Who thinks the MARTA should be expanded to include Cobb,Gwinnett, and the other metro Atlanta counties? (Sandy Springs: house)

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

Originally Posted by Merin

Life will continue to go on with people realizing changes will have to be made when they pay almost 200.00 a week for gas. I believe the traffic situation will influence the need for change as well. The rising gas prices have already impacted the price of transporation;therefore it has and will continue to impact the prices of most everything we buy. Since we all have to buy food, and most need to buy clothes, it only makes sense people will seek to change things they have a chance of controlling.

I agree with you that improving transportation is vital to Atlanta's continued growth. The city is literally bursting at its sides and it would be the logical thing to do. It is time for change in the areas of transporation and those who oppose may need to adjust their thinking for a moment. I know my relatives would enjoy riding public transportation from their suburban community to Atlanta's many shopping destinations and public events instead of the frequent and long drives. If anything, keeping the conversation going and hopefully encouraging our public officials to make things happen is as important as making change a reality.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Derrick_TheRiskTaker

If anything, keeping the conversation going and hopefully encouraging our public officials to make things happen is as important as making change a reality.

People aren't writing to those public officials enough. It's obvious the governor could care less, but there are others who have influence, and enough of those can override even someone who's living in the 1800s. But if people don't take the time to email and/or write letters, it does no good. Even suburbanites who want MARTA or alternatives should be writing (I still do).

[atlantamoi]

Can you suggest specifically who we should write to? This is big enough for me to do something like that.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Merin

I agree, I think traffic wouldnt be nearly as bad if more places had Marta Stations. But if the local residents keep opposing them, what can you do? Maybe when they are paying 6.00 a gallon for gas will they change their minds.

I don't know. If people are paying $500,000+ to live far away from "undesirables". I don't think $6 a a gallon would scare them. Perhaps the only thing that would help that situation is a shortage of it. Then MARTA might be in use, if the trains don't use gasoline.

[JPD]

This is what Atlanta needs:

CfPT

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by JPD

This is what Atlanta needs:

CfPT

interesting...never seen that one before.

I voted against MARTA but mainly b/c it's not practical right now. Atlanta is not dense enough, plain and simple.

I take the GTRA/CCT Express Bus every day from Acworth Park n Ride to downtown. It's very convenient and nice but is not practicle for most people. My current jobs is the only place where this would have been an option for me.

I think they need to make truck lanes, HOV lanes, and Rapid Bus Transit lanes thru the burbs. They can move to rail if/when it ever is really practicle.

[Merin]

Originally Posted by JPD

This is what Atlanta needs:

CfPT

AMEN!!! If only people would agree on it.

[Merin]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

interesting...never seen that one before.

I voted against MARTA but mainly b/c it's not practical right now. Atlanta is not dense enough, plain and simple.

I take the GTRA/CCT Express Bus every day from Acworth Park n Ride to downtown. It's very convenient and nice but is not practicle for most people. My current jobs is the only place where this would have been an option for me.

I think they need to make truck lanes, HOV lanes, and Rapid Bus Transit lanes thru the burbs. They can move to rail if/when it ever is really practicle.

I am not a native of this city, please tell me how this city is not dense enough? The traffic here is the worst I have ever seen. I take 400 south to the connector home everyday. On some days it takes me 45 minutes to go from the toll plaza to the 85 merge. Seems like the city is pretty dense to me.

[atlantamoi]

Originally Posted by JPD

This is what Atlanta needs:

CfPT

That is EXACTLY what I'd like to see happen today. Not 15 years from now.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

I voted against MARTA but mainly b/c it's not practical right now.

I take the GTRA/CCT Express Bus every day from Acworth Park n Ride to downtown.
.

Well, this is part of the problem. If it's not convenient for them, people vote against MARTA. It's one reason why there does need to be a regional transit agency that is given back the power to just expand it without votes. Just do it. If they don't like it, they can move.

No, Atlanta is not a "dense" city such as New York or Chicago. And no, we will never have a NYC style subway system with stations every block on every corner of the city - nor do we need that. That doesn't mean that rail can't help with traffic or that it doesn't need to be expanded, however.

There needs to be rail up to Alpharetta, West to Douglasville, East to Conyers, Northeast to Suwanee, and Northwest to Kennesaw, as well as South to near Peachtree City. At the end of each line would be parking facilities for 2500+ cars, and there would be a couple of stations in-between the existing lines and the end of each extended line, each with parking lots. Not only would this eliminate thousands of cars off the roads that would instead park in the lots, but, there are countless others who would be "dropped off" by a spouse or friend at the stations as well, leaving their cars at home, again leaving even more cars off the road. On top of taking cars off the roads, it would also give people an option to getting into/out of the city and other areas simply to avoid driving in traffic, avoiding gridlock due to accidents, etc. This type of system still gives people in all corners of the heaviest burbs to drive to a station and park, and ride the train into town or to one of the other areas, yet doesn't cost billions by trying to put a station on every block, either.

Express buses are little more than a gimmick. They hold relatively few people, take few cars off the road, run infrequently, and get caught in the same traffic tie-ups and accidents as any car on the pavement. An express bus system works best in smaller to mid-sized cities, not a gridlock king like Atlanta, L.A., or DC.

Yes, rail needs to be expanded. Yes, we need to forego the voting process and just build them where they're needed, period. No, under current state, local and MARTA leadership, it won't happen anytime soon at all.