Morning Metro: Transportation Tax Amendments, Murder in Decatur: Part 2, and No-English Words
Decatur Metro | October 6, 2011 | 10:34 am
- TIA Exec Committee Tackles Proposed Amendments This Morning [AJC]
- Part 2 of the “Decatur Double Murder” Story [Dateline: Decatur]
- Lenox Place Neighborhood has a new logo [Patch]
- Few are using the new I-85 express lane yet [ABC]
- Ryan Gravel applies Beltline lessons to other U.S. Cities [FastCoDesign]
- 14 Words with No English Equivalent [Mental Floss]
Map courtesy of FastCoDesign
I like that birds eye view of the beltline.
Agreed — that birds-eye view is great. It really hammers home how the Beltline path covers a true cross-section of the city.
It’s almost like a variation on one of those tree-ring samples you can take from a live tree to see its rings and determine its age. With the Beltline, you can follow its path and get a ‘sample’ of the city that tells a story about our culture and history.
Perhaps the traffic will pick up in the not HOT lanes after people are used to seeing them, but there was no huge demand for a solution like this, so not really surprising. It does nothing for traffic, but it doesn’t sound like it was supposed to.
As far as taking money from the GA 400 projects, I say fine. But they are risking diminishing needed support for the tax up that way.
The one GA 400 project that needs to be funded, if it isn’t already, is the one that builds a true interchange between I-85 and GA 400 at Sidney Marcus/Cheshire Bridge/Buford Highway. It’s insane going from one highway to the next via surface streets. I’ll never forget driving around and around trying to find an exit to GA 400 north from I-85 south and one from 400 south to to I-85 north. I couldn’t believe they didn’t exist for a brand new highway!
My recollection is that the I-85/GA-400 interchange topped the justification for continuing the toll on GA-400.
“The estimated cost for building these facilities is 40 million dollars and the project will likely take 2 years to be constructed. The targeted year for completion is 2013.”
part of project description under http://www.georgiatolls.com/programs/ga-400/
It’s first on the list but I don’t know if that indicates priority. This project benefits anyone who ever uses 400 or needs to get across town via Sidney Marcus Blvd., including Decatur residents.
It may do nothing for traffic but that’s only because the only real way to do something about traffic is to go into a prolonged state of economic decline. 🙂
The number one reason people get frustrated over traffic is because it makes them feel powerless. Toll lane solutions are designed to treat this symptom, rather than the root cause, because it’s something that’s actually financially achievable.
Anyone recall this article that Sally Flocks from PEDS linked to a while back entitled “Why Traffic Congestion is Here to Stay…and Why It Will Get Worse”? It’s a real mind bender for all transportation advocates and haters. Here’s the first paragraph…
“Traffic congestion is not essentially a problem. It’s a solution to our basic mobility problem, which is that too many people want to move at the same times each day. Efficient operation of our economy and our school systems requires that people go to work, go to school, and run errands during about the same hours so they can interact with each other. We cannot alter this basic requirement without crippling our economy or society. This problem marks every major metropolitan area in the world.”
Or put more succinctly by some recent graffiti on the elevated MARTA line along DeKalb Ave, “Hate traffic? You are traffic.”
I was just gonna say, that graffiti is profound.
I believe it’s “Lenox Place” not Park.
Great logo!
Oh man- that map!
It seems like it may be premature to talk about how wonderful and catalytic the Beltline is at this early stage. I think the lessons of the Beltline have yet to be learned, and I can only hope that they are all positive.
I hope the Beltline transforms Atlanta like its boosters hope…in the meantime, for those who are new to Atlanta or not that familiar with the city, a Beltline bus tour is worth the time. I did this yesterday and learned quite a few things (and I”ve lived here for 30+years). Also, it’s the only way right now to get a closeup view of the Bellwood Quarry, which is being transformed into a reservoir and a park that will be the largest in the city.