Info Clips 1/13.docx

7/27/2019 Info Clips 1/13.docx

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/info-clips-113docx 1/17

News Clips

1-15-13

Today's Clips:

MARTA

Atlanta Streetcar

GRTA

Atlanta Sustainable Roundtable – Addressing

Regional Issues Atlanta Regional Commission



MARTA

WSB-TV Channel 2 1-14-13

MARTA Gets Bus Cameras

http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/marta-gets-bus-cameras/vnTj3/



Atlanta Streetcar

Saporta Report 1-14-13

Ups and downs of Atlanta Streetcar project due toreintroducing transit

Posted in Maria's MetroDate: January 14th, 2013, 11:44 am39 22 3 85

Like

8 people like this.By Maria Saporta

It‘s been more than a half century since streetcars ran on Atlanta‘s roads.

But that‘s about to change — despite numerous obstacles that have revealedthat we‘re a bit rusty in the streetcar development business.

Construction work is progressing on the Atlanta Streetcar — and it currentlyappears that service will begin in the spring or early summer of 2014.

That is about six to seven months after the original schedule. But the project has

experienced unforeseen delays — primarily over the relocation of undergroundutilities and the surprises of what exists underneath out streets. More than 15utilities have been impacted.

That has delayed the ability to lay down tracks — but that should change in thenext couple of months.

The delays also have led to a budget gap — over what money exists to build theproject and what the contractor — URS — expects it will cost to finish up thework.

Several months ago, that gap was thought to be more than $10 million, but after

ongoing negotiations the various entities have narrowed that gap to less than $5million.

―We are still at the table,‖ said Tom Weyandt, senior transportation policy advisorfor the City of Atlanta. ―We have exchanged further proposals as recently as lastweek, and we have put out a plan for moving forward. We are waiting for aresponse from them, and I have got every expectation that they will be thecontractor for this job. We are within striking distance of reaching a final number

http://saportareport.com/blog/category/mariasmetro/

http://www.atlantadowntown.com/initiatives/atlanta-streetcar




http://saportareport.com/blog/category/mariasmetro/



with URS.‖

Atlanta Streetcar logo

The Atlanta Streetcar is a public-private partnership between the City, MARTAand the private Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.The $92.7 million project won a $47.7 million federal TIGER II grant, which gavethe project life.

―URS continues to make good progress in finalizing the Atlanta Streetcarcontract,‖ said Ed Hrinewski, the firm‘s project manager. ―While Atlanta‘s streetshave a number of historical buildings with underground utility systems that haveadded some complexities to this project, we have made significant progress inidentifying the challenges and developing the solutions necessary to move

forward with the construction of the streetcar.‖ To make it as ―shovel-ready‖ as possible, the joint venture team had to enter intoa ―design-build‖ contract, meaning that the project was being designed at thesame time that construction work was underway.

―You have to deal with a lot of unknowns,‖ said A.J. Robinson, president ofCentral Atlanta Progress. ―That‘s what has made it difficult — deciding whoshould take the risk – the contractor or the sponsors.‖

The project‘s $52 million construction budget does include a financial buffer for―contingencies‖ to help cover cost overruns, and the current gap is within that

buffer. But the project team does not want to use up all of its contingency budgetin case other issues come up.

Another dynamic that has been at play is that when the project was first put outfor bid, the region had not yet held the transportation sales tax referendum, whichincluded a number of new transit projects — primarily light rail and streetcar.

Several construction companies entered competitive bids to build the streetcar,perhaps anticipating that if the referendum passed, they would be in a betterposition to build the other transit projects. But that incentive went away when thereferendum failed.

Here is a breakdown of the project‘s total budget:

In addition to the TIGER grant, the City of Atlanta has put in $15.6 million into theproject; the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District has put in $6 million for an―initial net project total‖ of $69.3 million.

The remaining budget for the project includes $9 million that the City of Atlantahas allocated to buy the streetcars; $8 million from the Department of WatershedManagement to move water and sewer pipes; $5.1 million in a Livable Centers

http://saportareport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2012atlanta_streetcar_logo-tm2.jpg



Initiative grant for transit and pedestrian enhancements; and a $1.25 million LCIgrant to make Luckie Street two ways.

Map shows route of the Atlanta Streetcar

Another significant shift in the project is over who will operate the streetcar.

Initially, MARTA was expected to be the operator. But now that‘s not a certainty.

Now the plan is to go to market in about six months with a request for proposal(RFP) to have various entities bid on operating the streetcar.

