Today’s Headlines

By Ashley Robbins | | No Comments
  • Planning Commission Approves Hamilton Station for Music City Star Commuter Rail (Nashville Biz Journal)
  • Complete Streets Key to Creating “World-Class Transportation” in Nashville (The Tennessean)
  • Knoxville Applies for TIGER Grant for Pedestrian Bridge Crossing Tennessee River (WATE)
  • Asheville Suburban Buses See 15 Percent Increase in Ridership (Blue Ridge Now)
  • High Speed Rail in Georgia a “Moral Obligation” (GPB News)
  • Not Enough People Cross Marietta Street to Meet State Requirements for Crosswalk (MDJ)
  • Bill Would Require Florida DOT to Spend $50M Annually on Suntrail Network (Green Mobility Network)
  • Tampa to Install Pedestrian Crossing at Deadly Hillsborough Ave Intersection (Tampa Tribune)
  • Highly Acclaimed Fashion Development Pushing Out Miami’s Little Haiti Neighborhood (The Independent)
  • Miami Police Exchange Guns for Bicycles (WPEC)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

via ATL Urbanist

New Cycle Track Taking Shape on Peachtree Center Avenue

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This new cycle track being installed on Peachtree Center Avenue in Downtown Atlanta is an example of the type of separated, protected bike route we need more of in the city. And the best part is that it connects to existing bike lanes (on Edgewood Ave) and will, in the future intersect with other bike lanes and paths that are in the works. Not only will protected lanes like this make cycling safer for existing riders (while hopefully also cutting down on cars parking in bike lanes**) – they’ll also generate new riders who don’t necessarily feel safe on a bike in mixed traffic or on an unprotected lane. As a post on Streetsblog from last year reported, protected lanes have been shown to bring huge gains in ridership. According to the post, a multi-city academic study of protected bike lanes in the US found a very clear trend:When protected bike lanes are added to a street, bike traffic rises — by an average of 75 percent in their first year alone, for the eight projects studied.That’s a huge boost in riders. And while I’m very excited about the new cycle track and hopeful for increased cycling in the city, after walking along Peachtree Center Avenue recently, I do have some concerns. This track passes by several mid-block loading docks and entrances to parking facilities – meaning that cyclists will be competing with vehicles that are moving in and out of curb cuts, with no traffic signals. Also, the way it connects to another new track to the north on Peachtree Street is confusing and puts cyclists in a strange traffic flow at a non-signalized intersection that funnels two roads (one of them on-way) together. There are bound to be hurdles with the Implementation of bike infrastructure on streets that were built primarily for cars and not pedestrians or cyclists. But we have to start somewhere, and I’m excited to see progress made with protected lane. ** As you can see via the TowIt app that geo-locates cars parked in bike lanes, there were in fact several cars parked in this new cycle track prior to the barriers going up this past weekend. h/t Center Forward. Here’s hoping that the new barriers prevent this in the future.

Today’s Headlines

By Ashley Robbins | | No Comments
  • Georgia Towns Scrape Together Funds for Sporadic Sunday Bus Service, or Not (GPB)
  • Huntsville Studying Feasibility of Bike-Share System (Alabama Live)
  • Tri-Rail to Begin Shuttle Service Between Train Station and Palm Beach Airport (Palm Beach Post)
  • Miami to Close Low-Speed Bridge to Beach, Forcing Cyclists Onto Dangerous Causeway (Miami Today)
  • South Dade Residents Blame MPO for Lack of Transit, Plead for Rail (Miami Today)
  • University of Tennessee Hosts Knoxville Transit Scavenger Hunt for Students (TN Today)
  • Cobb County Board Approves BRT Line and Infrastructure for Suburban Braves Stadium
  • Curbed Atlanta Shows Map of What Streetcar Extension to BeltLine Could Look Like
  • NCDOT Releases Transportation Study That Includes Residents’ Perceptions of Transit, Bike/Ped (WTEB)
  • More Than 2,000 NC Bridges Are Structurally Deficient; Congress Can’t Figure Out Funding (TWC)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

