Early History
The first mention of rapid transit for Atlanta occurred in a series of regional planning reports prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) in 1950 and 1954. The 1950 report, named Up Ahead, and the 1954 report, named Now for Tomorrow, both primarily dealt with freeway planning, but both specifically mentioned the long-range need for rapid transit in Atlanta.
The MPC began to study rapid transit further, and in two subsequent reports (Access to central Atlanta and Crosstown and bypass expressways) the MPC concluded that increased highway construction would not be adequate to meet future transportation needs. These recommendations were not welcomed by the Georgia Highway Department, who believed that highways were an adequate solution.
Three reports were published in the early 1960s helped to give momentum to the push for rapid transit. Two reports were from the Atlanta Region Metropolitan Planning Commission (ARMPC): a 1960 report titled What you should know about rapid transit and a 1961 report titled Atlanta region comprehensive plan: rapid transit which called for 60 miles (97 km) of high speed rapid rail transport serving 5 counties at a cost of $200–215 million. These reports viewed transit as a means to shaping and planning the future of the Atlanta region, as well as maintaining Atlanta's role as a regional center in the southeast. The third report, titled Rapid Atlanta was published in 1960 by the Atlanta Transit System which proposed a $59 million first phase of a 16-mile (26 km) rapid transit system. This report received support in Atlanta's business community; in 1961 the president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Ivan Allen, named a rapid transit steering committee, which included Robert L. Sommerville, president of the Atlanta Transit System (Atlanta's public busing system), and was headed by Richard Rich, a former Chamber president. This committee worked with the ARMPC to send speakers to civic organizations and business groups to discuss rapid transit. Also in 1961 Atlanta mayor William Hartsfield appointed a rapid transit committee which worked with the ARMPC to lobby members of the Georgia General Assembly to look favorably on rapid transit. In 1962 the lobbying efforts proved successful; the Georgia legislature created the Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Study Commission (MATSC).
Read more about this topic: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority History
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