―We are still talking to MARTA about the nature and the form of operations, andwe are in the process of drafting a RFP to get the most efficient and costeffective operator to run this system,‖ Weyandt said. ―It does not necessarilyexclude MARTA. They will be the contracting authority.‖

What has become clear throughout this process is that Atlanta entities have hadto rebuild their expertise in building new transit — especially streetcars that usethe existing roadways.

And although the referendum did not pass, Weyandt said the city is continuing topursue other options to build new transit..

―We are actively looking at what the next phases will be and what the nextcorridor will be,‖ Weyandt said. ―We actually can control our own fate here. Weown virtually all the right of way. We also are also looking at alternative funding.through public-private partnerships.‖

Case in point, the City currently is looking to hire a director of streetcars; and it isapplying to become a grantee of the Federal Transit Administration that wouldallow the City to apply directly for federal grants.

Robinson also is optimistic about the impact that the Atlanta Streetcar will haveon downtown, saying that already several new developments are being plannedalong the 2.62-mile streetcar route.

The building of the Atlanta Streetcar is the dawn of a new era for transit — onethat can begin to transform the way we get around in our community. The AtlantaStreetcar has exposed the difficulties that come with having to re-enter the transitbusiness after having been out of the game for decades.

http://saportareport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/streetcar-map_click.jpg



But leaders behind the project believe it will be well worth the pain.

―We have some tough negotiations to conclude,‖ Weyandt said. ―We are going tohave to pay some close attention every step of the way, and we are going tohave to be resourceful. But I‘m confident it‘s going to open and it‘s going to knockevery body‘s socks off.‖



GRTA

AJC 1-15-13

Riders talk GRTA Xpress

by tsabulis

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

We should know Thursday the state‘s plans for the Georgia RegionalTransportation Authority‘s Xpress bus service; that‘s when Gov. Nathan Dealreleases his budget. Last year, the state spent $5.4 million to maintain theservice, which provides about 9,000 rides a day to long-haul commuters to and

from the suburbs and Atlanta. But questions about the state‘s commitment to theservice continue. Today, GRTA riders share their experiences, and anenvironmental leader writes about what transit options and the GRTA servicemean for the environment.

Commenting is open below, following Tedra Cheatham’s column.

Suburban bus riders on pros and cons

―I have been riding the Route 412 bus from Discover Mills (now Sugarloaf Mills)to Midtown since the route‘s inception. It‘s been great. I have not minded a bitthat the fares have more than doubled since the start. The $4.50 I pay each way

now is worth it, and I would pay more for the service. The bus is extremelyvaluable to my commute. I loathe the few days a year I have to drive and park. Iuse the time on the bus to read and nap, primarily things I can‘t do in the car.

―I have to drive seven miles from home to get to the bus. Off -peak service isneeded — even if routes were combined. Evening and weekend service wouldbe nice in order to be able to use it for ball games and cultural events. Extendingsome runs to and from the airport would be useful, too.

―A rough calculation of the ridership on the I-85 NE corridor shows that the busesare worth close to a half a lane of highway capacity during peak times. That is,

they are replacing about 1,000 cars an hour. Killing the buses and dumping thatmuch auto traffic onto I-85 would start the jam earlier, make it last longer andmake the peak jam times worse for all the I-85 users. The benefits of Xpress gobeyond the utility for the bus riders.‖ — Don Oltmann, 56, unincorporatedGwinnett County

―I have been a rider of the Xpress buses for about four years now. I ride the470/477 in the morning and the 470 in the afternoon. Between the two routes,



there is a bus departing Hiram every 15 minutes. In the afternoon, I only ride the470. Iit departs the Civic Center MARTA station every 30 minutes beginning at3:45. The good part is obvious — less wear and tear on your vehicle and yoursanity. The bad is that it takes longer than driving, especially since they changedthe downtown routes and do not allow the buses on Peachtree Street. That

added at least 20 minutes to the commute. They seem to be neglectingmaintenance on those buses. I cannot recall the number of times that the airconditioning or heat was not working. Then there are the little things like the seatbacks broken or the lights not working. I‘ve had about three experiences wherethe bus broke down and had to wait on the next route to stop and pick us up. Thepast year has seen my usage decline significantly.‖ — Lee Gurley, 54,Rockmart