via ATL Urbanist

How an Urbanist Views Old Photos

By ATL Urbanist | | No Comments
I was looking at archival photos of Atlanta recently on the awesome GSU Digital Collections site and found this 1957 shot of Ellis Street. The view is facing west toward Peachtree and several small-to-medium buildings are visible. My reaction to seeing this photo was one of sadness, because I know what takes up much of this view now: parking.I’ve shaded a few of the buildings in red and blue, below, to show what has happened to them since they were demolished. These have become either surface lots or parking decks – which is not only a blow to historic preservation, it’s a blow to good urban land use. When you consider that a MARTA rail station (Peachtree Center) and a streetcar line are both at the top of that hill in the distance, a block away, it becomes cleat that this is the wrong way to use these properties.Last year the new owner of that ornate 54 Ellis Street building to the rigth, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, asked the city to let them tear down two old buildings beside it (one is mostly out of view on the far right and another one is unseen here) so that they could build a surface parking lot. The city said “yes” despite the fact that the entire area is covered in parking. Here’s a photo from several months ago, when demolition was underway. Except for the one that’s highlighted in purple, every building in this view a parking deck, and the rest is parking lots. Atlanta is a difficult city for a history buff like myself. Browsing though old photos of Downtown can be disheartening. In the city’s historic center, we’ve lost many, many structures that were built for people, and in their place we have facilities built for storing cars. That this has happened in an otherwise walkable street grid (one of the few in Atlanta) is depressing. That we continue to use land that’s located next to  transit lines this way is a kind of failure that infuriates me. Rail transit is a massive investment that should be surrounded by appropriate land uses for capturing a return, and train stations should serve streets that are lined with uses for people, and those people should be able to safely walk around. Instead, pedestrians here have to dodge cars that fly in and out of these parking facilities, and they do it while walking beside blank walls or  masses of asphalt. I should probably just stop looking at old photos for the sake of my mental health. But I can’t stop. And I won’t stop hoping that city leaders will realize the importance of working toward a future that sees property owners converting these land use to something more appropriate for the area.

Today’s Headlines

By Ashley Robbins | | No Comments
  • Mississippi Delta to See First Passenger Rail Service in 20 Years (News MS)
  • Atlanta Streetcar Ran One Vehicle Over Busy Holiday Weekend (Atlanta Magazine)
  • Atlanta BeltLine Proposed Budget Includes 27 Percent Increase to Design Streetcar Extension (Saporta)
  • Atlanta-Chattanooga Bullet Train Unlikely Because America (Times Free Press)
  • NCDOT Launches New Wi-Fi Service on Regional Trains (Railway Technology)
  • Tri-Rail Designates Smoking Sections, Bans E-Cigarettes (Sun-Sentinel)
  • Following End of Shuttle Program, NASA Railroad Shutters Service (Florida Today)
  • Alabama Child Has Two Bikes After Cops Replace Stolen Ride, Then Recover First (Daily News)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

via ATL Urbanist

Reducing Car Trips in Atlanta

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Reducing car trips in Atlanta The quote in this image comes from a Curbed Atlanta interview with Jim Durrett of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (Buckhead is basically the northernmost section of the City of Atlanta). Here’s a longer section from it:There is only so much that can be done to optimize how our streets handle traffic. The next time you lament that you are stuck in traffic, consider that, in fact, you are traffic. That is why we need also to be creating viable options for getting around without use of an automobile and encouraging a healthy mix of office, residential and retail development.I like that instead of just calling for improvement in transportation, he’s pointing out the need for a “healthy mix” of residential, office and retail.  You can’t expect good alternatives to car travel to happen unless the built environment is accommodating to safe pedestrian and bicycle mobility. Atlantans often seem to have trouble understanding that relationship between city form and traffic flow, complaining that “MARTA doesn’t go anywhere” and not realizing that it only feels that way because the city sprawls everywhere.Another way of stating this point comes from Fred Kent: “If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.”A recent article in the AJC explores the way that the automobile congestion on Atlanta roads is affecting decisions companies make about who they hire and where they locate: “Traffic becomes a factor for Atlanta businesses.” The piece includes this statement about public transit and how it is perceived as not being robust enough for convenient use.“Atlanta motorists and employers alike have long complained that the area’s traffic problems are exacerbated by a largely anemic public transportation system.”I have two things to say about this: 1.) it’s incredible that the word “sprawl” never appears in this article on traffic problems in Atlanta; 2.) the answer to the question “why does Atlanta transit seem anemic” is “sprawl.” When you build environments for large populations in a sprawling, low density pattern, you’re enabling a car-centric way of life. And the roads that connect places in that sprawling pattern are bound to be dangerous for pedestrians.Telecommuting: it helps, but it isn’t the answerThe AJC article goes on to mention telecommuting as a possible salvation for Atlanta’s congestion woes. Reading about telecommuting in recent years, it seems like  anti-transit, anti-smart growth types consider it to be a means of conserving the status quo of car-centric development; why promote smart growth and transportation alternative when we can just work from home, right?But a careful look at the numbers shows something surprising: a big rise in telecommuting has not produced a big fall in car congestion.The number of teleworkers in metro Atlanta is up a huge 61 percent since 2010. So traffic congestion should be down during that time period, right? Nope, not according to the stats presented in the AJC piece itself: “What was an average one-way commute of 17 miles and 30 minutes just five years ago grew into an average commute of 18 miles and 34 minutes in 2014.”Teleworking is a great thing and I’m sure it has had a positive effect in getting cars of the road to some extent. But for a sustainable means of reducing car trips, the key will be to make our places more safe, inviting and convenient for walking and cycling. An important component for that goal will be better development, the kind that puts destinations and residences in a thoughtful configuration for multimodal connection.

