City of Atlanta’s First Transportation Master Planning Process Nearing End

The Connect Atlanta Team will hold its last round of public meetings - the culmination of the City of Atlanta’s yearlong process to develop its first master transportation plan. The study team will present its draft recommendations, which were selected through an analysis of the existing transportation system and an inventory of needs as the City grows in population from 480,000 people in 2006 to 780,000 in 2030. Comments and feedback from City Council Members, the Technical and Stakeholder Advisory Committees, NPU and neighborhood leaders, and the general public were solicited during every phase of the study.

Goals of the Connect Atlanta Plan
A key goal of the Connect Atlanta Plan is to complement the long-range vision and goals of the City, while focusing on specific transportation improvements for the City’s residents, workers and visitors. Providing a transportation system fit for all modes and users, regardless of physical abilities and age, is of paramount importance.

Overarching Connect Atlanta Plan goals are to encourage projects that provide for balanced transportation choices, which will help reduce dependency on single occupant automobiles and decrease traffic congestion. In the study, transportation alternatives include public transit, bicycle lanes and safe pedestrian walkways in high traffic volume areas as well as road improvements.

The Connect Atlanta Plan calls for the consideration of projects that prepare for the projected growth of the City and include strategies that encourage fiscal and environmental sustainability for the natural and human environment. Linked to these projects are the preservation of neighborhoods and the development of more livable communities, parks, and streets through an interconnected transportation network.

Draft Recommendations from the Connect Atlanta Plan
This plan contains specific recommendations that will address the ever-increasing need for connectivity and transportation alternatives, along with the need to coordinate with regional and state transportation plans as they unfold. Extensive attention is given to alternate modes of transportation, such as:

The addition of 95 miles of high-frequency transit to the existing transportation network
The creation of a 200-mile bicycle network that connects 95% of City residents to schools, parks, and activity centers
Safe sidewalks and street crossings that encourage pedestrian flow through neighborhoods and other community areas used for work, shopping, or recreation

The final list of priorities, funding playbook, and an implementation schedule are in preparation, with the projected submittal to Council in October 2008.

The Public Needs to Know – Here’s How We Can Connect Atlanta
The public is invited to join the project management team, City officials and others to review the draft recommendations and project list of the Connect Atlanta Plan. The September meetings will be convenient for citizens from every part of the City, and all locations are accessible by MARTA. Participation is critical as the plan moves into its final phase.

Meeting Information:

North
Monday, September 8, 2008 (6pm to 8 pm)
Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
3180 Peachtree Road NW
Directions: From either Arts Center Station or
Buckhead Station, take Bus #23 or Bus #110 toward Buckhead Village

Southwest
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 (6pm to 8 pm)
Cascade United Methodist Church
3144 Cascade Road SW, Room #204
Directions: Church is located just past Childress Drive, take Bus #71 from West End Station or Bus #170 from Hamilton Holmes Station

East
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 (6pm to 8 pm)
Trolley Barn
963 Edgewood Ave., NE
Directions: From Inman Park/Reynoldstown Station, walk 1 block westbound (.1 mile) on Edgewood Avenue

Downtown
Thursday, September 18 (6pm-8pm)
City Hall, Old City Council Chambers
55 Trinity Avenue, SW, Suite 3350
Directions: From either Five Points Station
or Garnett Station, walk south and east to City Hall; or take Bus # 21, Bus #42, Bus #49 or Bus #110 from Five Points Station.
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