Although significant alternative transportation choices are still largely a dream in the minds of a relatively small critical mass of the US population, it's not a utopic, fantasy-drenched vision of what could be. Take a trip to Germany, for example. In places like Munich you will find a harmonious blend of biking, walking, trains, trams, trolleys, and buses as the preferred methods of transportation. And they manufacture some of the finest automobiles on the planet! Even so, they build their towns and infrastructure so that people have a choice. I lived in Augsburg, a smaller version of Munich, and experienced this lifestyle firsthand. Having done so makes it hard to shake the vision of what our American cities and towns can become.

If you've never had the pleasure of living in such a place you can catch a glimpse of the dream at TransportationPlanet.com, featuring an online slideshow of Transportation in Munich.

TRAIL PROJECTS ABOUND IN DEKALB

Everything is turning up green in DeKalb County! Fueled by a green-friendly administration and the PATH Greenway Trail Master Plan, trails and linear parks are planned and underway in every quadrant of the county. The county's greenway trail mileage will more than double this year and is likely to double again next year as well. The fully realized master plan will provide 124 miles of alternate commuter routes and recreational opportunities! Go here for the full scoop.

THE "BUC" STOPS THERE. GO ON AND TAKE A FREE RIDE!

The "Buc" will stop in Buckhead starting in late November.

The newly selected name for the free shuttle bus service from MARTA's Buckhead and Lenox stations to major hotels, malls and office buildings was chosen for its simplicity, and because it's an acronym for Buckhead's Uptown Connection.

The service, to be operated by the Norcross branch of national bus company Coach USA, will use 10 compressed-natural-gas buses, each seating 22 passengers. It will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Advocates hope it will cut traffic in Buckhead's business district.

Source: ajc.com::Ahead of the Curve

WAYS TO USE BIKES AND TRANSIT TOGETHER.

Suburban to City Commute: Bike commute downhill into town, take the train or bus home. Or, keep a bike parked downtown so that you have quick access to more places to eat or shop at lunch time. Avoid rainy weather, bringing your bike with you on transit rather than getting wet. Bike from home to the bus or train, and then continue on with your commute. When you get to your destination, you will have your bike to help you continue on with your trip.

Suburban to Suburban Commute: Bicycle to the train. Take the train or bus as close as you can to your workplace. Then bicycle to your destination.

Cross rivers and lakes: Many bridges do not have bicycle or pedestrian access. Bringing your bike onboard a bus, train, or ferry can be the answer.

Access National Parks: Many National Parks now have buses with bike racks. Having a bike allows you to cover more ground than walking. Acadia National Park and the Grand Canyon are good examples.

Carpooling: Ride with a friend to their worksite and then bicycle the rest of the way to work.

Use two bikes: If you don't want to, or can't bring your bike on transit, then keep an inexpensive bike parked at each end of your transit ride.

Use a folding bike: Folding bikes are small and can be carried onto almost all vehicles. This is especially helpful on airplanes and on Amtrak, which limits bicycle access on many trains (but has great access on others, such as the Vermonter and route along the Pacific Ocean).

Traveling: For someone visiting a city on business, a bike is a great way to get to a nearby park trail.

Source: http://www.bikemap.com/transit/reasons.htm

WILL AMERICANS FOLLOW THE EUROPEAN EXAMPLE?

According to a Sept. 15th Newsweeek Online column by Gersh Kuntzman, "You may have heard that America is fat. You may have heard that nearly two-thirds of us are overweight and 31 percent of us are obese. You may have even heard last week that the Department of Agriculture will soon decrease the number of calories a person should eat every day, an admission that there's no point in designing diets for the healthy average American when the healthy average American no longer exists...

"Americans bike and walk far less than their European counterparts (what article about American obesity would be complete without a gratuitous comparison with good ol' Europe?). In the U.S., only 7 percent of all trips outside the home are made by walking or biking, compared to 39 percent in Sweden (hey, it's cold there), 34 percent in Switzerland (hey, it's hilly there) and 46 percent in The Netherlands (hey, it's low and swampy there)..."

Source: http://www.msnbc.com/news/967089.asp?0cv=HA00
NCBW's C-E-N-T-E-R-L-I-N-E-S

Southface Energy Institute's Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable theme for October 3 is Intown Transit & Smart Growth: The Beltline brings mobility and redevelopment to Atlanta. The Beltline is quickly becoming a ground-breaking collaboration between private and public nterests.

Come to the October Roundtable to learn why this project has been embraced by neighborhood associations, community leaders and other groups interested in improving Atlanta's quality of life.

Go here for more info and to RSVP.

New Belt Line Movie available for online viewing

Cathy Woolard previewed a short video on the Belt Line at the Rail~Volution conference, last week. The work, narrated by Jane Fonda, represents an outstanding multi-media presentation for envisioning and educational purposes. I found the technique of super-imposing operational light rail cars over the currently kudzu-covered tracks to be a particulary effective piece of imagineering. View the video here.

Expansion of Atlanta's Greenway Trail network continues in Dekalb County. Construction began Monday on a 4-mile multiuse trail that will connect downtown Lithonia with Stonecrest Mall and Arabia Mountain.

This phase of the greenway trail will cost about $1.6 million in mostly federal funds and is expected to be completed within about six months with PATH Foundation providing construction services.

