Public Hearings on MARTA FY 2015 Budget Announced

MARTA will hold a series of public hearings on the proposed 2015 budget on May 13th, 14th and 15th at various locations throughout the MARTA service area. The public is invited to attend and offer feedback at one of five meetings, listed below:

Tuesday, May 13th 

Atlanta City Hall (7:00PM)

555 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta

 

Decatur Recreation Center (7:00PM)

231 Sycamore Street, Decatur

 

Wednesday, May 14th

MARTA Headquarters (3:00PM)

2424Piedmont Road, Atlanta

 

Thursday, May 15th

College Park Public Safety Annex

3717 College Street, College Park

 

North Springs United Methodist Church

7770 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs

Earn a Starbucks Gift Card for Participating in a MARTA Breeze Card Survey

Do you ride MARTA? Researchers at Georgia Tech are looking for participants for a study about technologies used by MARTA riders and their potential impact on transit ridership. To participate in the study, fill out this short, online survey between now and May 12th.

As compensation for completing the survey, you will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. Instructions to receive the gift card are on the last page of the survey.   The survey only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. Survey  questions will inquire upon:

1. Your use of the MARTA bus and rail system
2. Your use of smartphones apps related to MARTA
3. Information about you, for example, your age and ethnicity
4. Your Breeze Card number, a 16-digit number on the back of your Breeze Card fare media. This number is anonymous and not linked to any personal information.

For more information about the survey, you may contact Georgia Tech PhD Student Candace Brakewood at candace.brakewood@gatech.edu or Professor Kari Watkins at kari.watkins@ce.gatech.edu.

Forum to Discuss Strategies for Improving Pedestrian Access to Transit

 

Approach sidewalk, raised island and bicycle bypass lane all help improve safety to and from this bus stop in Sheffield, England

 

Since the recent survey data shows that the majority of public transit trips include a walking component, improving the state of pedestrian facilities around stations and bus stops is a key means of supporting existing and potential users of transit services. PEDS, with the support of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Kaiser-Permanente and FHWA, has studied this issue and developed a toolkit to help local governments deliver safer routes to transit. Learn more about these issues at a forum scheduled tonight (April 3rd) at the Decatur Recreation Center from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. For more information about the PEDS safe routes to transit toolkit may be found here.

Coweta County Transit Receives Award for Improved Performance

On December 6, 2013, Coweta County Transit was honored by receiving the Georgia Transit Association’s (GTA) Performance Award at the 2013 GTA Annual Conference. Transportation Manager Tavores Edwards accepted the award on behalf of the County.

Coweta County Transit  began operating a demand response system in July 2009. In FY 2012, Coweta County coordinated with the Georgia Department of Transportation  and RouteMatch to implement an electronic routing and dispatching software solution. Prior to this time, most of the dispatching and routing was accomplished through spreadsheets, paper manifests, and paper maps. The new software allowed for all dispatching and routing to occur using one centralized program. After initial implementation, the Coweta County Board of Commissioners wanted to ensure that the new software system was being utilized to its fullest potential and approved local funding for mobile software and wireless communications  enhancements. The Commissioners approved the purchase of five (5) mobile tablets and the RouteMatch mobile data software necessary to complete the package. As a result of these technology investments, Coweta County Transit’s trips increased by 14% over the previous program year, posting the best annual trip numbers since the transit program’s inception. 

Congratulations to Coweta County Transit!

Register Today for the Georgia Transit Association’s Annual Conference

Registration is now open for the Georgia Transit Association‘s annual conference. This year’s meeting will be held at the Classic Center in Athens, GA, and take place from December 2nd to the 6th.

This event will be an excellent opportunity for attendees to network with other professionals,  learn about industry best practices and discover innovations in transit planning and delivery.

A variety of registration options are available, with discounts for GTA members, early registration, students and for rural transit professionals. For more details, please visit the GTA conference website.

Final Coweta CTP Public Hearing Scheduled

Efforts are wrapping up on the Coweta County CTP Update and a final public open house has been scheduled to provide citizens an opportunity to review the plan’s recommendations and provide input. Please plan to attend and participate in this last chance to provide feedback on the plan.

The public open house will be held on November 7, 2013, from 6-8pm at the Coweta County Fairgrounds and Conference Center located at 275 Pine Road in Newnan.  Stop by at any time to review findings, speak with Coweta CTP staff and share your thoughts. There will be no formal presentation.

For the latest news and information on the Coweta CTP, please visit the project website.

Real-Time Bus Location Data Improves CCT Experience

Cobb Community Transit (CCT) riders now have access to real time information on the departure time of their buses at specific bus stops.

Rather than relying on traditional paper schedules, passengers can be informed of departure predictions in real time. GoCCT information will be available via traditional Web browsers, simple text formats, email and SMS, or mobile text messaging. This will help empower passengers with the tools they need to optimize their time. Passengers can customize GoCCT to meet their specific needs, set departure alerts and send predictions to mobile devices.

For more information, contact CCT Customer service at 770-427-4444 or visit GoCCT at http://gocct.cobbcounty.org/