www.atlantastreetcar.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=pressroom -
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Published on: 5/12/2005
Last Visited: 11/15/2007
The Atlanta Downtown Neighbors Association hosted Michael Robison at their meeting Tuesday night to talk about the proposed return of the streetcar to Atlanta.They also voted at the end of Robison's presentation to support the streetcar plans.
Robison, chairman and CEO of Lanier Parking Holdings as well as chairman of the private, nonprofit Atlanta Streetcar Inc., spent his time presenting Atlanta's need for a streetcar revival and displaying the positive effects this transit system could bring to one of the city's busiest streetsâ€"Peachtree Street.
As a resident of downtown Atlanta since childhood, Robison recalled observing the great increase in downtown residents."Downtown has been developing as a residential community," he said.This rise in population has strained the city's traffic capacity and created a need for alternate modes of transit.Robison explained that the idea of reinstating streetcars in Atlanta sprung from the challenge of a visiting urban designer who advised linking downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead by way of Peachtree Street.
According to Robison's presentation, Atlanta residents recognize that "Peachtree Street is our great street," "It represents our city but lacks connectivity" and "We need to provide a seamless experience."With the resources that Peachtree Street provides as well as the tremendous growth that Atlanta is experiencing (100,000 more people will move into the city within the next ten to fifteen years), Atlanta Streetcar Inc. wants to create an environment in downtown Atlanta that allows its residents to live, work, and play within the perimeter.
Building more roads will not ease the traffic situation, Robison explained.Atlanta needs greater flexibility in moving about the inner core and utilizing alternate transit remains the only option.Robison's organization plans to incorporate streetcar use with the currently existing transit systems thereby creating an interface between Atlanta's different transit options.
Not only is the streetcar project complementary to the Belt Line, Robison said, Atlanta Streetcar Inc. also has considered entering into a labor agreement with MARTA where the organizations would share employees but work from separate, dedicated funds.This partnership would remove all buses from Peachtree Street and create a one-pass system allowing passengers to move within the two transit systems with the same pass.
Robison briefly reviewed the results of the Atlanta Streetcar Feasibility Study explaining the benefit of quiet, pollution free and electric streetcars whose cables could either be buried or hung overhead.There are two routes: one traveling on Peachtree Street from West End to Brookhaven and another downtown figure-eight loop beginning near the CNN Center, circling Centennial Olympic Park, traveling down Peachtree Street to the King Center and returning the same way.
The feasibility study has calculated forty-four stops along the route with the system carrying 21,000 riders a day from day one.A car would arrive at their stops once every six minuets seven days a week.These numbers would make Atlanta's streetcars the most successful streetcar system in North America, Robison said.
In addition, this system allows fast integration at a rate of construction of three blocks of rail line every three weeks.Once the streetcar idea has been made a reality, it could be running within thirty-six months.
Robison passionately described Atlanta's benefit potential by utilizing what he described as an easy, affordable and accessible transit system.
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