Walter Brown 5/19/25 Walter Brown 5/19/25

Nonprofit leaders call for wheels-and-heels on Beltline

The push to separate wheels and heels on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail got a big boost over the weekend from the leaders of four major nonprofits that are deeply vested in the Beltline’s success.

Walter Brown 4/4/25 Walter Brown 4/4/25

Beltline must address growing congestion on Eastside Trail

An injury suffered by a young girl last week in a collision with a bicycle highlights a safety challenge on the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. The comments accompanying a NextDoor post by the victim's father make it clear that this was not an isolated incident.

Walter Brown 3/20/25 Walter Brown 3/20/25

Mobility progress on yet another front: Trails ATL

The city’s come up with a long-awaited plan to build some 500 miles of bike and walking trails. Trails ATL is just the latest in a spate of initiatives that could finally address our mobility issues.

Walter Brown 3/19/25 Walter Brown 3/19/25

The Beltline’s Emerald Necklace revisited

Twenty years ago, the Trust for Public Land imagined a future for the Atlanta Beltline. It’s remarkable how much of that vision has become reality.

Guest User 3/14/25 Guest User 3/14/25

Dickens puts transit expansion plans back on track

Mayor Andre Dickens put Atlanta’s transit plans on a more viable track when he and a top aide outlined an integrated approach to mobility before the MARTA Board of Directors. The plan reprioritizes Beltline rail segments, and puts new emphasis on equity, bus rapid transit and micromobility.

Walter Brown 1/23/25 Walter Brown 1/23/25

Time for Atlanta to adopt an integrated mobility strategy

A Better Atlanta Transit report calls upon Atlanta leaders to develop an Integrated Mobility Strategy – similar to those adopted in Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles and other peer cities.

Walter Brown 1/6/25 Walter Brown 1/6/25

How would Atlantans pay for Beltline rail?

You’d have to raid a lot of public kitties to build $3 billion worth of Beltline rail. A funding plan proposed by rail boosters would drag much of that money away from bike lanes, affordable housing and other transit projects.

Walter Brown 12/19/24 Walter Brown 12/19/24

Expect Beltline rail to cost around $3 billion

The price tag is likely to be Beltline rail’s undoing. But neither the city nor MARTA profess to have a good idea of what that price tag will be. So we came up with a low-ball estimate. “Low ball” doesn’t always mean “low.”

Walter Brown 12/16/24 Walter Brown 12/16/24

GSU Law Review: Parkway fight holds lessons for Beltline rail

The Georgia State Law Review has insightful article on Beltline transit and the role that advocacy groups have played in molding Atlanta.

Walter Brown 12/11/24 Walter Brown 12/11/24

Beltline rail panned by experts for 20 years

Beltline rail followed an unusual path to get this far down the track. Each time a closer look identified problems or planners proposed putting resources toward more viable projects, rail enthusiasts pressed to keep the dream alive.

Walter Brown 12/2/24 Walter Brown 12/2/24

UPDATED: The runoff and better transit for Atlanta

Walter Brown 11/23/24 Walter Brown 11/23/24

Short doc on Atlanta transit, walkability

This eight-minute video from The Daily Conversation nicely describes Atlanta transit woes and the embrace by many residents of a less car-centric vision for the inner city.

Walter Brown 11/19/24 Walter Brown 11/19/24

Bob Amick: Beltline rail bad for business

“Entrepreneurs are close observers of the lay of the land around them,” famed restaurateur Bob Amick writes. “Those of us who run restaurants and other customer-facing businesses are always on the lookout for threats and opportunities. It’s pretty clear to me which of those the Beltline streetcar is.”

Walter Brown 11/8/24 Walter Brown 11/8/24

Mobility solutions take a hit in Cobb County

As transit advocates brace for changes that might emerge from a new administration, an election result closer to home in Cobb County is likely to have a more immediate impact.

Walter Brown 11/8/24 Walter Brown 11/8/24

A very familiar streetcar story in Seattle

Seattle’s underperforming South Lake Union Streetcar has a lot in common with the unpopular Atlanta Streetcar.

Walter Brown 10/30/24 Walter Brown 10/30/24

When $230 million becomes $2.5 billion

The $230 million Streetcar Extension East, which includes the first phase of the Beltline streetcar, is enveloped in controversy. That’s just the tip of the dollar-berg

Walter Brown 10/29/24 Walter Brown 10/29/24

A desire named streetcar

Most Atlantans agree that we need a greener, more equitable, more connected city. But, over the last two decades, Beltline streetcar advocates have poured their aspirations into a single project — at the expense of others.

Walter Brown 10/10/24 Walter Brown 10/10/24

Beltline streetcar grass track adds incremental cost

Putting lipstick on a pig can be a bit of challenge. But it won’t break the bank. That’s our takeaway from a June report by a MARTA consultant on a proposal to use a grass track bed for the Beltline streetcar.

Walter Brown 8/8/24 Walter Brown 8/8/24

Dickens clarifies Beltline rail stand

Mayor Andre Dickens insisted last week that he’d like to see the Beltline streetcar built. But he also warned that the 22-mile rail loop might not be affordable. Check out the mayor’s most extensive comments yet on the controversial rail project.

Walter Brown 8/5/24 Walter Brown 8/5/24

Don’t let a streetcar roll over the Beltline Arboretum

Trees Atlanta’s Beltline Arboretum has a won praise as an ecosystem restoration project. Now, it’s threatened by the Beltline Streetcar.

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