―I live about 45 miles south of downtown Atlanta and catch the bus at the AtlantaMotor Speedway in Hampton. Our buses appear to average 80 percent capacity.We have seven departure times in the morning and eight return times in the

evening. While I don‘t believe we need more runs, I would argue it would not beproductive to have fewer runs, either. Over the years, Route 440 ridership hassteadily increased in numbers and diversity (professionals, GSU students, blue-collar workers, even some folks just taking a day trip into Atlanta), notingtemporary spikes when gas prices rise and a permanent increase when ClaytonCounty stopped its bus service. Maybe area counties versus the state should beproviding more funding for GRTA buses. I personally can‘t understand why morepeople do not take advantage of the bus. It has saved me a significant amount ofmoney and stress. Yes, there are aggravating issues, but they are usuallyinfrequent and have declined as GRTA management has gotten moreexperience operating in and around Atlanta. I do not believe limited growth inridership is a function of frequency of runs and available routes, but rather aculture that loves its cars and self control.‖ — Terry Stratton, 50, Griffin

―I was a rider from August 2006 until they changed the routes last year. It was soconvenient for me to ride and a much less costly alternative to get to work. Itsaved me a lot of money at the time. I was driving a Nissan Pathfinder that drankgas, and parking in the cheapest lot I can find is still $7 per day. I work at 2Peachtree Street, so the drop-off and pick-up locations used to be quiteconvenient, and it was so nice to be able to get on the bus and take a nap on theway to work and on the way home. It was a life saver — or it used to be. Thingschanged, though. My son started a different day care that opened later, and thebus was more difficult to catch. Then the routes changed, and the drop-off andpick-up locations were farther away. It‘s not so bad when it‘s nice out, but in thecold, or rain, or any kind inclement weather, it‘s a nightmare.‖ — MelodieHenderson, 39, Douglasville



AJC 1-15-13

Transit is individual choice, too

By Tedra Chetham

It‘s hard to get metro Atlanta‘s 2.2 million commuters to agree on something, buteveryone grinding their teeth in rush hour agrees we have a serious trafficproblem. It‘s a problem that negatively impacts our time, money and well-being.The average commuter loses 43 hours in traffic each year, and all those losthours cost metro area employers a total of $2.5 billion in productivity annually.

In a region where four out of five commuters drive alone to and from work, theneed has never been greater to adopt new travel habits and look closer at anetwork of other options.

Today, there are more opportunities than ever before to use commutealternatives that reduce the number of cars on the road. Carpools, telework,transit options, vanpools, bicycling, compressed work weeks and walking are allviable options that can immediately reduce traffic congestion, and more than400,000 metro Atlanta commuters use these options each workday.

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) commuter bus servicestands out as an important part of the region‘s transportation network. TheXpress bus system, for example, takes more than 9,000 solo-drive trips off theroads each workday, bringing commuters directly to the major business centersduring rush hour.

This type of transit doesn‘t require new infrastructure, but it gives commutersfrom Forsyth to Coweta the opportunity to get to town quickly and affordably. Onefully loaded Xpress bus can take up to 57 cars off the road while allowing thoseon board to reclaim valuable time they might otherwise have spent behind thewheel.

The Xpress fleet creates efficiency on the roads and at the pump. Recently,Xpress was recognized with a PACE Award for implementing strategies toimprove fuel economy in its fleet, including policies prohibiting unnecessaryengine idling.

Vanpools offer a similar, smart solution for long-distance commuters who maynot live near transit routes. There are more than 300 vans on the road acrossGeorgia through a program directed by GRTA, each carrying up to 15 commutersinto job centers, reducing traffic and saving the riders money on gas and car



expenses.

The responsibility to ―do something about traffic‖ falls on all of us. It‘s not justabout the dr iver next to you making a change. It‘s not just about lawmakerscoming up with a new plan, either. It‘s up to individuals and businesses as well.

While new infrastructure takes new funding and years to complete, choosing to join a carpool or structuring a program for employees to start teleworking can bedone today.

When you are ready to change the way you get to work or how your employeesget to work, check out Georgia Commute Options, a new joint effort involving theGeorgia Department of Transportation, the Clean Air Campaign and the region‘stransportation management associations. This program helps metro Atlantacommuters and employers take advantage of commute alternatives through freeservices like financial incentives, ridematching, pre-tax deductions, workplace

consulting and more.

Each workday, the commuters and workplaces participating in these programseliminate 1.1 million miles of vehicle travel from our roads and keep 550 tons ofpollution out of the air we all breathe. There‘s still a lot of potential to grow thosenumbers, and it begins with individual commuters and employers choosing abetter way to work.

Tedra Cheatham is director of the Clean Air Campaign.



Atlanta Sustainable Roundtable – Addressing Regional Issues


Atlanta region faces a number of tough issues over the nextdecade

Posted in Latest ReportsDate: January 14th, 2013, 6:34 pm4 24 0 47

Like3 people like this.

By Maria Saporta

Metro Atlanta in 2023 will be older, more diverse and more compact.

Those were some of the conclusions that several local leaders shared at theSustainable Atlanta Roundtable on Friday, Jan. 11.

