Best practices transit reporting from Atlanta

Proposed Purple Line, Maryland segments.

The Atlanta region is considering a Beltline transit proposal that is comparable to the Purple Line proposal that has been discussed for years in the Washington region. While the Post has been pretty good about covering this issue, in particular the rise of road proposals and the decline of transit, as in this article,"Fortunes Shift for East-West Rail Plan: Purple Line Stalls, Connector Thrives" , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently published a great article "5 days along the Beltline: Intown could be transformed" that includes video and photographs of each proposed segment. (Registration required to access these articles.)

Beltline Map, Atlanta.

Imagine a similar effort from a DC area television station (they all seem to be content with having "on the scene" reporters talking about a murder or accident that happened the day before) or the Washington Post?

This article, from yesterday, "What MARTA riders think: Transit backer, legislator get aboard to listen" is also pretty good:

"One recent sunny afternoon, community advocate Terence Courtney heads west on a MARTA train from the Five Points station. ...Courtney is fairly new to his position as the Atlanta coordinator of Jobs with Justice, a coalition of labor, faith and advocacy organizations devoted to improving economic opportunities for blue-collar workers. He says he has come to understand the importance of affordable, reliable transportation to the community's economic well-being. ...

Since MARTA announced a 15 percent cut in its bus service last year, Courtney has been organizing MARTA's transit-dependent patrons. He hopes to intensify the campaign to add state funding to MARTA's operation as well as to pressure MARTA officials for the highest possible quality of service. State Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta) heads the General Assembly's MARTA oversight committee. Chambers also is new to the job, having been appointed in January.
Since taking the helm of the committee, Chambers has launched an aggressive examination of MARTA's spending.

With MARTA's pending approval of a budget containing a proposed fare increase, service cuts and other budget-balancing measures, Chambers, too, was eager to hear firsthand from riders about what effect the new measures might have on their lives. Chambers recently boarded a train headed south from the Five Points station to the airport just before the afternoon rush hour.