CCT's Mixed Fleet Operations

Some Atlanta commuters going to Cobb Parkway and Marietta on CCT route 10 were in for a treat on Friday evening. The vehicle they boarded was a large coach normally used on express service.

Large coaches are quite an upgrade over regular buses and feature:

• 58 reclining, generously padded seats with armrests,
• Improved legroom,
• Reading lights,
• Individual fans,
• Improved suspension, ideal for travel on freeways,
• Overhead storage,
• Undercarriage storage for larger items (checked luggage!),
• TV overhead monitors on some vehicles (I have never seen them used),
• A button at each seat to request stop.

Why are these coaches on local service? I don't know. Maybe it is to address overcrowding. Maybe the coach was a standby bus, and CCT could make use of the available capacity. I will monitor if the situation happens regularly or not.

Midtown Atlanta Blueprint 3.0 Public input

Midtown Alliance is updating the Blueprint for future improvements in Midtown Atlanta, and has begun hosting publuc input sessions. The first one took place last Thursday at the food trucks across the street from where I live. If you missed it, don't worry, there will be a happy hour Wednesday evening (Apr 29) and a breakfast session next Wednesday (May 6).

These events will be free and are worth checking out. Participants can meet the district leaders and can vote/provide input on:
- Potential transit improvements such as streetcars, shuttles, or a new MARTA station (??)
- Arts and open air playgrounds for all to enjoy,
- Farmers markets and more!

My Earth Day 2015

This year, I had plenty to enjoy Earth Day, Wednesday April 22, 2015. Here are the bits.

At the Office

At work we had guest speaker Dan Weaver from Georgia Commute Options, presenting alternative commutes and incentives for not driving alone to work. I found out at least one other person takes MARTA to the office! Learned about the ride matching program. I also found out that the more employees of any given company log alternative commutes, the better their chances of winning prizes. Companies with small participation are put in a large, common pool for prize drawings. At work, there are enough participants so that there are one or two prizes allocated to the company each month, so the odds stack very favorably. 

We also had an Earth Day challenge and an environmental selfie challenge.

At Home (1/2) - BeltLine Presentation

Erika Burns, who routinely writes and volunteers for the Atlanta BeltLine, gave a presentation for my apartment building. We have a very active community involvement committee that made this possible. In her presentation, there were a few good things I didn't know:

• Stanton Park is now energy neutral, thanks to the use of solar panes. This park used to be an area where methane leaked from the ground.
• Old Fourth Ward Park behind Ponce City Market used to house buildings, which basements would flood because of a water reservoir nearby. The area is now converted to a water retention pool with nice landscaping and water features.
• $2.4bn property value has been added to the BeltLine corridor during the recession, and the amount is slated to continue to rise.
• The BeltLine is the largest art display in the Southeast. The famous Lantern Parade (attendance doubled last year to 23000 people) kicks off Art on the BeltLine every year at the end of Summer.
• Urban farmers will be brought to create a local food source from the green space.

At Home (2/2) - Earth Day Quiz

At my apartment building, we also had an Earth Day Quiz and a few people submitted the correct answer. Can you figure out the answer?

Fw: Japan's magnetically levitated vehicle train sets new speed record

Japan's magnetically levitated vehicle train sets new speed record http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11544069/Japans-magnetically-levitated-vehicle-train-sets-new-speed-record.html

Announcing OBNETS (my car's on board navigation and entertainment)

Announcing my car's new On-Board Navigation and Entertainment Touch Screen (OBNETS). It will be available on medium and long trips (45 mins), and select short trips as needed.

My OBNETS features:
- A large 8-inch touch screen mounted on the center console,
- Android Lollipop software,
- 4G LTE internet connectivity (where signal available),
- Maps and GPS navigation,
- Voice calls and text messages,
- Voice commands (at least according to Google),
- Music and videos for purchase (select programming free, varies by provider),
- Email and full Google Play store access.

