Looking back - and looking ahead
Photo by Matthew Rao
Although it’s been a couple of months since you heard from us, BeltLine Rail Now hasn’t gone away. During the pandemic, we know that putting health, jobs, and those we love first is the top priority for everyone. But as we shelter in place for however long we need, we want to update you on some things regarding transit and BeltLine rail – and urge you to stay engaged however you can.
First, we want to acknowledge and thank you for helping us reach 10,000 petition signatures in support of BeltLine rail back in February. We delivered those petitions to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Transit Equity Day, Feb. 4. That was a tremendous outpouring of support and advocacy and an important milestone. Thank you.
And thank you for your help in generating over 600 emails to the Atlanta Regional Commission in support of an accelerated timeline for BeltLine transit back in January. There was no other transit project that received anywhere near that kind of support in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2050. Those emails are now part of the official record for the RTP. Your comments got attention from both the ARC and news outlets. Unfortunately, they didn’t result in any changes to the BeltLine rail construction timeline, as we had hoped.
In addition, we’ve produced an information sheet that outlines the connections among BeltLine transit, transportation equity, and affordable housing. We delivered that document to the mayor and Transportation Commissioner Josh Rowan along with the 10,000 petition signatures.
We’ll have more to say over the coming weeks about where we go from here. But we also need to talk about the bigger picture.
The 2008 recession blew a hole in everyone’s budgets and forced MARTA to make painful cuts to bus and rail service. It also stalled plans for connecting the 45 neighborhoods along the BeltLine corridor with reliable light rail service by 2030.
When the economy came back and the Eastside Trail became a success, many Atlantans came to see the BeltLine more as a recreational amenity than a vital transit need. BeltLine Rail Now organized in 2018 to keep MARTA from cutting most of the planned rail lines – and while they agreed to restore them, they pushed back construction of some segments for up to 25 years.
With another economic crisis now upon us due to the pandemic, we can’t let that history repeat itself. Even with this outbreak, we’re still going to have a lot of new neighbors in the coming decades, and we’ll need better ways to get around and grow equitably, sustainably, and affordably. The events of the past few weeks have shown us how much we depend on each other.
It’s also time to find a better way to fund transit in Atlanta that doesn’t depend so much on volatile and regressive sales tax collections.
We can’t wait to meet with you again in healthier times, but in the meantime, our social media channels are open for that conversation. We look forward to your continued support for transit on the BeltLine and in the broader community.