Inside Xpress [Vol. 2, no. 3 (Summer 2013)]

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245 Peachtree Center Avenue, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30030
INSIDE Xpress
Summer 2013 Volume 2, Number 3

Contents
Letter from the Executive Director Georgia's Toll Agency to End GA 400 Tolls Atlanta Dumps the Pump Xpress News New Midtown Bike Lane Track Your Ride: The Buc & CCT Top Picks: What's Happening Near Xpress We want your feedback!

Letter from the Executive Director

Dear Friends of Xpress:
Last month, the region's business leaders convened at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to learn about what the State is doing to improve transportation options. I had the opportunity to participate in that roundtable discussion and I was pleased to highlight the Xpress commuter service and its positive impact on traffic and mobility in the region. Fellow panelists from the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Road and Tollway Authority also reported on the work their agencies are doing to improve current and future state of Georgia's transportation.
It may not seem obvious to anyone who sits in today's rush-hour traffic, but the meeting's takeaway is a positive outlook for our future:

Georgia has some of the safest, best-maintained roads in the Southeast.
Better roadway operations and maintenance means fewer car crashes. This safety record means less traffic congestion, and that we and our children are getting around where we need to go in the region with greater peace-of-mind.
Our well-developed transportation network is, quite literally, driving the region's economic growth.
For the first time, Georgia is using the guidance of our Statewide Strategic Transportation Plan, which is laserfocused on economic outcomes: how can we create the most efficient means to get employees to their jobs, materials to businesses, and products to market so that Atlanta is as attractive as possible to employers? Like never before, our state is making decisions to build infrastructure that will build a solid foundation for Georgia's economy for years to come.

And that isn't all...by riding Xpress, you improve your own commute and reduce traffic congestion on our highways.
At the heart of this strategy is a desire to make living the Atlanta region more enjoyable for residents like you. That's where Xpress comes in. Our goal with Xpress is to improve your quality of life by taking the pressures of commuting out of your life. We want you to spend less time in traffic (Xpress removes more than 1.5 million cars from the roads per year), feel more productive, and enjoy the benefits of our worldclass transportation system.
Thank you for helping improve metro Atlanta's prosperity and livability by supporting Xpress.
Sincerely,
Jannine Miller Executive Director

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INSIDE Xpress

Summer 2013

Georgia's Toll Agency to End GA 400 Tolls Later This Year

In July 2012, Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the state would pay off its bond debt and end the tolls on GA 400 by December 2013. The ending date for toll collection has been tentatively set for Thursday, November 21, weather permitting. This date was selected to lessen the impact on Thanksgiving holiday travel. In the case of inclement weather, the ending date will be moved to November 22 or 23.

decades ago. Today's announcement is a big step toward making that happen."
For drawings and more detail on the GA 400 demolition project, click here. Georgia's transportation agencies, including GRTA, SRTA, GDOT in partnership with The Clean Air Campaign, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and MARTA--are

working closely to ensure that drivers know about all of the transportation options for commuters in the GA 400 corridor both during construction and after completion.
Our favorite option for beating posttoll traffic? Xpress offers reliable, easy commutes along the GA 400 corridor. Check our schedule here.

"I acted as quickly as the state's contractual obligations allowed to bring down the GA 400 toll," said Gov. Nathan Deal, who serves as chair of the board of the State Road &Tollway Authority (SRTA) which operates the GA 400 Toll Plaza. "I pledged during my campaign for governor that I'd bring down the toll as the state promised commuters it would do when it opened the toll more than two

Fast Facts: Xpress in the GA 400 Corridor 65,000 passenger boardings per year 16 trips per day providing service to MARTA North
Springs and Downtown Atlanta Free transfers to MARTA using Breeze Check the route schedule here

Atlanta Dumps the Pump Xpress News

Between June 17-21, the Clean Air Campaign's Dump the Pump event inspired more than 1,000 Atlantans to give up the gas pump by pledging to ride transit for at least one day that week.
Nearly a third of those who pledged were Xpress commuters, including 30 new riders--welcome aboard!
When you continue to ride transit or take advantage of any other clean commute mode (carpool, vanpool, walk, bike, telework), Georgia Commute Options helps you earn cash and win prizes. Find out more here.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: ROUTE 410 SUGARLOAF MILLS TO LINDBERGH MARTA Xpress Route 410, Sugarloaf Mills to Lindbergh MARTA Station, returned to its regular schedule on Monday, August 12, following the re-opening of the HOV ramp from southbound I-85 to Lindbergh. The evening schedule remained unchanged.
PARK-AND-RIDE LOT CHANGE FOR ROUTE 440 The Hampton Park-and-Ride lot is now located in the parking lot of Boothe's Crossing Shopping Plaza. All departure and arrival times remain the same. The Route 440 service out of the Jonesboro Park-and-Ride has not been affected.
GRTA PASS SALES MOVE GRTA's Board Room, Customer Service Center, and Pass Sales Counter ticket office have moved downstairs to the 4th Floor of the Marquis One Building in Peachtree Center. Our new physical and mailing address:
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority 245 Peachtree Center Ave. NE Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30303

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INSIDE Xpress

Summer 2013

New Midtown Bike Lane
There's a brand new cycle track waiting for your next lunchtime ride, and Xpress makes it easy to bring your bike on your commute! Find out how here.
A partnership with the City of Atlanta, the PATH Foundation, and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., is bringing Midtown a two-way separated bike-only lane or "cycle track" on 10th Street between Piedmont and Monroe Avenues. The cycle track construction is part of a $2.5 million investment in Atlanta bicycling projects and will help connect Midtown to the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, creating six continuous miles of connected bike paths.

Top Picks: What's Happening Near Xpress

Track Your Ride: The Buc & CCT
The Buc, a free shuttle offering service in Lenox Park and between Piedmont and Lenox in Buckhead, now has real-time tracking so that you can see exactly where your next shuttle is and when it will arrive at your stop. Check it out here.
And, for riders of our transit partner in Cobb County, check out Cobb Community Transit's new bus tracking program, available here.

downtown: peachtree center @
andrew young international blvd
August 30 Dragon Con
Xpress drops you off right at Dragon Con's front door so you can avoid paying for (not to mention having to find) parking this year. Top it off with a stroll to the new SkyView ferris wheel, offering a 20-story high view of downtown Atlanta.

midtown: w. peachtree st @ peachtree place (midtown marta station)
September 715 Midtown Restaurant Week
Some of the best chefs in Atlanta will be offering three-course lunches and dinners for unbeatably low prices--all within walking distance of the office.

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