Transit service increases, decreases possible in coming weeks
MARTA moving forward on increased train frequency this month, while Cobb County considers reduction of services, with open houses set for later this month.
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In this issue, you’ll see updates on MARTA increasing weekend rail service, CobbLinc potentially cutting and combining commuter bus routes, an Atlanta-to-Alabama connection coming closer to reality, a looming vote for half of Cobb’s voters, a preview to the upcoming Commissioners Meeting and more.
Upcoming events
Mark your calendars for the following upcoming events:
Saturday, April 19th 10AM: Marietta Bike Ride @ Marietta Market Food Hall
Tuesday, April 22nd 7PM: Cobb Board of Commissioners Meeting
Thursday, April 24th 530PM: Public Meeting #2 for Transit Cuts (Commuter Routes) - Acworth Elementary School
Saturday, April 26th 10AM: Marietta Bike Ride
Monday, April 28th 530PM: Smyrna Downtown Development Community Visioning Meeting - Smyrna Community Center
Wednesday, April 30th 11AM: Public Meeting #2 For Transit Cuts (Green Circulator) - Cumberland CID Chamber
Completion of ‘Silver Comet Connector’ portion expected this summer
The goal of extending the Silver Comet Trail from the Alabama state line to Atlanta will get one step closer this July.
The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Cobb County is slated to finish construction on a roughly 1-mile portion of the Silver Comet Connector this July, connecting existing pieces of the trail to the Chattahoochee River along Atlanta Road. The newspaper notes the project is part of the larger effort headed by The PATH Foundation to bring the 61.5-mile long Silver Comet Trail into Atlanta.
Cobb could cut, combine some commuter bus routes; open houses on changes being held this month
Two open house opportunities remain to learn more about proposed service changes to CobbLinc’s Commuter and Green Circulator routes and the service equity analysis findings.
The proposed changes and open houses follow a 4-0 vote by the Cobb Board of Commissioners April 8 to kick off the public feedback process. Being proposed is the elimination of the free CobbLinc Green Circulator, which loops around Cumberland; and a potential merger of CobbLinc’s commuter routes 100, 101 and 102 with the ATL’s 484 Xpress Route, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
To learn more about the proposed service changes for the Commuter Routes, you can review the equity analysis document here.
The second of two open houses on these changes will be held at Acworth Elementary School, 4220 Cantrell Rd NW, Acworth, on Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Here’s what to know about these changes to the Commuter Routes:
Xpress just recently made cuts to Commuter routes 480, 483, and 485 using the CobbLinc routes as justification to reduce these services.
Commuter ridership has dropped significantly since the Pandemic as working schedules have changed and the limited service.
CobbLinc is proposing to cut the following routes:
100: Town Center/Busbee—> Midtown/Downtown
101: Marietta—>Midtown/Downtown
102: Acworth—>Downtown
There is a proposed combined Xpress route, the 483 which would operate between Hickory Grove / Town Center and multiple stops between Arts Center and Civic Center MARTA Stations.
ABC’s take on this:
”Having any transit cuts are bad, but these commuter routes are low-ridership and only serve a very specific commuter community. If cut, these funds should be re-allocated to increase frequency along other existing routes including the 10 and Rapid 10 which are used by many commuters. These routes were also used as justification to build the Express TollLanes, so ending these services raises the question about how long transit operations will be supported along the upcoming top-end 285 corridor. We should be more focused on ADDING transit service, not cutting service, and this sets a dangerous precedent for future cuts.”
To learn more about the proposed service changes for the Green Circulator Route, you can review the equity analysis document here.
The second of two open houses on these changes will be held at in the Cumberland CID Chamber, 1100 Circle 75 Parkway, Suite 1000, Atlanta, on Wednesday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Here’s what to know about these changes to the Green Circulator Route:
The Green Circulator Route is a FREE route that currently operates in a loop from the Battery to Windy Hill/Powers Ferry and up to the Wildwood office towers.
Ridership has been increasing and actually exceeds pre-Pandemic levels.
The Blue, 15, and 50 routes all serve areas close to the area that would be cut.
Studies are currently being done to look at autonomous shuttles, microtransit, or an expansion of the Blue Circulator route.
ABC’s take on this:
”It’s appalling that we are proposing to cut transit service without a direct, immediate replacement in an area that has land use most supportive for transit. Ridership is growing significantly and we should be supporting transit service for future needs as well as current needs. This is an area where we expect to see more development in the future and comprehensive transit service is the only mobility solution that is scalable. Whether the circulator is the right solution or not, the replacement should be immediate so that the impact is minimal. Finally, transit service in this area needs to be supported and marketed better so that ridership increases”
One thing we haven’t mentioned is that these cuts are being made while the District 2 Commissioner seat is currently vacant due to Jerica Richardson being removed by the redistricted map process. So the impacts of these cuts would be felt directly by District 2 residents who currently have no representation on the Board of Commissioners.
If you are concerned about these cuts, please do the following:
Attend one of the open houses on April 24th or April 30th
Attend the public hearing at the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 22nd
Email your commissioners
Half of Cobb voters have special election this month; early voting starts Saturday for April 29 contests
Early voting begins Saturday, April 19, in the special elections for Cobb Commission Districts 2 and 4.
Cobb Commission District 2 includes portions of southeast and central Cobb, and some areas along and surrounding Interstate 75; while Commission District 4 covers southwestern Cobb.
District 2 voters will chose from Republican Alicia Adams and Democrat Erick Allen, with the winning succeeding Jerica Richardson, whose seat was vacated in January. Voters in District 4 will decide between incumbent Monique Sheffield, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Matthew Hardwick.
