your statements that you would consider building a Stone Mountain Freeway through intown Atlanta.
Hells yes.
Hey Inman Park, let Decatur know if you need help. We don’t have quite the wealth-hoards, but we’re feisty and we’ll volunteer for near about anything.
Decatur doesn’t have a shabby history of squashing things in their backyard. If memory serves, once upon a time there was a plan to put heavy rail right down Clairemont. You may notice, it ain’t there today.
Ha!
Actually, that proposal has never actually come up…it’s just part of the transportation plan.
I’ll never forget that the opponents argument was a couple YouTube videos of trolleys running into cars with “Ride of the Valkyries” playing in the background.
And, the discussion (never a proposal) was about Light Rail, or streetcars. MARTA is Heavy Rail.
Au contraire, DM. It did indeed come up.
As Grift is likely referring to, MARTA floated a variety of east-side proposals maybe ten years or so ago. One did indeed include rail (albeit light) from the Lindbergh heavy rail station to Emory to Clairemont and straight down Clairemont to the downtown Decatur heavy rail station.
It’s notable because the whole hullabaloo included Mayor Floyd raising his fist on the bandstand on the square, rallying an angry crowd, and telling MARTA to back the hell off.
Given Decatur’s general embrace of transit, it was like being in an alternate reality. Of course, it wasn’t really a reaction to transit. It was a reaction to MARTA’s less than stellar rep for plowing through communities with little respect for context or the will of residents.
Ooohhh…gotcha.
Damn my lack of Decatur tenure! Is there a YouTube video of that rally?
Yep. I was referring to the now defunct Emory-Northlake MARTA line. Then again, I suppose I’m showing my age.
I also recall the Druid Hills Civic Association threatening Holy War over that light rail line. I thought the anti crowd had a point; MARTA was never able to prove that such a line would do much to ease traffic.
It may have been the only time that the all powerful Gdot got stopped from paving anything. Those road folks are mighty powerful in Georgia.
Ox is cast in the same transportation mold that got us where we are today. No discussion of alternative transport plans, like commuter rail.
I’m not sure if there was a mold for the Insurance Commish of the Great State of Georiga to be cast from. I’m pretty sure he just crawled out from the same rock that all the other poltical hacks who are bought & paid for by special interest groups came from. Question: does he still get to use that special siren on his state car to speed to fires or other disasters so that he can be sure to beat the TV cameras there?
The original MARTA referendum had the northeast MARTA line coming off the east line at East Lake and following the existing rail tracks to Northlake and Tucker. That line never messed with Clairemont, and hasn’t been seriously discussed in years.
When MARTA was first proposed Emory did not want to have a station on campus and the CDC was a more modest facility. Today Emory, the CDC and the hospitals have a difficult transportation problem and they need transit. There have been some discussions of ways to link the Clifton Corridor to transit. The options now are commuter rail, and the so called C-Loop – both of which have a slightly better chance of being built than Oxindine’s parallel connector.
I find it frustrating that many people call for “greener” transportation, and eased traffic congestion, but then they don the NIMBY attitude. *Someone* is going to have to give up something in order for progress to occur. If something is going to happen, state and local governments are going to have to break out the eminent domain action and get something going. Those affected must be justly compensated, but we desperately need something in terms of commuter rail.
Look at Miami/Ft Lauderdale (Tri Rail), Chicago (Metra), NYC (Metro North, NJT, Long Island RR), San Diego (Soudner), LA (Metrolink), and many other cities who have embraced commuter rail. The only way I can see something working is the utilization of existing railroad right-of-ways. Either reclaiming abandoned RoW’s or double-tracking existing trackage. Even then, you run into issues of grade separation projects. No one likes derailed passenger trains – See Metrolink Glendale Collision, et al.
Norfolk Southern has expressed a cooperative attitude to commuter rail in the Atlanta area, but has cautioned that when the travelling public comes to the table, they better be ready to have real discussions, and follow through on action items.
So, if Atlanta really wants relief, they need to be willing to give up something. That’s going to mean land, some control over operations, and state funds.
D,
Workin’ on the Railroad
Couple of issues with the logic of your post Darrell…
Building more highways to further subsidize an unsustainable personal auto transportation system is EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of ““greener” transportation, and eased traffic congestion”.
“So, if Atlanta really wants relief…”
This idea is being pushed on Atlanta communities by OUTSIDE constituencies that will benefit by offsetting their transportation issues onto Atlanta communities.
Hi! I’m an Inman Park resident. Just so we are clear Darrell, Oxendine wasn’t talking about MARTA or trains. He was talking about putting a highway through Inman Park where the Carter Center is. There is no compensating the loss of a historic neighborhood – or even part of one. Period.
Yep…NIMBYism is alie and well here and elsewhere in ATLANTA.
Not a judgement, just a truth.
…oops, make that “alive and well”
I vaguely remember the big open forum about trolleys on Clairemont and other options several years ago. Residents could tape their comments or write them. I remember that the general sentiment in Decatur about trolleys on Clairement seemed to be NIMBY although a few thoughtful people were saying “But how will we ever have a pedestrian and bike friendly city if we don’t have some reasonable mass transit”. I think those who weren’t just clearly NIMBY were concerned about MARTA’s ability to pull this off without ruining downtown Decatur again.
Rose, I’m aware of the highway proposal. I am referencing that through my inclusion of “eased traffic congestion”, but also answering to the other posts regarding MARTA. Several historic structures and neighborhoods have been affected in cities all over the country with regard to expansion of roadways and transit systems. I am of the opinion that the tone of many historic groups gives the impression that they will not compromise, even a little, for the greater good of a region or city. As was mentioned, NIMBY is alive and well.
Atlanta is one of the largest metropolitan areas without commuter rail service.
http://www.apta.com/gap/policyresearch/Documents/APTA_2009_Fact_Book.pdf
Darrell and Rose, I’m pretty sure that you are both on the same team.
At the end of the day, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’re both ultimately concerned about your communities first-and-foremost. Both transit and preservation are key elements of healthy communities, and both voices should be equally heard as long as they are willing to listen themselves.
Also, we should never mistake veiled NIMBYism for honest-to-goodness reasonable advocates…that just causes unnecessary rifts.
On a lighter note, DM may have accidentally come up with yet another competitor for Decatur city slogan:
“Decatur: We’ll volunteer for near about anything.”
Too true. But it’s also one of our best qualities.
“Too true. But it’s also one of our best qualities.”
Which is precisely what makes it so enjoyable to poke fun at! 🙂