MARTA's Sketches for BeltLine Rail are Missing the Boat
Gravel Railbeds... Concrete barricades... This is Exactly What We’re Trying To Avoid.
It was easy to miss…. unless you happened to watch the video of MARTA’s May 27 meeting about the Streetcar Extension East. You had to press pause and zoom way in: recently-unveiled plans for BeltLine transit are a stark departure from the images that made us all fall in love with with the BeltLine over the past 20 years.
Why is MARTA showing us Beirut-style barricades and a gravel rail bed?? That can’t possibly be what MARTA is planning for the Atlanta BeltLine. Or is it?
For a quick refresher on what Atlanta has been promised, look no further than ABI’s own website and artwork, with verdant images of a peaceful transit corridor blending harmoniously with nature. It’s no accident the rail you see is embedded in grass or clover, or some other vegetation and runs parallel to the trees, flowers and grass already flanking the pedestrian and cycling trail. That’s how it’s supposed to look everywhere along the corridor, except for areas that can’t accommodate it (bridges, tunnels and the like). And while MARTA’s artwork may be preliminary, neither gravel nor pavement is what the original vision is all about.
Click image to see MARTA’s full slide deck.
And - no one wants pedestrians crossing rail tracks in a manner that could put anyone at risk. Yet to barricade the train between concrete channels will literally cut off pedestrian access to half of the destinations and businesses along the rail corridor. Such poor design defeats the purpose of setting up shop there to welcome in passersby. Businesses should treat the BeltLine as their front porch - not a back alley. It’s the ease of access -- that friendly invitation to come on in - that will make transit on the BeltLine a delightful way for all of us to mix and mingle while supporting BeltLine businesses.
MARTA’S SURVEY ON THE STREETCAR EAST EXTENSION CLOSES JULY 1!
As we have learned from the current streetcar, the details of a transit project will make or break the proof of concept. Details like a grass railbed and pedestrian accessibility mean the difference of “Let’s eat Grandpa” and “Let’s eat, Grandpa”.
Atlantans: You have just a few hours to tell MARTA how you feel about replacing the environmentally superior ‘green’ rail bed with unsightly, non-pervious, particulate-producing gravel ballast. And, since cities all over the world have successfully managed to run ‘green’ rail beds without having to erect fences, planters or walls, we believe Atlanta can do the same.