Imagining a Decatur Shuttle
Decatur Metro | October 12, 2010The notes from the city’s first Community Academy, entitled “Going Mobile”, are now online along with the video above, sharing resident reactions.
Though the document doesn’t indicate any sort of decided upon resolution between pedestrians, bikers and drivers, the tilt of the 13 pages of suggestions leans decidedly towards the foot-powered modes of transportation over the gas-powered ones. In fact, aside from suggestions of free downtown parking for residents and concerns about the Church street road diet, I really didn’t see much that promoted greater individual car use.
And while many resident suggestions offered at the meeting have already been written down in the city’s community transportation plan (indicated in the notes with an *) there was one that permeated many of the sections of discussion at the meeting, which hasn’t gotten much air-time yet: a Decatur shuttle service.
Here a sampling of the brainstorming bullets that specifically reference a “shuttle”:
- Establish a user-friendly Decatur shuttle serving the city’s neighborhoods and commercial districts with frequent service.
- if dependable and on time, would use / connect areas with Decatur/need connections from East Lake station / connection to healthcare, grocery stores, city services/connect all the schools/connect to Edgewood/Kirkwood areas / retirement areas need intracity loop/outlying residential areas need more connections / minimal costs to encourage participation
- Ten years out: transit shuttle between neighborhoods and into downtown (perimeter parking, then pay to use shuttle, free to residents—students or seniors)
- How to pay for shuttle? SPLOST, fundraising with Festival, street vendors
- Circulator could be like a Decatur BeltLine, around city and to Emory, but more frequently than Cliff shuttle
Do you support a Decatur shuttle service? If so, what sort of vehicle would you propose? And where should it go? And would you ride it? Oh and how would we pay for it?
If there is a need for this, it is extremely sad that MARTA can’t supply it.
Edwin,
ye
sorry about that “ye”. my cat sat on the keyboard.
LOL! Our two try to “help” us type all the time.
Edwin,
yes it is sad. MARTA has been financially hamstrung by the state since its inception, in multiple ways. The state gives virtually no money to MARTA (highly unusual for major transportation networks) and yet constrains MARTA’s budget so that only half of funds can go toward operating costs.
Ideally, we’d have a transportation system that adequately serviced the region, but in real life we don’t.
Meg
OK, I will ask a more specific question: would you utilize a shuttle that ran regularly between downtown Decatur and downtown Oakhurst?
I think I actually might. If I had walked downtown and the Taqueria line was too long…I could now put all the Oakhurst restaurants in my consideration set.
Don’t see our family using it much during the week but we’d definitely take it on Friday or Saturday between 6:30 – 9:30pm. We like Mezcalito’s, MoJo and Saba. Always comment that we hate to be driving but don’t like the idea of crossing the tracks after dark to get back home.
Maybe a stop at the Avelino’s/Isabella’s building and near Feast/ Farmstead/ DQ, too . Those areas need parking relief.
Yes, but here’s another chicken and egg issue. If the shuttle is frequent and predictable, we’ll use it a lot more. But a shuttle probably needs a high volume to run frequently. If it’s not frequent, being the last-minute, unorganized family that we are, we probably won’t intersect it.
Definitely would use it.
I would perhaps use it for times when I wanted to have a drink and avoid driving, or on really gorgeous days when attending a festival or similar event. But on most days, I would prefer to drive my own car.
Yes, I would absolutely use such a shuttle. I think this is a great idea. It would be useful for seniors as well as those of us who prefer to drive as little as possible. I have just moved here, and while I’ve found the city very walkable so far purely in terms of distances between places, it leaves something to be desired as far as crossings, sidewalks, etc. I hope all these things can be improved in the long term, but a shuttle service seems like a solution that could be implemented fairly quickly. It would also be great for rainy days, hot/cold weather, large shopping trips, etc. when walking may not be the most feasible option.
I don’t know much about MARTA, but I think that this kind of super local shuttle with a very focused purpose can definitely coexist with and probably enhance a larger metro public transit system. MARTA seems to be more focused on routes that connect different segments of the metro area, which is pretty typical for this kind of system. From other posters and my limited experience, it seems like MARTA leaves a lot to be desired, but even if it were totally ideal, I think there would definitely still be room for a local Decatur shuttle.
Here is a link to Decatur’s eco friendly Pedicab service: http://www.easylivingpedicabs.com/
Don’t they qualify?
The pedicabs are a great service but they still just do one person/small group at a time to varied locations. The way I think of a shuttle, would be a small bus, like the Cliff, that would service designated stops and transport multiple riders on a set route.
