Now Will GDOT Seriously Consider Commuter Rail? (Atlanta, Marietta: construction, sales tax)

[primaltech]

I just hope that it won't still be Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit and MARTA serving their separate jurisdictions, all under one master umbrella agency for improved coordination and whatever. That's not good enough. There needs to be one unified name and brand, one look and feel for all transit, at least in the 5 county core, if not in the whole metro region.

[whodean]

MARTA advocates will b*tch about it being subsumed by the state. Bet they all stay separate with an overall controlling agency.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I just hope that it won't still be Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit and MARTA serving their separate jurisdictions, all under one master umbrella agency for improved coordination and whatever. That's not good enough. There needs to be one unified name and brand, one look and feel for all transit, at least in the 5 county core, if not in the whole metro region.

That's exactly what MARTA was created for. Let MARTA do what it was created to do!

[whodean]

Originally Posted by cqholt

that's exactly what marta was created for. Let marta do what it was created to do!

Case in point

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by whodean

Case in point

Why are we going to create ANOTHER state-level agency? eg: GRTA
MARTA already has state oversight, while SRTA is just governor appointments SRTA Leadership & Board of Directors – State Road and Tollway Authority, which works well when republicans are in control, but when the state flips how are they going to control it?

[primaltech]

Let MARTA operate suburban-range commuter railroad lines within its 5-county area (in Cobb/Clayton/Gwinnett/NE DeKalb/S Fulton), with more frequent stops- in each historic town, and a few park&ride stops on major parkways between the towns, and at Northlake and Cumberland malls.

Then on the same tracks, GRTA would operate regional-range rail, that would skip most of the MARTA stops, except maybe a few key ones. Like the Cherokee line would only stop in Canton, Woodstock, Marietta, and Atlanta. Something like that.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

That's exactly what MARTA was created for. Let MARTA do what it was created to do!

Or GRTA for that matter.

Originally Posted by whodean

MARTA advocates will b*tch about it being subsumed by the state. Bet they all stay separate with an overall controlling agency.

We've seen what the state's attempt at taking over looks like, and, unless there's really good evidence that this time it will be different, I'm not ready to hand over control of a system meant to serve urban interests to a state run by rural ones.

MARTA has over 50 years of operational and planned experience. They are THE agency in the state when it comes to expertise. They aren't perfect, but they are the ones who know what they're doing.

The loss of institutional experience that would come from trying to fold MARTA into another agency, rather than the other way around, would be, in my opinion, a monumental blow to the region's transit service that I'm not sure we could really come away from for the better.


There's a real advantage to layering the systems based on who they are serving. Let the urban core have a system suited for the urban core. Let the further suburbs and exurbs have a system suited for the suburbs and exurbs. Let the state have a system that serves the state first and foremost. Heck, sure, let's even have an independent agency to coordinate things like a state-wide transit pass, and centralized data, and overseeing cross-agency issues.

It just so happens that we already have those agencies in place. MARTA, GRTA, GDOT, and SRTA can take up those roles respectively without over or under representing anyone to the others' detriment.

Heck, if Gwinnett and Cobb would just join MARTA, like 70% of our metro's transit problems could be solved right there.


Given all that, I just don't think it's a responsible act of governance to create a single agency to take over everything, nor to create a new agency to try where the state already failed GRTA.

[primaltech]

No MARTA in Cobb is a non-solution, no matter what. Cobb County is an ITP county. I live in ITP unincorporated Atlanta, in Cobb.

The Atlanta Braves play in Cobb. Cumberland is a major high rise business district area. MARTA not operating in Cobb is a joke, no matter what changes occur.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Let MARTA operate suburban-range commuter railroad lines within its 5-county area (in Cobb/Clayton/Gwinnett/NE DeKalb/S Fulton), with more frequent stops- in each historic town, and a few park&ride stops on major parkways between the towns, and at Northlake and Cumberland malls.

Then on the same tracks, GRTA would operate regional-range rail, that would skip most of the MARTA stops, except maybe a few key ones. Like the Cherokee line would only stop in Canton, Woodstock, Marietta, and Atlanta. Something like that.

I've been advocating the same for quite a while now. Even more so, GDOT also could use both agencies' facilities for inter-regional services.

I'm still a fan of this map:

[cqholt]

GRTA and SRTA are the same now.

The GRTA Board of Directors is comprised of 15 members from among the ranks of private and public sector leaders throughout metro Atlanta, all of whom are chosen by the Governor of Georgia.

A core function of the GRTA Board is to serve in an advisory capacity to the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), who is responsible for the management and operations of the Xpress Commuter Coach Service. In this role the GRTA Board receives and evaluates public comment related to Xpress as required by SRTA’s Title VI Program and as otherwise required by federal regulation, as well as to provide transit-related recommendations to SRTA at the request of the SRTA Board. Recommendations include proposed major service changes, proposed fare changes, or any other transit matter as requested by the SRTA Board.

Board of Directors – State Road and Tollway Authority
The difference between MARTA and SRTA/GRTA is the latter is appointed by the Governor, who is republican and has suburban/rural interest in mind. MARTA is appointed by leaders of it's sales tax jurisdictions, who are democrats and have urban/inner ring suburb interest in mind.