The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) announced that its Board of Directors advanced the Safe Routes to Transit Project.
“Nearly every passenger trip begins or ends on the roadside at one of MARTA’s 9,000 bus stops, and missing sidewalks or unsafe crossings can create real barriers to mobility for our customers,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “Safe Routes to Transit helps us remove, repair, and replace crumbling infrastructure so riders can get to and from the bus and other MARTA services safely.”
What's Next for MARTA
After site selection and preliminary permitting coordination phases, MARTA will address pedestrian safety at high ridership bus stops, providing high visibility crosswalks, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps, curb extensions, medians, refuge islands, and pedestrian beacons, among other improvements.
The Safe Routes to Transit Project will allow MARTA to provide accessible connections to existing MARTA service at multiple locations across three U.S. Congressional Districts.
“MARTA is an essential organ of the Metro Atlanta Area, that’s why I am proud to support them in their efforts to make traveling safer and more accessible. The people of the 13th District of Georgia deserve safe transportation on their way to their destination and I will continue to support MARTA in their efforts to accomplish that,” said Congressman David Scott (GA-13).
Additionally, Safe Routes to Transit will support pedestrian infrastructure needs coming from MARTA’s Bus Network Redesign.
The redesign has moved through discovery and engagement processes and is currently in the design phase, where planners are working to ensure MARTA’s future bus service will serve the greatest number of customers efficiently, and that includes connecting people to transit service.
The fiscal year 2024 budget for this project is $6.7 million, with 80 percent or $1 million each secured by Representatives David Scott, Hank Johnson, and Nikema Williams. Twenty percent will come from MARTA’s Capital Programs budget and the remainder from the Transportation Improvement Program Surface Transportation Block Grant.