Winners of the April 29 General Special Election contests will serve on the county commission through 2028.
Advance voting for the special elections will be offered Saturday, April 19, and Monday-Friday, April 21- 25. There is no voting on Sunday, April 20, due to the Easter holiday, nor the weekend prior to the April 29 general election day. Visit Cobb County’s Elections webpage on the Special Election to see advance voting locations and times.
Voters must go to their assigned polling place on April 29, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
MARTA increasing weekend rail service starting Saturday
MARTA riders will see trains more often on the weekends on all four rail lines — Red, Gold, Blue, and Green — starting Saturday, April 19.
Under the service changes taking effect, weekend daytime frequencies (before approximately 9 p.m.) will increase from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes.
Also taking effect as part of the service changes are adjustments to certain bus schedules. Visit www.itsmarta.com for more information.
Events Recap: Bike rides, walking tours, transit race to Atlanta United
Above: Participants in the April 12 ride.
If you're looking for a chance to get out to ride your bike and chat, Marietta Bike Social is for you! This is a weekly, casual group ride for all levels. No racing—just good vibes, easy cruising, and great company. After the ride, we head out to get coffee. Join your fellow riders every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. starting from the Marietta Food Hall.
Taking Transit (and biking) to Atlanta United
A group of ABC-ers took CobbLinc alternative forms of transportation to the Atlanta United game on April 12th. Starting at the Marietta Transfer Center at noon, here were the experiences on each route:
Route 10 left Marietta Transfer Center promptly at 12PM, picked up some more fans in Cumberland at 12:29PM, and arrived at the Arts Center Station at 12:56PM. Both transfers at Arts Center and Five Points happened quickly and the group arrived at the GWCC at 1:21PM. The entire trip taking 1 hour and 21 minutes.
Route 30 was about 10 minutes late leaving the Marietta Transfer Center, and the trip to Hamilton Holmes took a long time, arriving at 1:26PM. The MARTA train left promptly and we arrived at GWCC/Stadium stop at 1:41PM. The entire trip taking 1 hour and 41 minutes, including delays.
We also had Aiden join us as a biker. He also left Marietta Transfer Center at 12PM sharp and arrived at the GWCC stop at 1:13PM. His route took 19.7 miles and he traveled with an average speed of 16.1mph (top speed of 28mph!)
Here are some takeaways from the rides:
Riding Route 30 did take a long time as that is a pretty long route going from Marietta Transfer Center, down Austell Road, all the way through Mableton and South Cobb, and finally to the MARTA station. The bus was pretty full and had lots of pickups and dropoffs, which was great to see, but it meant the bus kept stopping for people to get on and off and sometimes there was delays due to payments. The bus also kept getting stuck in traffic and there was one part of the route (the left turn from Austell to East-West Connector) that was shockingly dangerous as the bus had very little time to cross multiple lanes to get into a turning lane.
Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and even if this route does take a bit longer than other routes, the experience of passively riding and arriving at your destination is something that I believe many people would enjoy if they gave it a chance.
-Matt S. taking Route 30
The fare box was broken when I tried to get on but the bus ride was really good from there on. No one was in the bus only lane at Atlantic station which was a nice surprise. When we got off at arts center the entrance to the trains was blocked off from our end so we scrambled around for a bit. The fare gate at Arts Center was also not reading the breeze card or app for me and one of the other riders but we got through eventually. The transfer at Five Points went smoothly and we arrived at the Station before the Route 30 crew got there.
-JT taking Route 10
April 22nd Commissioners Meeting Preview
The upcoming Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, April 22nd will have 2 public hearings about the proposed cuts to the transit service. It’s important that we show up and share our support for public transit.
Here’s a general summary of the meeting’s agenda which will start at 7PM:
General Announcements & Proclamations (5 items)
Public Hearing (unlimited speakers, up to 3 minutes each)
Removal of CobbLinc Green Circulator
Removal of 3 Commuter routes (100, 101, 102)
Public Comment (10 speakers, up to 3 minutes each on any topic)
Consent agenda (18 items)
Item 13: Transit Capital Projects Grant Application for South Cobb Transit Center
Approval of this means that we will submit a federal grant to continue preconstruction activities for the South Cobb Transit Center. This would be $500,000 local dollars matched by $2,000,000 in federal grand dollars.
Item 14: Prequalified Engineering Firms List
Approval of this confirms the list of prequalified engineering firms until 2028.
Item 18: Annexation Notice (9.3 acres near Barrett Pkwy)
No objection filed to annexation petition means that this 9.3 acre tract will be annexed by Powder Springs. Plans are in place to put 40 single family homes in this area.
Regular agenda (2 items)
Item 26: Chastain Road at Busbee Parkway
Approval of this would mean a 3rd westbound lane would replace the concrete median on Chastain Road at the Busbee Parkway intersection. This is right next to KSU’s campus.
Item 27: Pete Shaw Road Sidewalk Condemnation Requests
Approval of this continues the right-of-way negotiation process to build a sidewalk along Pete Shaw Road
Public Comment Round 2 (10 speakers, up to 3 minutes each)
Appointments & Announcements
We recommend attending this meeting if you can to show your support for public transit.
Time to celebrate a Greener April!
It’s not hard to get a bit greener in Cobb this month, as there are several earth friendly events being held by local governments throughout the month (and into May as well). Here are a few we’ve found:
Saturday, April 19: Pick It Up Powder Springs! 9 a.m. to noon starting from the Ron Anderson Recreation Center, 3820 Macedonia Road in Powder Springs
Saturday, May 3: Shred Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1114 Richard D. Sailors Parkway, Powder Springs (Powder Springs Police Department)
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