Beltline Derailment Update

The news has been buzzing around Atlanta for the past couple days that an 11th hour move by the GDOT and AMTRAK may be putting the Beltline at risk. The story centers around the right of way in the northeast quadrant of the proposed loop. The GDOT swooped in with AMTRAK on 1/21/2009 to stop the abandonment process that was already set in motion by Norfolk Southern set to take effect on 1/22/2009. The state feels that this section of the Beltline is one of the only suitable corridors that they can use for commuter rail and/or high speed intra-city rail. I think everyone can agree that both of those are needed solutions to the metro area's transit woes but should we potentially sacrifice what may be the largest urban redevelopment project in the city for potential commuter rail and/or high speed intra-city rail?

There are other options for those two (Brookhaven & the Gulch area) but no other viable options exist for the Beltline. Not to mention that the northeast rail lines would run right through some of Atlanta's nicest neighborhoods and parks. Light rail would be a much quieter and development friendly solution for these areas.

I have full faith that the city and state leaders will work this out and the Beltline will move forward. But, for all of us who are in favor of this project, this is a wake up call that pitfalls are out there and this multi-billion dollar project is certainly far from a done deal. If you are unfamiliar with the Beltline project but are interested in learning more, check out our previous post on the free Beltline tours.


Recent Articles on the Beltline Dispute

GDOT, AMTRAK Throw Wrench in Beltline Plans - Creative Loafing
DOT Action Could Kill Beltline, Mayor Says - AJC
BELTLINE: Amtrak Wants Land for Heavy Rail - AJC
Most of DOT Board Didn't Know About Beltline Opposition - Creative Loafing
Mayor Shirley Franklin's Letter to State Representative John Lewis

The BeltLine - Take a Tour!

We took a tour of the proposed BeltLine on Saturday morning. The tours have been very popular and we were very fortunate to get a reservation. The 2008 tours are booked but they plan to accept bookings for 2009 tours in mid Jan. Keep an eye on the "get involved" section of the BeltLine website.

The tour bus was almost filled to capacity but all in all it was a very comfortable experience. In my opinion, this really is a fantastic way to see the future of transit in Atlanta and you will also learn some interesting facts and a bit of history while your at it. It's tough to beat given that it is free. Additionally, the tour guide, Heather Hussey-Coker, was excellent and provides a wealth of knowledge about the project and the city.

If you are not very familiar with the BeltLine project, you won't find an indepth explanation in this post. Just check out the BeltLine website. In brief, it is a proposed 22 mile loop of light rail transit around the city of Atlanta that will connect ~48 neighborhoods to area businesses, parks and civic institutions. It is expected to spur residential and commercial development along the corridor. Additionally, there are 33 miles of walking/cycling trails that are planned. These will follow the rail line in most places but will diverge in some areas. One of the really great things about the project is that much of the infrastructure already exists in the form of historic rail lines that encircle atlanta. Most of those rail lines are inactive but some are still active. It will take some negotiation with the companies that use these lines before we know for certain exactly what the final route will be.

The tour is about 3 hours and it takes you through a very well planned route that zig zags clockwise around Atlanta following what will eventually be the route of the BeltLine. You receive a map and informaiton packet that will help you follow along with the tour.

As stated earlier, the tour was very interesting and informative. Having lived in the Atlanta area for about 8 years, I thought I knew a lot about the city but Heather quickly proved that there is still a lot for me to learn. Some of the more interesting parts of the tour include:

- Learning that a Ga Tech grad student came up with the idea for one of his graduate projects.

- A stop at what will be the new Westside Resovoir Park (formerly Bellwood Quarry) with a question answer session about the quarry that will be turned into an emergency water supply for the city. We can definitely use 2.4 Billion gallons which will supply Atlanta for 30 days.

- Seeing D.H. Stanton Park and learning about the environmental problems that existed at that site and what is being done to clean the area up and potentially expand the park along the rail line.

- Seeing the significant number of old abandoned sites along the line that will present opportunity for development. Some of these were the old Georgia State Farmer's Market, the 31 acre property owned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation along University Ave. and the Exide Battery Plant

- Potential combined BeltLine & Marta stations.

- The large amount of mixed use development along Huff Rd. We love this kind of development and feel that the BeltLine will spark more of it around the corridor.

These aren't the only things you will see/notice on the tour but I think they are all notable to the green minded residents of Atlanta. Although there will be challenges as this vision moves toward reality, we believe this is a project that should be supported and embraced by the area. It will set an example for the rest of the country to follow on how to creatively use existing infrastructure to improve the lives of the residents.

Thanks to the BeltLine Partnership for the well orgainzed and delivered tour!

Biking to Work

Well, I have finished my first week of biking to work. Luckily, I made it through the week dry and alive. There were no major rains that I had to combat and I was not run over. Although, there were probably some angry commuters who might have liked to run over this biker who was passing them while they were sitting still. It was actually surprising and refreshing to find that people wanted to strike up a conversation just to talk about biking and how I liked it.

One thing that I really noticed and bothered me like a bad itch was the number of drives who will go out of their way to impede a biker. On THREE separate occassions, mind you I have only been biking for a week, cars went out of their way to move further to the right in order to block me from passing and getting up to the front at a red light. I guess, they felt that I would be cutting in line and couldn't have a bicyclist doing that. These were not subtle moves out by a foot or so... These drivers actually pulled out 4 or 5 feet and covered up the bike lane to block me. It was laughable how childish it was but I have come to expect exactly this type of adolescent attitude from Atlanta drivers.

All in all, It was a great first week and I intend on continuing the bike rides until I get run over or I can work from home. I have tried to talk some of my co-workers into biking to work but I think this will be a tough sell. My bike is currently the only bike in the lot and I work in a building with at least 250 employees. So, it's not a small place. Biking has just become that unpopular.

Imagine if only 5 % of us started biking to work. We'd cut down on pollution, global warming, dependance on foreign oil, respriatory problems, road kill, and many other maladies. It may be altruistic, utopian, and dreamy but it would be nice.

Benefits of biking to work...

It's great exercise. You burn about 500 calories per hour (http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=7783)
Stress is almost non-existent
Saves money on gas and car maintenance
No greenhouse gas emissions
Reduces our dependence on foreign oil
Piss off angry commuters

More info on biking to work

www.bike-to-work.com
www.aviodtherush.org
www.biketraffic.org
www.bicycleuniverse.com
www.bikemonth.com