PATH400…Becoming the PATH More Travelled

PATH

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although it’s not easy to see from the road, the PATH400 Greenway Trail construction is continuing north, and will soon provide more options for commuters heading to the Perimeter.  Created by Livable Buckhead, the trail provides a multi-use path for bikers and walkers that parallels GA 400.  Sections of the trail around Miami Circle are already getting use, even though they don’t lead anywhere yet, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC).  By next Spring, the Miami Circle path will connect through to Peachtree Park.

Biking and walking to work in the Piedmont Park area has become more popular since the BeltLine opened five years ago.  The car-free route from Piedmont Park to Inman Park is busy with commuters, strollers, and recreational walkers and cyclists.  Businesses nearby have benefitted from the BeltLine as well.  Soon, commuters on the North side will experience this as well.

Ty Tagami, of the AJC, writes, “The next segments of the PATH400 will cut through scrub woods along the verge of Ga. 400 and MARTA’s north-south line. About half of the Buckhead portion of the 5.2 mile trail is paved. Future sections will carry it through Sandy Springs to Dunwoody, adding a couple more miles.”

The BeltLine doesn’t just bring improved commute options.  The PATH400 has become a place for community involvement and expression, through greenspaces, pocket parks, and more.  Check out these highlights of PATH400:

• May the force be with your bike commute. If you haven’t travelled along PATH400’s newest sections in Buckhead, you can get a great visual tour of the paths and Star Wars art HERE, thanks to Josh Green of Curbed Atlanta.

• The PATH gets greener with gardening. During the construction of PATH400, workers discovered an unofficial community garden along the route.  The garden was created by residents of the Atlanta Housing Authority’s nearby Marian Road high-rise.  PATH400 leaders were inspired to take this gardening to the next level, according to Tracy Paden of Livable Buckhead’s “The Dirt.”  Thanks to residents of that community, Livable Buckhead, the Atlanta Office of Sustainability, and local employers, more than 30 volunteers worked to create vegetable planter beds that spell out PATH400.  The beds will be maintained by Marian Road high-rise residents.  Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, the nonprofit organization spearheading PATH400 in Buckhead, said “We love that spirit, and we wanted to bring it into the project in a way that engages the local community and creates a unique amenity for this area.”

For Perimeter workers, PATH400 will provide more flexibility for commutes to work and increased mobility options.  It will also improve commutes during the work day – imagine cycling down the BeltLine for a meeting, to grab lunch, or just get in a mid-day workout!  We’ll keep you posted on all the PATH400 progress, so stay tuned![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Commuters Go Green & Earn Some Green

Go green

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s Like Having a Benefits Plan That Costs You Nothing. Georgia Commute Options provides incentives that are a real boost to your company’s benefits plan.  When your team members choose a commute alternative, like riding transit or carpooling, they can get rewarded with valuable perks.  You can promote these perks to jumpstart a green commuting program at your worksite.  It’s a win-win for employers and employees!

Prizes Tailored to the Commuter.  Do you have a group of avid bike commuters at your company?  Do many of your employees live in one or two areas?  Do you have parking issues that might be remedied by a carpool program?  Georgia Commute Options provides an array of prize programs to fit your green commuters:

•Gimme Five: New green commuters get $5 a day for trying an alternative commute, up to $150 over a 90-day period!

•Save Your Commute: Win a $25 gift card for logging your green commute.  The more you report, the more chances you have to win in the monthly drawings!

•More Passengers = More Gas $: Carpools with three or more passengers qualify for $40 gas cards.  Add a fourth rider to your carpool team and you’re eligible for $60 gas cards…one every month for three years!  That’s up to $2,160 in gas card rewards!

•Add a Vanpooler, Get $50: Not only are vanpools a great way to save money, they’re a great way to earn money too!  Refer a new member to a vanpool, and you’ll get $50.  Leaving your vanpool?  Find a replacement rider and get $100!

•Guaranteed Ride Home: With Guaranteed Ride Home, there’s less excuses for not taking a green commute.  Established transit riders, carpoolers, vanpoolers, and cyclists can receive a paid trip home if an emergency arises (such as a sick child or unexpected overtime).

Promoting these incentives during staff meetings, new hire orientations (Check out our New Hire Flyer!), and through employee communications will strengthen your commute options program at your worksite.  Need assistance implementing a new program?  Perimeter Connects is here to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Connectors event with MARTA, SRTA, and GDOT

ETC Workshop

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Be in the Know.  Watch your emails in the coming days for an invitation to attend the Connectors Workshop later this summer.  You will be able to network with your fellow Connectors and learn more about transportation projects and enhanced transit options in Perimeter.  All of this, and a tasty lunch as well!

Talk to the Experts.  We’ve invited representatives from Georgia’s Department of Transportation (GDOT), Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), to be on hand with updates about construction, new routes, and transportation trends.

Some highlights you can expect to hear about include:

• Construction update for GDOT’s Transform 285/400 improvement project
• Express Lane Expansion
• Peach Pass 101: how to get it, install it, pay for it, and use it
• New Xpress routes to Perimeter
• Transit ridership trends since the I-85 bridge reconstruction
• MARTA’s new mobile payment system
• MARTA expansion projects
• Projects in the works for MARTA upgrades, including new digital signage in rail stations.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Save the Date” txt_align=”center” style=”flat” color=”peacoc” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”RSVP” btn_align=”center” btn_link=”url:Mailto%3ALauren%40PerimeterConnects.com|title:Mailto%3ALauren%40PerimeterConnects.com|target:%20_blank|”]

WHEN:
September 21st
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

WHERE:
CBRE – 7000 Central Parkway
5-Star Center, Suite 250
Atlanta, GA  30328

[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]