Today’s Headlines

By Ashley Robbins | | No Comments
  • Someone With Authority Over Atlanta Streetcar System Needs to Put Out This Fire (WSB)
  • Georgia to Use All Transportation Bond Money on Bridges (Atl Biz Chronicle)
  • Bike Tourism Takes Off in Savannah, Local Professor Studies Economic Impact (Savannah Now)
  • Coral Gables Wants Bike Lanes, But Miracle Mile Revamp Plan Doesn’t Have Them (Miami Herald)
  • Pinellas Transit Considers Fully Electric Buses (TBO)
  • Fort Lauderdale Man Vows to Block Street Where Drivers Keep Hitting People (SFGN)
  • Safety Improvements Planned for International Drive Include Transit Lanes, Wider Sidewalks (Fox Orlando)
  • Culture Shift Needed to Make South Florida Safer for Walking (Sun Sentinel)
  • Swamp Rabbit, BeltLine, Fred Marquis Pinellas Ranked Top Urban Trails in Nation (Greenville Online)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

via ATL Urbanist

Newest Census Data Show Steady Population Rise in Atlanta

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The newest population estimates, released this week from the US Census Bureau, show that the City of Atlanta continues to experience a steady amount of population growth.From 2010 to 2014, that’s a respectable 7.85% increase for Atlanta (that’s the city, not the metro). The 1.69% of increase in population from 2013 to 2014 puts Atlanta in line with the increase seen in other big US cities during that time – such as Pheonix, Houston and San Diego –  according to this Census infographic. Where Atlanta differs from those three cities is in overall population; while those three now house over a million people, total, we’re still struggling to hit the half million mark. With 17,000 reported vacant properties in the city, and a relatively low population density, it’s clear that Atlanta has room for growth.Creative Loafing has done a good job recently covering the city’s struggle to add new affordable housing, with a recent editorial stating the problem well: The Atlanta Beltline, touted as a great equalizer for residents from all walks of life, has fallen behind its goals to build 5,600 affordable housing units near the smart-growth project. The steps the city has taken — making some developers set aside affordable units in exchange for subsidies — is a drop in the bucket toward fixing the larger problem.When the city can do a better job at encouraging new housing in a compact, walkable format that accommodates walking, transit and cycling mobility – the way sustainable cities should – we may finally hit that 500k mark and beyond. 

Today’s Headlines

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  • Cobb County to Pay for Transit-Pedestrian Bridge for Suburban Braves Stadium (AJC)
  • Alpharetta “Bike Routes” Include Stroads + “Share the Road” Signage (Patch)
  • MARTA Continues to Lobby for Sales Tax Increase (AJC)
  • Orlando Schemes to Build More Highways to Fund Rail (Around Osceola)
  • Florida Legislature Considers Conservation Funds for SunTrail Path Network (WJCT)
  • Jupiter Joins Cities Opposing All Aboard Florida (Palm Beach Post)
  • Grassroots Support for Phenix City Bike Lanes Following Fatal Crash (WRBL)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

Today’s Headlines

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  • Jacksonville Transit Authority Studying Jax / St. Augustine Commuter Rail (St. Augustine Record)
  • Tri-Rail to Have Positive Train Control Fully Installed in 2017 (WPEC)
  • Jacksonville Residents Demand Crosswalk Changes After 355 Crashes Last Year (FCN)
  • Millennials Flock to Largest Urban Areas of Tennessee (NerdWallet)
  • Montgomery Visitors Bureau Plans Bicycle Rental Program (WKRN)
  • Transit Researcher: Savannah CAT Expansion Should Include Vanpool Service (Wopopular)
  • Athens Authorities Drop Charges Against Car-Smashing, Dog-Saving Veteran (USA Today)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

Today’s Headlines

By Ashley Robbins | | No Comments
  • Atlanta Streetcar Operators Taken Off the Job After TV Station Questions Credentials (WSB)
  • Georgia State Troopers Ticketing Motorists for Not Speeding (Atl Biz Journal)
  • Amtrak Celebrates 25 Years of Service on the Carolinian (News & Observer)
  • Will the Charlotte City Council Have the Guts to Implement Anti-Sprawl Zoning? (Charlotte Observer)
  • Natchez Transit Looks to Expand With Regional and Tourist Routes (Natchez Democrat)
  • Birmingham Looks to Land Banks, New City Policy to Cure Blight (Alabama Live)
  • Camera Captures Driver Running Red Light, Barely Missing Pedestrian (WSVN)
  • Orlando: Why Calm Traffic When the Feds Will Pay for a Pedestrian Bridge? (FL News Time)
  • North Carolina and Florida Passenger Train Lines in Process of Installing Positive-Train Control

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

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