Their task was to describe how Atlanta might evolve in the next decade.

Moderator Dan Reuter, chief of the land use planning division for the Atlanta

Regional Commission, set the stage. Between 2000 an 2010, the Atlanta regionadded more than 1 million people, but the greatest growth in population wasamong Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans.

―We are living much longer,‖ Reuter said, adding that the region‘s population alsois getting older. And people‘s choices also are changing. ―Many of us want thesame thing _ we desire to be in an urban lifestyle.‖

But that urban lifestyle is not exclusive to inside the perimeter, Reuter said. Towncenters throughout the 10-county region are offering opportunities for a morepedestrian-oriented communities where people can live, work and play.

Reuter asked the panel what it will take for Georgia to be competitive.

Nathaniel Smith, founder of the Partnership for Southern Equity and director ofpartnerships at Emory University, said metro Atlanta will need to become moreinclusive — inviting Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian Americans to be amore important part of the community.

―We have to create opportunities for these young people,‖ Smith said.

http://saportareport.com/blog/category/reports/

http://saportareport.com/blog/category/reports/



Kate Kirkpatrick, a senior vice president for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, said theregion must make itself alluring to the ―young and restless‖ generation — peopleneeded to keep our economy vibrant.

―They are looking for not just a salary and benefits but the social benefits — green space, great bars and restaurants, wide sidewalks…,‖ said Kirkpatrick,adding that the region will need to provide those amenities ―if metro Atlanta isgoing to continue to retain this talent.‖

Beth Schapiro, founder of the Schapiro Group research consulting firm, said Atlanta already has ―a terrific civic infrastructure in place.‖ The community has―ways of getting people plugged in.‖

Smith, however, said that while that is true for established organizations, there‘sa large part of society that is being left out of the civic conversation.

―We have a great civic infrastructure bringing the usual suspects together,‖ hesaid. But that becomes less true ―as we move further away from establishedorganizations‖ in the region. ―We have to acknowledge the fact that every one‘sopinion matters, not matter how uncomfortable that might be.‖

In fact, Smith said that communities that are able to bring every one to the tablewith a sense of equity will find that to be a ―superior growth model.‖

One member of the audience questioned why no one was talking about climatechange and the impact that could have on the region in the next 10 years.

The panel did say the region still needs to address its transportation issuesdespite the failure of the regional transportation sales tax last July.

Reuter predicted ―that we will find new transportation revenue.‖ There alsoseemed to be consensus that perhaps the transportation issue is too complex tobe addressed in the whole 10-county area at the same time. Perhaps the fivecore counties or a different segment of the region might be able to come up aplan that can gain support.

Schapiro said that she has surveyed people in the northern suburbs with amajority saying they want increased options for public transportation in theircommunities.

Smith, however, said the elephant in metro Atlanta room continues to be race.

―The history of transportation and race hurt us in our ability to grow,‖ Smith said,adding that the issue will only keep getting worse with a majority of seniorcitizens living in the region not having access to transit.

No matter what, Smith said the region needs to do a ―deep dive and a deeperanalysis‖ on why the regional transportation sales tax failed.

―We have got to go back to basics on why regionalism is important,‖ Smith said.―Until we take an opportunity to reflect on our failures, we will continue to be in



this holding pattern.‖

Kirkpatrick also said that it was inaccurate to equate the failure of the referendumwith the sentiment that regionalism is dead in metro Atlanta. The MetropolitanNorth Georgia Water Planning District is an example of how the region is workingtogether.

But Smith said metro Atlanta reportedly has the greatest inequity in the nation interms of income, an issue that needs to be addressed.

―Nobody likes to call the ugly baby and ugly baby,‖ Smith said. ―It‘s time for us tosay the baby is ugly, but we have an opportunity.‖



Atlanta Regional Commission


ARC’s first reorg in a generation aims to meet region’semerging needs

Posted in David PenderedDate: January 14th, 2013, 6:19 pm40 25 0 74

Like5 people like this.

By David Pendered

The Atlanta Regional Commission is embarking on its first reorganization in ageneration, in order to meet the demands of the post-recession paradigm that‘semerging from the public and private sectors.

Doug Hooker, ARC‘s executive director, explains his agency‘s reorganizationas GRTA Executive Director Jannine Miller observes. Credit: Donita Pendered

Silos of expertise are to be replaced by collaborative teams. An example of thenew approach would be for ARC planners to examine mobility rather thantransportation – a shift that frames the issue in a fashion that begs for broadersolutions.

http://saportareport.com/blog/category/david/

http://saportareport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Doug-Hooker-at-GRTA-1913.jpg

http://saportareport.com/blog/category/david/



―Because we are changing in so many ways as a region, ARC realizes we haveto be more adaptable to help local governments solve more problems,‖ saidDoug Hooker, ARC‘s executive director.

