“MartaMenu” tool lets you tinker with Atlanta’s transit potential

Building momentum around a potential referendum to expand the Atlanta region’s public transportation system, Citizens for Progressive Transit has launched a transportation analysis tool to help users envision a variety of transit options.

Using technology developed by transportation planning consultancy Conveyal, the “Build Your Own MARTA Expansion” interactive tool provides Atlanta residents with a robust visualization of what a future network of transit investments could look like, based on estimated costs.

Evaluating the impact of both current and future transportation systems, the tool offers optics for transit investments including:

• additional BeltLine rail options
• added Streetcar lines
• extended light rail routes
• supplemental MARTA stations
• expanded rapid bus corridors, and
• increased frequency of existing bus service.

This fall, City of Atlanta residents will vote on whether to levy an addition ½ cent sales tax to fund an expansion of MARTA. If passed, the vote would support the largest expansion of MARTA service in the City of Atlanta in decades.

SELC, Citizens for Progressive Transit, and a number of other Atlanta transportation groups are hopeful that the tool will provoke public interest in options that would create more diversity in funding transit investments outside of heavy rail.

“MartaMenu gives Atlanta residents a clear vision for the types of projects we could build and how these additional options can work together effectively,” said Senior Attorney Brian Gist. “We hope this will continue to shape public discussions around possible ways to allocate funding to various projects that could expand Atlanta’s network of transportation choices in an unprecedented way.”

Click here to test out the interactive MARTA expansion tool.