DeKalb County officials are considering a separate tax referendum to fund improvements in the rest of that county (a DeKalb contingent recently flew to Minneapolis to check out that regions transit), and Gwinnett County has already scheduled a vote next year to finally invite MARTA into its borders. } prioritize some of the capital projects approved by voters seven years ago. Almost three out of every four Atlanta voters agreed to a half-penny sales tax in 2016 to generate $2.7 billion over 40 years for an ambitious public transit expansion plan, known as More MARTA. The digital home of Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta Intown. Here are seven notable nuggets about More MARTA Atlanta: As the name suggests, all the projects are within the city of Atlanta, made possible by a half-penny sales tax approved by voters in 2016. Last week, the More MARTA project list was submitted to Mayor Bottoms for her review in advance of the full MARTA Board's vote on October 4th. But to fully build out a robust transit system within the city limits, those dollars will need to be. Dyana Bagby is a staff writer for Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta Intown. March 22, 2023 The timeline for rail expansion is much longer the first light rail extension to Campbellton Road, which will serve the SW quadrant of the city, wont be completed until 2031. PDF Board of Directors Work Session May 3, 2018 BUS OPERATIONS JOB FAIR MARCH 30, MARTA PARTNERS WITH GOODR TO BRING FRESH FOOD TO AREAS OF FOOD INSECURITY IN CLAYTON COUNTY, Statement on City Council "Audit" of More MARTA Program, MARTA, TRANSIT PARTNERS HOST TRANSIT DAY AT STATE CAPITOL, MARTA DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR H.E. Through its recent Bus Stop Census, MARTA Army inventoried at least a third of the stops within the MARTA service area. Atlanta transit riders arent thrilled with scaled-down More MARTA projects | Fulton Watch, City stepping up code enforcement actions against problem landlords through new Safe and Secure Housing plan, No Labels Georgia chapter says its not interested in fielding a third party presidential candidate, Atlanta transit riders arent thrilled with scaled-down More MARTA projects, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. font-size: 19px; Better local bus service will do far more for the Atlanta community than BeltLine Rail could., The City of Atlantas One Transportation Plan has committed to establishing a network of bus-only lanes and installing upgrades like transit signal priority on city streets by 2022. MARTA and the city of Atlanta are using these local dollars to leverage additional federal funding for some of the more expensive and more competitive projects. City residents passed an additional half-penny tax for "More MARTA" in November 2017. Stay tuned to this page and email us at } So it definitely is a huge inequality with the transit experience, no matter what part of the metro youre in., Height sees MARTAs focus on major capital expansion as necessary if Atlanta wants to remain competitive with other big cities. Height says theres wide variation in bus stop quality. 7 Things to Know about the More MARTA Plan, How Metro Atlanta Can Put the Brakes on Bike-Ped Injuries and Deaths, 7 Ways Metro Atlanta Transportation is Going High-Tech. MARTA has the funding, bandwidth, expertise, and a clear path forward. 3:00 pm, Wednesday 13 MARTA HOSTS PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR BANKHEAD STATION MASTER PLAN CONGRESSWOMAN NIKEMA WILLIAMS TO HONOR MARTA BUS OPERATOR COY DUMAS, JR. FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE MARTA IS HIRING! Ridership is still down about a million monthly riders compared to pre-pandemic numbers. MARTA board approves Atlanta Streetcar extension h3 { 'More MARTA' audit confirmed as City Council presses for women/minority Much of this work isnt visible to the public, but were making significant progress.. Atlanta City Council resolution for audit on More MARTA program, have forced the agency to prioritize only nine projects, Concert Review: Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour' is a jumpy, bouncy, dancy delight, Aging in place options scarce in metro Atlanta, This is the Atlanta Public Schools calendar for 2023-2024 school year, UPDATE: Antisemitic, anti-transgender flyers found in East Atlanta neighborhoods, Green Light Art expands installations across Dunwoody, MARTA, DeKalb County make progress in development plans for Kensington Station area, Lynwood Park celebrates history at community day, Festival Fever: Art, music, parades and more, Preventing and Treating Dog Obesity: Tips for keeping your pup healthy and happy, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The program is expected to give MARTA $2.7 billion over a 40-year period. Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. And decisions had to be made. Research salary, company info, career paths, and top skills for Automotive Technician - MARTA Mobility MARTA and the City of Atlanta jointly The project is only 2.5 miles in length, but will provide a proof of concept for the rest of the BRT projects planned around the city. Kotak said the project list ultimately came, down to what MARTA and the community thought was most feasible in terms of increasing ridership, spending the money well, pulling down federal funds, and a lot of equity and environmental concerns., This effort will be key in creating a more comfortable rider experience, says Height. Apr 21, 2023 Updated Apr 21, 2023 (The Center Square) As the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority advances its More MARTA Atlanta Program, the agency's position is bolstered by what. Please see The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the sequencing of the transit projects in the More MARTA Atlanta program on June 13. hosted three public updates April 18-20 to share information with the public MARTA, CITY OF ATLANTA HOST PUBLIC UPDATES ON MORE MARTA ATLANTA PROGRAM MARTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL MEETING DETAILS MARTA IS HIRING! Atlanta has one of the lowest per capita transit ridership rates among big cities in the country, and ridership had been on a steady decline prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is expected to facilitate the region's largest transit investment in more than 40 years. Major rail expansions are a decade or more away. The most immediate improvements for Atlanta transit Atlantans can potentially look forward to a new bus network as soon as 2022. More MARTA Atlanta allocates $350 million to run light rail from Lindbergh Center Station to the Clifton Corridor area, though the public funding is contingent on local sources raising another $100 million privately. With these new modes and a significant expansion of light rail, MARTA is building a balanced, smart transit system to serve current customers and attract new riders in Atlanta and across the region. More MARTA is a large transit expansion program within Atlanta supported by a 0.5 percent sales tax approved by voters in 2016. Copyright 2023 WANF. Atlanta shouldn't settle for mediocre 'More MARTA' plan It was MARTA leaderships expectation that after the recent City-requested resequencing exercise, we would focus on delivery of the program. It will include 14 stops with buses. The program of projects introduces new modes to the MARTA system, with 14 new miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) representing 22% of the expansion miles; 22 miles of arterial rapid transit (ART) representing 34% of the expansion; and 29 new miles of light rail service representing 44% of the new service. More MARTA is a program set to span 40 years and a variety of projects to expand the public transportation system in Atlanta. margin-bottom: 2px; I believe that an audit is one that is not burdensome, but instead will both allow us to have greater understanding and will repair the trust and the transparency that is needed between MARTA and the city, and between MARTA, the city and our residents, who are the ultimate taxpayers and the ones whose money were asking to be used, Shipman said. Are you a transit agency practitioner? If successful, MARTA will be able to use these federal dollars to grow the amount of money available for these projects. MARTA 2040, More MARTA Atlanta and Connect Clayton. The More MARTA program will inject $2.7 billion into the transit agency, helping reduce travel times, reach underserved areas, and bring the Atlanta BeltLine, Emory University and the Atlanta University Center into the transit network.