The Beltline streetcar: Myths versus reality
Let’s set the record straight on a few frequently asked questions about the Beltline streetcar.
Is rail transit “the founding idea for the Beltline?”
No. In 1993, City Council approved a long-term greenspace master plan calling for a ring of trails, parks and venues on the abandoned “belt lines” around the inner city. That was six years before Ryan Gravel’s thesis proposed his rail version, which didn’t include trails at all.
The 1993 greenspace plan was city policy when the Beltline Tax Allocation District and Atlanta Beltline Inc. were created. The city’s 2005 Beltline Redevelopment Plan describes parks, trails and housing, as well as transit, as priorities, but it also endorses the strategy of building parks and trails first.
In a 2022 TV interview, then-Mayor Shirley Franklin recollected her thinking as her administration mobilized to make the Beltline possible: “We can do trails and we can do parkway, kind of a linear park, and we believe that we can set aside money for affordable housing and make it accessible to everyone. And maybe someday, someone will be able to do light rail and transit.”
Of course, arguing over whether transit was “the” founding idea skirts the real question: Is building a streetcar line on the Beltline the best idea now?
Did Atlantans ever vote for a Beltline streetcar?
Not even once. We did vote in 2016 for the More MARTA half-penny sales tax. That referendum was pitched as a way to fund transit expansion all over the city. Only five of the 73 projects identified before the vote were segments of Beltline transit, and the project list only called for completing one-tenth of the circumferential rail line.
Neither state legislation authorizing the More MARTA vote nor a MARTA FAQ on the referendum mentioned Beltline transit. Rail boosters may sincerely believe the referendum was “really” about the Beltline, but voters who actually rely on transit were focused on projects in other parts of town.
How much will the Beltline Streetcar actually cost?
Rail boosters tag the total at $2.5 billion – enough to buy every Atlantan three electric bicycles. That’s not even accounting for the fact that the $2.5 billion estimate is probably low.
Boosters came up with a gameplan to pay for the streetcar with new property taxes and government debt. But they suggest that the bulk of the funding come in two ways: By diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from other transit projects and by attaining $1 billion in federal grants and loans. The former calls for Beltline rail to consume 37 percent of the More MARTA sales tax revenues.
The latter has already proven unrealistic: Unlike other More MARTA projects, the streetcar hasn’t qualified for federal funds, So additional funding sources will have to be found. Or else city will be left with a one tiny segment of a once-grand project – a segment that happens to serve some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in intown Atlanta.
How is the streetcar “pro-equity?”
Sometimes, the truth just slaps you in the face: The Beltline streetcar’s current phase serves some of the east side’s wealthiest neighborhoods. And it’s by far the most expensive transit mode on the entire More MARTA list.
There’s a vague promise that sometime in the future, less wealthy neighborhoods will be served by the streetcar. For now though, less extravagant, long-needed projects serving parts of the city that are heavily dependent on transit have been downgraded or even cut off from funding. These include Campbellton Road light rail, Hollowell/North Avenue bus rapid transit, and enhanced bus lanes on Northside Drive.
Will the Beltline streetcar pull money from other transit projects?
Absolutely. And not just the examples above. The state of Georgia is notorious for its lack of support for transit in metro Atlanta. That means we must be savvy about how we spend our precious, once-in-a-generation More MARTA sales tax revenue.
The original list of 70-plus projects has been cut to nine, with eight more possibly being funded if the money doesn’t run out. But $570 million in More MARTA funds currently penciled in for the Beltline won’t be enough to complete the loop. So rail boosters want to steer another $360 million from More MARTA to the Beltline. It’s not difficult to figure out that more money for the Beltline streetcar would mean even less non-Beltline projects would lose funding.
Does the streetcar have proven ridership?
The streetcar could never be justified on conventional ridership grounds. Rail promoters at first even argued it was only necessary to spur development. But development along the Beltline has arrived without the streetcar.
The Beltline streetcar hasn’t undergone the kind of rigorous ridership study needed to apply for federal grants. A 2014 technical memorandum estimated that, if the current phase was built, Atlanta Streetcar ridership would total a day to 5,500 – if a segment was built that was actually longer than the current one being considered. That’s much lower than what is usually projected to justify such an investment.
But consider this: At the time, the Atlanta Streetcar’s first phase was projected to bring 2,600 riders a day – and 10 years later it’s only attracting one-third that number. So it wouldn’t be surprising if the extension’s ridership fell well below the 5,500 rider projection also.
Other projects on the More MARTA list are expected to draw many more riders. For example, the Hollowell/North Avenue bus-rapid transit project – which lost out on More MARTA funding due to pressure for the streetcar – was projected to attract nearly twice as many new riders for about half the cost.
How can you support transit, if you don’t support the Beltline streetcar?
We oppose the Beltline streetcar because we support transit. As the answers above show, we must use our precious transit expansion funds wisely – on projects that will truly improve mobility for all Atlantans.
How can you support the Beltline, if you don’t support the streetcar?
We oppose the Beltline streetcar because we love the Beltline. It has evolved into An “Emerald Necklace” of parks along an environmentally friendly greenway, thriving with commerce and exploding with creative culture. It’s truly one of the best things about Atlanta.
The original argument for mass transit – to spur development – is superfluous: The Beltline is an economic engine as it is. It has also proven itself a valuable “last-mile” transportation corridor – a role that the e-bike revolution promises to expand. Some 10,000 people a day currently travel on the Eastside Trail.
Let’s enhance the Beltline by separating cyclists, scooters and other vehicles from pedestrians. Let’s explore ways to incorporate 21st century light transportation solutions. And let’s improve transit to the Beltline – rather than put transit on top of it.
— Ken Edelstein
