Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 10-27-2015, 01:23 PM
 
188 posts, read 177,810 times
Reputation: 139

Advertisements

Parhaps MARTA should consider how they will address the $500 million in deferred maintenance they've acquired. They tried to use TPLOST money to fix the $500 million shortfall, but since then, there has been no considerable mention of this need. Seems MARTA is sweeping their safety issues under the rug.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-27-2015, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,879,410 times
Reputation: 5703
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirkMcGirt View Post
Parhaps MARTA should consider how they will address the $500 million in deferred maintenance they've acquired. They tried to use TPLOST money to fix the $500 million shortfall, but since then, there has been no considerable mention of this need. Seems MARTA is sweeping their safety issues under the rug.
MARTA is one of the safest transit systems in North America. They do not suffer from delays due to maintenance issues that are plaguing MTA and WMATA. There will always be minor delays or minor issues arise, but nothing on the scale those systems see.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 01:56 PM
 
188 posts, read 177,810 times
Reputation: 139
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
MARTA is one of the safest transit systems in North America. They do not suffer from delays due to maintenance issues that are plaguing MTA and WMATA. There will always be minor delays or minor issues arise, but nothing on the scale those systems see.
Then why did MARTA tell everyone they needed $500 million in TSPLOST money for maintenance if they really didn't?

No wonder people don't trust their shady, deceitful 'leadership.'
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 02:20 PM
 
Location: Prescott, AZ
5,559 posts, read 4,696,862 times
Reputation: 2284
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirkMcGirt View Post
Then why did MARTA tell everyone they needed $500 million in TSPLOST money for maintenance if they really didn't?

No wonder people don't trust their shady, deceitful 'leadership.'
Well, Mr.Parker didn't come into the agency until Dec of 2012, a few months after the TSPLOST was decided on and then voted on. MARTA was pretty deep in the red at that point, and had been for quite a few years.

Since then MARTA has ballanced its budget and has a ~$30 Mil. anual surplus. It is not hard at all to imagine that it is from this surplus (either before or after the surplus mark) that the agency is catching up. I know there are projects underway, like the tunnel ventilation work, and projects planned, like the new trains, so MARTA isn't deffering any more.

It's incorrect to blame the current leadership for something that happened or was said by their predessesors.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
5,621 posts, read 5,939,578 times
Reputation: 4905
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirkMcGirt View Post
Then why did MARTA tell everyone they needed $500 million in TSPLOST money for maintenance if they really didn't?

No wonder people don't trust their shady, deceitful 'leadership.'
It's called being proactive. I need a certain amount of money per year for my car's upkeep. If I don't maintain it, it will break down. Maintenance is required of any system. Like repaving roads before they form 10 foot potholes, etc. MARTA needs maintenance money so they can avoid delays. Fix problems before they become a hindrance.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 03:26 PM
 
32,027 posts, read 36,808,281 times
Reputation: 13311
Quote:
Originally Posted by sedimenjerry View Post
It's called being proactive. I need a certain amount of money per year for my car's upkeep. If I don't maintain it, it will break down. Maintenance is required of any system. Like repaving roads before they form 10 foot potholes, etc. MARTA needs maintenance money so they can avoid delays. Fix problems before they become a hindrance.
I can appreciate being proactive about future maintenance, but during the TSPLOST campaign MARTA specifically told folks that it was requesting approximately $800 billion for to cover deferred maintenance.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Prescott, AZ
5,559 posts, read 4,696,862 times
Reputation: 2284
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
I can appreciate being proactive about future maintenance, but during the TSPLOST campaign MARTA specifically told folks that it was requesting approximately $800 billion for to cover deferred maintenance.
$800 Bil. huh?

How much of the backlog is being taken care of, has been taken care of, or will be taken care of now that MARTA is in the black?

The request for funds from the TSPLOST was with a long time of being in the red, and it wasn't until after the TSPLOST, the Audit, and Parker being hired, that the agency started making more money than they were spending.

The assumtion that appears is being made is that no news is bad news. The reality is that no news is just that, no news. MARTA could be in a position where they no longer need such funding for their maintenance. Until the agency confirms one way or another, it's dishonest to assume the worst.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 04:02 PM
 
188 posts, read 177,810 times
Reputation: 139
Quote:
Originally Posted by fourthwarden View Post
$800 Bil. huh?

How much of the backlog is being taken care of, has been taken care of, or will be taken care of now that MARTA is in the black?

The request for funds from the TSPLOST was with a long time of being in the red, and it wasn't until after the TSPLOST, the Audit, and Parker being hired, that the agency started making more money than they were spending.

The assumtion that appears is being made is that no news is bad news. The reality is that no news is just that, no news. MARTA could be in a position where they no longer need such funding for their maintenance. Until the agency confirms one way or another, it's dishonest to assume the worst.
Marta claims $35 million in the black this past year. At $500 million, assuming no additional maintenance expenses come along, and the costs remain the same, you are looking at 13+ years to get the maintenance completed. So... Odds are they haven't fixed much. If MARTA had the means of paying for the maintenance without $500 million from the TSPLOST, why ask for it? Again, no wonder no one trusts MARTA and no wonder the TSPLOST failed. Thanks MARTA.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 04:05 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
5,621 posts, read 5,939,578 times
Reputation: 4905
Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
I can appreciate being proactive about future maintenance, but during the TSPLOST campaign MARTA specifically told folks that it was requesting approximately $800 billion for to cover deferred maintenance.
Ever been behind on a oil change? Being proactive doesn't necessarily mean changing the oil before it's due, it's before it causes a problem (which a friend actually did once, yea a car will break down if you never change the oil...). Anyway, proactive in this sense just means before it causes a problem. Not ahead of schedule maintenance. You can be behind schedule but still have a functioning system. Just need to take care of it eventually before it becomes a problem.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-27-2015, 04:07 PM
 
188 posts, read 177,810 times
Reputation: 139
Oh... and on review, MARTA was asking for closer to $800 million for maintenance and operations, not just the $500 million I previously used. That is even worse.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Georgia > Atlanta

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:34 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top