On paper, the reorg chart shows four ARC departments being collapsed intothree centers. The document doesn‘t quite capture the breadth of change thatcomes out when Hooker describes it. For example:

―It‘s not just land use planners or public administrators who are involved withcommunity development,‖ Hooker said. ―Community development involvesissues around mobility, aging, arts and culture, natural resources. By calling it‗community development‘ and looking at how we help communities from thatperspective, we will begin to bring in different types of expertise to helpcommunities.

―It could be staff people with expertise,‖ Hooker continued. ―But it could also bewith alliances. Because it‘s not just about creating a land use plan for the region.

We‘re also thinking about how we can help local governments with communitydevelopment within the parameters of their operation.‖

ARC is promoting development around Atlanta‘s airport that would create thetype of community described by John Kasarda, who heads UNC‘s Center for

Air Commerce. Credit: aerotropolis.com

A tangible example of this approach is ARC‘s role in forming the Airport Area

Task Force. Late last summer, ARC convened what it described as, ―localgovernments, chambers of commerce, businesses, and other interested parties‖

– such as Georgia Power.

The task force has conducted several meetings and participants expect toproduce a vision statement this spring. The goal is to develop the region aroundHartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the world‘s busiestpassenger airport.

http://saportareport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/end-game.pdf


http://saportareport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Aerotropolis-John-Kasarda.jpg




These changes in outlook and organization are significant because ARC has adefined set of duties and responsibilities under state and federal law.

The Georgia governor has designated ARC as the metropolitan planningorganization for the Atlanta area. This designation gives ARC clearresponsibilities, especially pertaining to the Federal Highway Act and FederalTransit Act, both of which provide funding to promote mobility in the region.

As the federal government is shifting a growing proportion of the costs of somepublic affairs to state, counties and cities, ARC and its counterparts across thecountry are having to find ways to help stretch local resources to meet theircommunity‘s needs and demands.

Urban scholar Bruce Katz, with Brookings Institute, described this emergingparadigm in October, when he spoke at ARC‘s State of the Region meeting:

• ―The bottom line … is the U.S. federal government is going to scale back inmajor ways. This metropolis, with its sisters … needs to understand this iscoming and needs to adjust.‖

Hooker said ARC‘s board has been contemplating its reorganization since 2011,when the board adopted a strategic plan.

The reorganization had been put on hold until late 2012 because so many ARCleaders and key employees were involved in preparing for the July 2012transportation sales tax referendum. ARC fulfilled its state-mandated role ofproviding planning and other support to the elected officials who crafted theproject list and explained it to constituents.

ARC‘s board approved the current reorganization in December, and Hooker took

it public for the first time Jan. 9 at the board meeting of GRTA, Georgia RegionalTransportation Authority.

GRTA board Chairman Walter ―Sonny‖ Deriso, Jr. and a few other boardmembers raised concerns about how ARC will interact with its partners in light ofits redefinition of itself. One such area of concern involves the region‘sTransportation Improvement Program, or TIP. GRTA acts on behalf of thegovernor in approving and amending the TIP, as it did in December.

―We applaud your efforts and thank you for your innovative approach,‖ Derisosaid to Hooker after Hooker had presented his report to GRTA‘s board.

―It would be helpful, as an example, as you perceive how you‘ll interact with yourvarious partners, that you try to plan out with TIP approvals how this approachwill change the way that we go about doing things as we interact,‖ Deriso said.―Whereas we have viewed you as a planner who has certain things to do,because that is how you‘ve seen yourself, but now you‘re viewing it differently.‖

Hooker immediately responded: ―You‘re quite right.‖ Hooker went on to say ARCstaffers will take all the time needed in 2013 to work with partner agencies to

http://www.grta.org/board/docs/2012/Dec_12_Agenda09_TIP_Amend_1_Resolution.pdf





implement the changes smoothly.

Gwinnett commission Chairman Charlotte Nash, who serves on the boards ofGRTA and ARC, said she and fellow ARC board members are excited about theresult of ARC‘s reorganization.

Deriso concluded the interchange by observing on the nature of change inorganizations, and supporting it. Deriso chairs the board of Atlantic Capitol Bank,a commercial bank that‘s not taking new investors, and whose client sheetincludes emerging companies and real estate developers.

―You may, in fact, create some change in the rest of us,‖ Deriso said to Hooker.

―Change is opportunity and change is great. We applaud what you‘re doing. ”

Documents

Info Clips 1/13.docx