The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority was awarded $1.7 million in state funds to begin working on transit service to the Enterprise South Industrial Park. CARTA plans to create four designated routes to and from Enterprise South.
The three-year pilot program would also connect riders to its main line, Cleveland Transit and public transit services provided by the Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency. Executive Director Lisa Maragnano said the service will be up and running sometime next year.
Rail transit to Nashville could be the future for Spring Hill commuters. With Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization readying to call for projects from members, Assistant City Administrator Dan Allen said the city of Spring Hill might want to consider commuter rail lines to ease local traffic congestion and provide more direct connections to Franklin and Nashville.
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When it comes to moving large numbers of people efficiently through urban areas, it’s hard to beat good old-fashioned heavy rail subways and metro lines. But these projects come at a steep price, especially in the United States, and don’t make sense in many areas. Yet, politicians looking for cheaper options too often fall for the superficial idea that anything that runs on train tracks must be a good idea. The smarter strategy in many cases is to look instead at the numerically dominant form of mass transit—the humble bus—and ask what can be done to make it less humble.
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