If They Build It, Will People Ride?

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is seeking public input on a transit development plan for the stretch of I-20 East between the Mall at Stonecrest and downtown Atlanta.

The project, a joint effort of MARTA, DeKalb County, the city of Atlanta and the Federal Transit Administration, aims to create a high-capacity transit service between those two points.

The first public meeting on the East Transit Initiative, as the project is called, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at Trees Atlanta's offices, 225 Chester Ave., in the Reynoldstown neighborhood. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for May 4 and 5 in Lithonia and Decatur, respectively.

Transportation officials say the project would improve east-west traffic on I-20 and give a foundation to DeKalb County, which anticipates strong and steady development on that portion of I-20 in the coming years.

It's no secret traffic in Atlanta is an oft-cited frustration. And I-20 can be a parking lot at times. The stretch of I-20 between the Moreland Ave. exit in East Atlanta and Spring Street in Downtown for example, can take seven minutes or so in normal traffic. In rush hour, though, it could take 20 to 30 minutes.