Interim CEO Jonathan Hunt has been named permanent CEO for MARTA. Best wishes to Hunt and everyone at MARTA (and everyone who depends on transit in Atlanta). itsmarta.com/marta-board-...

One thing that could help with bus cancellations and absenteeism: operational funding from the State of GA (currently, MARTA gets none). Transit Center's 2022 report about "bus operators in crisis" calls out a need for state operating funds. transitcenter.org/wp-content/u... 2/

Where are the new rail cars? From the MARTA website... "Current Status: Testing New railcars will be phased into the fleet over the next several years with the first car starting service in 2026." Looks like we'll get one car in service by 12/31/2026 I reckon. itsmarta.com/newCQ400rail...

King Memorial MARTA Station last night -- it definitely ranks high on my list of favorite MARTA stations, both inside and out. It opened in June 30, 1979 as a fine example of concrete-based architecture from Aeck Associates. Well done.

I was thinking the same thing! Look at the amazing before (left) and after on Broadway at 18th Street in NYC. This is the kind of transformation I'd love to see on Peachtree. Bring in a little Beltline energy.

At Peachtree Center today, I was reminded of the City's ridiculous failure to follow through with building a crosswalk on a deadly section of Peachtree Street. This steady stream of people crossing here should be able to do it safely -- and our signature street should be more than a car sewer.

Wow, the Let's Talk Transit event this week appears to have been very well attended! I'd like to make it to one of these some day. I think I'm waiting until one happens on the 51 or the 7 routes 😁 Seriously, it's very cool to see Atlantans hyped about transit. www.instagram.com/p/DbcCN3QDGgO/

These weeds are involved in some radical environmental activism, taking over a parking lot; reclaiming nature from the grip of car-centric development. ✊

ARC made a nice map of all the bus routes for MARTA, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Douglas combined. Though it also shows how very limited they are, with many areas not being served. garc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.ht...

The house has been vacant for 25 years now. I walked past it tonight and felt a bit sad, though I did enjoy seeing a vape shop open next door. Why? Because it was one of only a couple of open businesses I passed -- for several blocks, at 9pm on a Thursday night on Peachtree. 2/

The ATL Biz Chronicle reports that the Rufus M. Rose House (completed in 1901) is on the market for $2.58 mil, with an additional $2 mil needed for renovations. A group called UC Asset LP purchased it five years ago and floated turning it into a short term rental, which obvs didn't happen. 1/

Folks are riding motorized devices on sidewalks at the same speed cars are moving. I got buzzed by several of them tonight and it stinks. I'm not sure what the solution is, but I know what the goal should be: sidewalks need to be more welcoming for pedestrians w/ disabilities.

For decades, conservatives have called transit "big-government waste" while city-destroying freeways are "necessary infrastructure." It's even worse now; we're not expanding rail anymore, though we're still spending billions of dollars on freeways. When will the culture change?

This weather can go to Heck. It can go straight to Heck and stay there. I miss taking long walks without fearing for my life.

MARTA got $11 mil in federal grants for World Cup safety & operations, which helped them offer higher frequencies for trains. You want that level of service all the time? Get transit-loving progressives into office at the state level so GA can actually fund MARTA operations.

Very interesting -- interim MARTA CEO Jonathan Hunt has changed his mind and wants the job permanently. I'm disappointed in the way he shrugged off the secret Beltline vote to oppose rail, but otherwise I think he'd be fine.

I'm standing in a wide strip of mulch & shrubbery so I can flag down a MARTA bus on a hot night. Meanwhile, I'm listening to Mayor Dickens greeting people to Atlanta over and over (who? Drivers stopped at the traffic light?). 1/

I would love to see MARTA install platform doors like this for safety. But I'd also love to be able to trust MARTA to pull off that project without repeating the bizarre rollout of new fare gates.

This post-World Cup writeup from Seattle's mayor is amazing...embracing safe streets, transit, abundant housing, more families with kids in the city, and reducing homelessness. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/seat...

Exactly. And at the WSB story, this framing is bizarre. Why are the barriers the concern, versus the drivers? I mean, I know why... windshield perspective.

GA will lose $212.4 million in funds for public transit with this US transportation bill, heavily affecting rural systems. The bill increases road & highway spending. Increasing subsidies for driving while slashing transit is always bad, but it's horrendous during a climate crisis.

Even in the rain, we had a nice visit to South Downtown yesterday. We admired the renovated buildings, went to KMM & Co to buy key fobs made from hand crafted leather, saw a lively bunch on the covered patio of El Tesoro (not pictured), then rode the Rapid A to Summerhill. 1/

The federal government looks poised to vacate a rat-infested, leaky behemoth of a building near Five Points MARTA Station (instead of actually fixing it). I was hoping that workers in the Sam Nunn Federal Center could be drawn outside to have lunch at the new spots in South Downtown.

MARTA's Civic Center Station opened in December 1981 after years of construction that required the elevation of West Peachtree Street to accommodate the track. M. Garland Reynolds and Partners with Welton Becket Associate Architects of Los Angeles designed the station.

The view of the sunset from inside Civic Center MARTA Station this evening...very nice. This station is built into a bridge over the interstate, and it has large windows on the side. I assume the architects designed the station with these sunset views in mind.

How is this legal? At the Arts Center MARTA Station, the emergency doors are barricaded behind wooden structures and can't be used. But there are fare gates operating. Maybe this is OK and it happens at stations all the time during construction. But it sure seems wrong to me.

This is encouraging: Centennial Yards reports that for their next residential building in Downtown, they'll include affordable units instead of paying the in-lieu fee. Details are coming later, but I'm happy to learn this. I'm also looking forward to the improved pedestrian experience here.

There is no justice in the effects of climate change. Though it's among the nations least responsible for the emissions that cause global warming, France is suffering the worst effects of it with the current heat wave. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-whi...

It was a nice evening for a visit to Downtown! We took MARTA to Garnett Station and had a great dinner at El Tesoro, spotted friends on the sidewalk and chatted, then checked out the World Cup watching event at Underground Atlanta, then bought some groceries at Azalea Market & took MARTA back home.

I saw a constant stream of cyclists and scooter riders using the new West Peachtree Street bike lane today! Very nice. What's your experience, cyclists? Is a quality network of great bike lanes emerging in Midtown?