ABI transit chief to stress innovation

Atlanta Beltline Inc.’s new transit chief is being positioned as its “vice president of transit innovation.”  We hope that word — “innovation” — is good news at an organization until recently hidebound to the unattainable, $3.5 billion Beltline rail loop. 

Joe Iacobucci comes to ABI from TyLin, a global “Top 20”  transportation design firm.  Before serving as chief of New Mobility Practice at TyLin, he was senior manager of planning and policy at the Chicago Transit Authority “where he led rail and bus modernization projects, delivered Chicago’s first bus rapid transit service, and co-managed the Transit-Oriented Development program,” according to Iacobucci’s  LinkedIn profile. Among other projects, TyLin has served as design contractor for the Harlem River Greenway, a seven-mile-long Beltine-esque project in the Bronx, New York.

Iacobucci’s arrival comes at an exciting time for Beltline and transit lovers. ABI had been wed for years to the vision of a magical streetcar. After two decades of work, ridership demand for the rail loop couldn’t be demonstrated, physical obstacles remained, and the cost was skyrocketing.

Finally, last March, Mayor Andre Dickens was forced to reckon with the fact that the only funded stretch of the rail loop would serve wealthy, transit-rich neighborhoods. He called on MARTA to halt design work on the Streetcar Extension East and turn its attention to transit of some sort along the Beltline’s South Segment.

ABI has followed through with what appears to be a more open mind on the topic.  In August, ABI President Clyde Higgs acknowledged the disruption businesses would face from a streetcar. For the first time, he said his agency was considering the possibility of enhancing mobility by building a parallel, second path for a heels-and-wheels approach on the congested Eastside.

While transit on the southside certainly would be more equitable and less disruptive than on the eastside, we doubt that extending the Atlanta streetcar is the most efficient way to expand transit in the city. We’re also skeptical of the demand for mass transit on the Beltline.

The press release on Iacobucci was more thoughtful about the mode and location of transit than the Beltline rail dogma we used to get from ABI.

“Atlanta Beltline remains committed to delivering 22 miles of pedestrian-friendly transit adjacent to the Beltline that connects people to where they want to go,” it said. “Iacobucci’s leadership will help shape transit solutions that respond to the community’s needs while evaluating relevant transit modes and strengthening multimodal connections to MARTA bus and rail.”

We hope Iacobucci will continue to pivot ABI toward fresh ideas and effective, progressive solutions. If so, he’s certain to see what those who are serious about mobility have noticed alongside the greenway’s spectacular success: The Beltline’s highest use when it comes to transportation is as a short-trip, micromobility corridor that can be leveraged to extend transit to the Beltline, not on it.