TRANSIT | Southern Transit Must Be Right-Sized
TRANSIT | Southern Transit Must Be Right-Sized
Options will grow with density, but for now, functional systems should include everything from rail to rural shuttles.
Written By Phil Veasley
In terms of nationwide ridership, track miles, and stations, the MARTA system sits in the Top 10. It’s also the most notable transit system in the South, directly serving four of the five biggest Atlanta submarkets—Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Perimeter Center. Additionally, it provides direct access to the airport and two of the three major sports stadiums. Yet, it carries a reputation of going “nowhere.” Why?
A question of density
Atlanta has a (well-deserved) reputation for being extremely spread out. It’s a massive metro that is simply, by any standard, not very dense. While MARTA goes many places, there are many more where it doesn’t go. Due to the dartboard nature of the city’s development, there are few nodes with enough concentrated density to justify the substantial costs of system extension. Even in Atlanta’s off-the-charts economy, the math cannot survive a fundamental problem: lack of density.
Facing this reality, a disproportionate volume of service comes from lower-cost buses. MARTA boasts a robust bus network serving Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton Counties, while the other metro counties have their own networks. There have been efforts to streamline the agencies somewhat with the formation of the Atlanta Transit Link (ATL), but such efforts have made little impact thus far.
Looking to the future, MARTA is striving to expand the Streetcar system, implement several Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, and, very importantly, focus on Transit-Oriented Development. Those plans may be in flux, however, as noted by former MARTA General Manager Josh Rowan when he posted “a third-party financial capacity analysis draft report projected a revenue shortfall in excess of $1 Billion for More Marta Atlanta and a revenue shortfall in excess of $160 Million for Clayton County.” As he put it: “It will be a monumental challenge to deliver these voter-approved portfolio of SPLOST projects in any sort of timely manner.” Days later, MARTA came out and said that while projects are still on the books, timelines will shift.
MARTA has also dabbled in on-demand microtransit shuttles. While there are no rail extension plans at present, that can’t stop urbanists from dreaming.
For now, here are three areas in North Carolina where momentum is building:
Nodes in Charlotte
Charlotte has quietly developed a robust rail system. While bus ridership has dropped nearly 75 percent in recent years, the city’s Blue Line has seen ridership increase. The Blue Line is a 20-mile, 26-station light rail corridor carrying over 25,000 riders per day. The success of the Blue Line has largely been due to the large-scale effort to develop the land surrounding the stations. There are efforts underway for future extensions, including the cross-city Silver Line and streetcar extensions.
Progress in the Triangle
GoTriangle is a network of transit systems in the metro anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. While the network currently only contains traditional buses and a smattering of express routes, plans are underway for a network of BRT lines and commuter rail. The effort comes on the heels of a highly publicized failed effort to bring light rail to the region. Looking back, we’ll be better off, because the Triangle is one of the least dense metros in the country and simply does not currently have the density to support rail. GoTriangle has also experimented with on-demand shuttles in eastern Wake County.
Alternatives in Wilson
While MARTA and GoTriangle have dabbled with on-demand shuttles to expand their service reach, one agency has completely dived in. The small city of Wilson is roughly an hour east of Raleigh and home to nearly 50,000 people. Instead of buses that only come once an hour and along a set route, residents can request a shuttle whenever, wherever. The service has been a wild success, seeing ridership more than double. What’s happening in Wilson shows that schedule-service mass transit is not the only answer or option. Around the world, countries that are still establishing their transit systems regularly offer both formal and informal alternatives—a model that can also make sense for less wealthy, smaller metros.
The future of Southern transit
As Southern cities look toward the future of transit, two realities are clear: First, it’s evident that rail isn’t the only choice. Second, density should be a prerequisite for expanding these systems or starting new ones. Until the South solves its density problems, most transit choices will remain off the table. That starts with a civic call to action (at times but not always political in nature) demanding accelerated urbanization. The goal? Density.
In my next piece, I’ll discuss why we must get past the idea of trying to bring the transit to the people and first bring the people to the transit.
Phil Veasley is the Kronberg Fellow on Transportation and Affordability. He’s a multimodal transportation engineer working on projects throughout the Southeast that build places for people to move and thrive. Follow him on Twitter @Urban_Connector.
All photos provided by the author.