To me, the pedicabs and a shuttle would serve different needs, but both essential in providing better transportation options.
Thanks for this link! This is a great service to know about.
Cliff is free for riders associated with businesses in the Clifton corridor. To work for “regular” citizens, who would subsidize such a service?
I always thought an electrick golfcart that ran up and down ponce would be an excellent idea. It would go from the post office to the hi teck gas stations, maybe loop it down trinity as well for those going to Twains, Greens, and Courthouse. Keep it simple.
Right on, TR. Plus a run to Oakhurst. And start it simple, such as just Friday evening through Saturday evening and expand gradually. Or rent the vehicles and start with events, in nice weather, something … just start. They make 7-9 seat, open-sided electric carts or small trolleys.
I would be willing to bet $ Decatur could find a team of volunteer drivers. Set up a training program, buy four or five vehicles, or rent to begin, and just do it.
(And please forgive me, but I can’t resist saying that I would much rather spend money on this than on a THIRD brand new gym within a half square mile, as currently planned. Or on architectural plans for a $20 million dollar building we can’t afford — which would add a fourth new gym? Priorities.)
I can’t say I would, but I’ve got two little kids and a hectic schedule. Could see it as useful for people not wanting to drive though, especially if it went to grocery stores and hospitals nearby.
It should loop the Ponce corridor from Marlay to Leons, right on Church, left on Trinity, right on College, left McDonough St, right Oakview to Oakhurst, then loop back up past Avellino’s and head back to Downtown Decatur. It needs to make a true loop to offer convenience to all major shopping nodes (Although East College Station may add too much time to the loop). If it can make the loop in 15-20 minutes it would work great and offer a chance to have dinner at Taqueria, zip up to the Yogurt Tap, grab a beer at the new Trackside and be within walking distance of your house at nights end! Also, open the thing up like a SF trolley so you can easily jump on.
I’ve visited beach towns with these kinds of shuttle loops and they seem to work real well and are well-used even though I think most folks drive to their beach destination. Might be real good for businesses so perhaps they would support. Of course it would take some fanfare and promotion to get going but then it might be sustainable. If done like a trolley or other fun vehicle, it might be a cheap form of entertainment for the under 6 crowd!
Must be stops near the County parking deck and near the other excess parking areas as outlined in the transportation plan. We want people coming from outside the Decatur to use this shuttle, too, rather than parking in the neighborhoods and in no parking areas.
A looping shuttle service between Oakhurst and the Square is a great idea. Even better if it has a theme, fun vibe and support from local businesses.
My guess is that once school starts use of a shuttle would be zip.
I swear I’m not going off on a tangent, so stay with me on this.
This discussion is similar to many I heard at the round tables, and see here regularly on DM. “It would be great if we could have xxx – let’s get the city working on that”. It may not be explicitly stated as a city government task, but I get the vibe in a lot of these that this is the assumption. In this case, Marta is also brought up as a possible provider.
We never seem to look at it from a private sector standpoint. But we should, because the private sector in this town is vibrant, innovative, and way more effective than many realize. For example: Decatur Metro is now in many ways a far more informative and useful community site than the city website. Pedicabs fill some of the transportation niche. The Furbus is regularly contracted to provide transportation around Decatur for events like the Tour of Homes or the Oakhurst wine crawl. Emory provides the Cliff.
I would think that, if there really is a market for this, some enterprising go-getter could develop a business model, in coordination with the downtown and Oakhurst business associations, to provide some kind of shuttel or trolley. Someone who can dedicate their experience, instincts, business skills, etc. toward this.
But not our government. They are very good at what they do, and this is getting outside of their wheelhouse.
If the city can help get it off the ground, great. If we can coordinate with other neighborhood retail districts, like Kirkwood, L5P, Va-Hi, Avondale, great.
There are vans marked Owl Transport that run all around on this side of town. There are routes to the VA, Decatur Hospital, Decatur Marta Station. I assume this is private company. Anyone know anything about it ? How much does it cost? Can any one ride it ?
Owl, Inc. is a medical-transportation company based in Jacksonville, FL. From a VA page: Minority-Owned business, For-Profit Organization, Service Provider, Research and Development, Veteran Owned Business, Black American Owned, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Contracts and Grants
The thinking here is spot on, developing a business / feasibility plan is the first step. Couldn’t agree more about the strategy.
Just about every transportation option available is subsidized to some extent or another…except for walking. Even, or maybe especially, the gas burning, carbon emitting, automobile. I don’t know about Owl, but I bet the VA or some medical provider provides a subsidy. It is the role of government to provide that subsidy, for the common good.