HOT NEWS IN TRANSPORTATION
June 24, 2011
Thanks to all of you who worked on the Atlanta Region’s Transportation Roundtable to bring accessibility issues to the forefront. As you may know, items on the disability community’s agenda included:
- accessible pathways to accessible public transportation;
- accessible taxicabs and
- mobility management services.
The good news is that the big wish list of projects (called the "unconstrained list") included significant investment in public transportation as well as bike/pedestrian routes. Thanks to federal law, all public transportation must be accessible! So as Atlanta expands MARTA, as cities and towns create new pedestrian walkways, as commuter rails are built, as new train and bus stations go up, access and opportunity improve for ALL citizens. The Atlanta region’s list is 37 pages long! Note on Page 3, you will see a proposed $17,000,000 (seventeen million dollars) for a Regional Mobility Call Center & Enhanced Transportation Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities. Also note that Clayton County’s system which was shut down last year, is on the list to be re-started (almost $183 million).
The bad news is that accessible taxi cabs did not make the list. But perhaps the worse news is that the competition is stiff. There are tons of roadway improvements intended to ease traffic congestion and gridlock. It remains to be seen if the final investment plan includes long range, very expensive transit projects or if the car & driver constituency reigns. PART OF THIS DEPENDS ON YOU. To see what is on the list, you can visit http://www.it3.ga.gov/Pages/Roundtable.aspx
For more information including a schedule of all future meetings, please go to the Roundtable website at: www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com
And last but not least, join the A Fair Share for Transit. See www.livablecommunitiescoalition.org
For more information, contact Pat Puckett at 770.270.6860 or Ken Mitchell at 404.687.8890
Transportation Advocacy
disABILITY LINK supports and encourages people with disabilities, and our allies, to advocate for good transportation services (accessible, affordable and accountable) – lack of access to transportation is the number one reason that people with disabilities are unable to participate in our communities. Here is the contact information for a range of organizations and agencies regarding transportation:
Georgia Dept of Transportation (GDOT)
“Responsible for all transportation in Georgia, however, the majority of the funding goes towards roads and bridges”
One Georgia Center
600 West Peachtree NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Phone - 404-631-1990
Fax - 404-631-1844
Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)
“The federally-designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the 18-county Atlanta region”
40 Courtland St, NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone – 404-463-3100
Fax – 404-463-3205
www.atlantaregional.com
Atlanta Regional Transportation Implementation Board (TIB)
“Partnership between the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), theAtlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority(GRTA), and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)”
c/o MARTA
2424 Piedmont Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
Ph – 404-848-5076
Fax - 404-848-5132
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA)
“GRTA’s stated role is to advocate and implement a transportation system that is multi-modal, seamless, and accessible to all”
245 Peachtree Center Avenue, NE, Suite 800
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Phone - 404-463-2035
www.grta.org
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
“Providing a public transit system for Fulton and DeKalb Counties”
2424 Piedmont Road, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30324-3330
404-848-5000
| Cobb Community Transit (CCT)
“Providing a public transit system for Cobb County” |
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| Gwinnett County Transit (GCT)
“Providing a public transit system for Gwinnett County” 
3525 Mall Boulevard Suite 5-C Duluth, GA 30096 Customer Service - 770-822-5010 |
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| Clayton County Transit (C-Tran)
“Providing a public transit system for Clayton County” Customer Service - 404-848-5000
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Concerned Transit Riders for Equal Access (CTREA)
“Dedicated to inform, educate and advocate for effective,
efficient and accessible transit”
c/o disABILITY LINK
755 Commerce Dr. #105
Decatur GA 30030
404-838-9448
Citizens for Progressive Transit (CfPT)
“A transit advocacy organization working with MARTA and regional leaders in the greater Atlanta area”
P.O. Box 56306
Atlanta, GA 30343
Phone - 404-758-5300
www.cfpt.org
Area Coalition for Transit Now (ACT Now)
“A coalition to advocate for federal and state transit resources”