Future phases will link Arabia Mountain to Panola Mountain and, ultimately, to Rockdale County and will incorporate ample natural borders providing for an outstanding functional linear park for the area.

Join the Belt Line Action team. Send an email to cwoolard@ci.atlanta.ga.us with "Join Belt Line Action List" in the subject line if you want to help make the Belt Line a reality.

Resurrection of the Macon-to-Atlanta Commuter Rail

A long-planned commuter rail line between Atlanta and Macon will get $25 million in new funding this week, with most of the money going toward real estate for train stations and to improve road crossings.

The rail investments surprised some because Gov. Perdue had backed off his predecessor’s vision for commuter rail lines as a fix to Atlanta’s traffic problems.

The announcement suggests that plans for a passenger-rail connection between Macon and Atlanta are not dead, as had been speculated earlier this year.

The town of Hampton, which sits mid-way between Macon and Atlanta, represents an excellent opportunity for transit oriented real estate investment. Visit www.burkesisco.com for currently available "Rail" Estate.

Redemption of the Arc

The rights-of-way for a proposed super highway that once caused deep divisions could now bring communities together.

State Representative Jan Jones (R- District 38) announced August 8th that she is forming a task force to create a 60-mile long greenway trail along the Northern Arc highway route. The plan will include greenspace on either side of a multi-use greenway trail extending through four north metro counties, including Bartow, Cherokee, Forsyth and Gwinnett.

Follow the links for more info:

Greenway Trail may grow in the path Arc has vacated

Northern Arc as greenway proposed

Northern Arc greenway announcement

Green space in the form of Greenway Trails has been shown to raise the values of surrounding property, as it raises the quality of life.

Live near a Trail. Visit www.trailestate.com.

Rail~Volution promises to live up to it's name with solutions like Colorado Railcar's DMU Self-Propelled Commuter Railcar to be demonstrated in Atlanta this September. This railcar with it's ability to run in mixed freight service makes Commuter Rail initiatives like Atlanta-to-Athens and Macon-to-Atlanta a reality now. Read more about the rail car here. The railcar will be on display at Rail~Volution from September 11 - 15 with running demos on the 12th and 13th.

All Aboard the future of commuter rail!

Belt Line Documentary to debut at Rail-Volution Conference

Respected Atlanta filmmaker Bill VanDerKloot is making a short film documenting the Belt Line transit project. The popular Belt Line will place trolley-like transit with bicycling and walking trails along railroad corridors that form a loop around central Atlanta. The film will be premiered during the Rail-Volution Conference, an annual gathering for smart growth advocates from across the country. It is being held in Atlanta beginning Thursday, September 11 through Sunday, September 14. The film will be shown during lunch on Friday the 12th. Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard will also be talking about the Belt Line during a session that morning. You can find out more details on the conference at www.railvolution.com.

Vote for street cars on Peachtree Street. Then read Maria Saporta's AJC Horizon article, Parking Magnate Leads Streetcar Push.

My love affair with pedestrian-friendly villages began while living in Europe for two years. The climax came when I visited the Isle of Capri, off the coast of Naples, Italy. The beauty and charm of this island is hard to describe. How exciting to discover the wonderful "A Quiet Week-end in Capri", a unique sightseeing and cultural tour/PC Adventure game-in-one. This award-winning, ingenious approach to tourist promotion features over 4500 photos of the stunning destination delivered in an adventure game format. (Adventure games are a game genre that has become a favorite pass-time of my wife and I, preferring the cerebral challenge of the puzzle-driven plot advancement to a typical night of bad TV).

So conclusive is the data correlating the U.S. obesity rates and other affluenza with the modern built environment that the CDC has responded with the Active Communities Environment Initiative (ACEs). The goal is to promote walking, bicycling, and the development of accessible recreation facilities as an integral part of our communities. These data suggest characteristics of our communities such as proximity of facilities, street design, density of housing, availability of public transit and of pedestrian and bicycle facilities play a significant role in promoting or discouraging physical activity. One specific action plan calls for Promoting Physical Activity Through Trails.

I believe a key reason the Belt Line has resonated throughout the Atlanta Community is that people are responding to the idea of Connected Carfree Communities. A Rails-with-Trails Solution like the Belt Line certainly accomplishes this goal, but the real revolution will begin when we realize that we don't need to wait on the ponderous governmental processes inherent with rail initiatives in the Metro Atlanta area.

As one example, the Silver Comet is already a linear Belt Line that will accomodate live, work, and play all along it's length. The trail is already there and being used by thousands, primarily for recreation. It's just waiting for the ACEs to be built in the wake of the realization that it represents a commuter solution, as well.

Want to live near the trail? Begin the adventure at www.trailestate.com.

Joe Morris has put together a nice little report of MARTA Station proximity restaurants, arts & entertainment venues, pubs, etc. at his "What's Near MARTA Stations?" page.

What we could really use is a resource like StationMasters Online, A Comprehensive Guide to MetroRail Station Neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. This site is produced by Bowring Cartographic and features a MetroRail System Map with hyperlinks to proximity maps of each station.

Andy Singer really doesn't like cars. He takes a humorous look at the problem with CARtoons.

Studies abound proving that many road expansion projects aren't solving traffic congestion -- they are actually inducing it!

Let's curb this wasteful exercise in futility...