Of course, passengers will continue to enjoy:
- AM and FM radios,
- USB power charging.

Possibilities are limitless. Yesterday I was able to follow a conference call with screen share. How many on-board systems can do this much?

Connect400 - Public meetings for MARTA planning on GA 400 [update: article]

Speakers at the MARTA Connect400 meeting. Left to right: Igna Kennedy (PEQ President), GA Senator Brandon Beach, Mark Eatman (MARTA project manager), Janide Sidifall (MARTA project manager)

On Thursday evening, I went to a MARTA Connect400 public meeting. MARTA is hosting three public meetings this month to request public comments on the upcoming environmental impact study for transit extension along GA 400. GA 400 is extremely congested during rush hour north of Sandy Springs. Connect400 formally started in 2011, with projected start of operations in 2025.

The meeting started with an interactive poster session dealing with the location, timeline, and constraints of the MARTA extension. MARTA requested comments on where the transit extension should cress GA 400. The poster session was followed by a presentation that highlighted the upcoming environmental impact study. 

GA Senator Brandon Beach made an appearance at the meeting and vowed to support the MARTA extension (he chairs the GA Senate Science and Technology Committee). His support comes from these factors he cited:

• Millenials want transit (own fewer cars/homes/landlines), and you have to offer transit to attract talent.
• Seniors will need transit.
• Companies are relocating to close proximity to a MARTA station (he cited Mercedes-Benz, but we can insert All State, NCR, and more).

Map showing where meeting attendees live (blue) and work (orange).

Earlier in March, the MARTA board adopted a locally preferred alternative for transit along GA 400:  a rail extension beyond North Springs to Windward Parkway, with five new stations:

• Northridge
• Holcomb Bridge
• North Point Mall (Encore Parkway)
• Old Milton
• Windward

The environmental study will be based on three technology options and two alignments:

• Heavy rail (Red line extension) parallel to GA 400, crossing the freeway twice. $2-2.5bn.
• Bus Rapid Transit on exclusive right-of-way, with same alignment as rail (upgradeable to heavy rail once built). ~$1bn.
• Bus Rapid Transit using managed (toll) lanes on GA 400. ~$600M.  

The public meetings serve the following purposes:

• Clarify purpose and need of the study
• Collect input on resource considerations: communities, land constraints, safety...

The environmental study will also explore funding and produce a document for the Federal government.

The deadline to submit comments is May 11 for consideration in the environmental study (contact the project managers cited in photo). Not sure to like the project? Attend the last public meeting April 30.

Overall it was a good meeting and we are all eager to see trains shuttling population between North Fulton and Buckhead/Downtown Atlanta.

Update: New media coverage of the MARTA expansion to the north (via NextCity.org), with more comments from the project managers.

Fw: How well do you know your urban future?

Via EnergyBiz Insider

This EnergyBiz newsletter hits right in the spot: the MIT City Science Lab started as a transportation research lab, and expanded to the fields of energy (you need energy storage to operate an electric vehicle), urbanism (adequate planning to reduce travel) and even connected homes (appliances that work with each other according to owner's schedule).

Of interesting note, the MIT folks stopped using the term Smart Cities for their research, the same way as a number of utility vendors stopped using the term Smart Grid. Both terms don't carry much meaning anymore because the possibilities are so vast.

At the end of the newsletter, you will find a download link to this month's issue of Intelligent Utility magazine. Enjoy reading!

Georgia Legislative Session Outcomes

2015 has some interesting highlights for transportation and energy in Georgia.
Here is a some articles discussing of new legislation that will:

• Remove the MARTA 50/50 spending requirement, (no, tax increase measure did not pass)
• Remove the electric vehicle tax credit and create new registration fees to be used for all transportation projects, including transit,
• Allow the Atlanta BeltLine to use public-private partnerships to build its transit and trails,
• Encourage the growth of solar power

Full texts of the bills above can be found below:

• HB170 
• HB213 
• SB4 
• HB57