Georgia senator: Atlanta suburbs need to get on board with mass transit (Marietta: homes, university)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I agree that the county would have to show some interest first and ask MARTA to present it to them.

But I also think if MARTA hopes to expand, it can't expect counties to vote in a tax without at least a pretty decent understanding of what exactly that tax is going to fund.

But maybe MARTA doesn't need to actually provide that information. I mean, with as many studies as have been conducted over the past decades, I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to obtain decent renderings of what the stations could look like and where the track could go.

That is a good point that MARTA can't expect counties to vote to initiate a tax to fund the agency without an understanding of exactly what that tax is going to fund.

But who says MARTA is hoping to expand into counties like Gwinnett and Cobb where the transit agency is clearly not wanted by those counties' governments at present?

MARTA very much looks to want to expand its Heavy Rail Transit service (by way of the existing MARTA Red Line) into North Fulton County where MARTA already provides some bus service.

But as many others and the agency itself has stated, MARTA is not looking to expand into areas where it is clearly not wanted... And Gwinnett and Cobb counties continue to be two areas where (even though a growing number of residents seem to be conducive to the idea of MARTA being expanded into those areas from Atlanta) the idea of MARTA expansion has not yet been accepted by their respective county governments.

As has been mentioned on these boards before, because of their large populations and their large Republican-dominated state legislative delegations, counties like Gwinnett and Cobb have so much pull in Georgia state politics that they could (along with Republican-dominated North Fulton County) easily push Georgia state government to either overhaul MARTA into a state-level regional agency dominated by suburban and exurban Republicans or create state-level sub-regional transit agencies for the I-75 Northwest and I-85 Northeast corridors.

When (and if) large and powerful suburban counties like Gwinnett and Cobb get ready to accept high-capacity transit into their respective jurisdictions, they'll use the tremendous political pull that they have to make it happen one way or another.

In the mean time, an agency like MARTA needs to continue to improve itself by maxing-out on creating new robust streams of revenue from sources like large-scale P3's (Public-Private Partnerships) and TODs (Transit-Oriented Development) along both rail and bus transit lines wherever such opportunities may appear and be feasible.

MARTA does not need to worry about trying to expand service into areas where it continues to not be wanted in counties like Gwinnett and Cobb and beyond.

MARTA needs to worry about improving, upgrading and expanding service in the areas where it is wanted and very much in demand in Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties.

Gwinnett and Cobb counties are 'big-boy counties' with a massive amount of pull over Georgia state politics and government and can very much take care of themselves when it comes to transportation wants and needs.

Gwinnett's and Cobb's (largely self-inflicted) transportation problems are not MARTA's problem.

If Gwinnett and Cobb continue to not want high-capacity transit within their respective jurisdictions because of the continued clinging of much of their electorates to a mid-20th Century mindset then that will be their loss in a 21st Century marketplace that demands easy and direct access to high-capacity transit.

Suburban areas without good access to robust high-capacity transit (like Gwinnett and Cobb) will fall behind and urban areas with good access to high-capacity transit service (like the City of Atlanta) will gain an advantage in an increasingly transit-oriented 21st Century marketplace.

The world changes. The post-World War II solely automobile-oriented society of the mid-late 20th Century wasn't going to last forever and if places like Gwinnett and Cobb continue to attempt to hold on to a world that no longer exists they will increasingly run the risk of being locked out of the prosperous economic gains that areas to good access to robust transit access seem slated to experience in an increasingly transit-oriented 21st Century marketplace.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

What, exactly, does that mean?

Can Cobb and Gwinnett say to MARTA, "we want to put it on the ballot, come show us what you've got," or will MARTA not provide anything until a tax has been approved? Because most people don't like to fund things until they have a pretty decent idea what they'd be getting.

Look at what Clayton County did. First they held a non-binding vote that should majority of voters passed the referendum. Next they held public meetings where MARTA presented potential high capacity projects and local bus routes, timelines, etc. Lastly, Clayton County held a binding, referendum on MARTA sales tax.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fieldm

Before I was a crusty broke high school student. She was the hot girl. I asked for her number but she thought she was too good for me. Now I got a great career, good credit, I look good and now that I'm hot she wants me to ask for her number but she still thinks she is too good for me. She would rather do it on her own but the region knows she would do better if she came to me. At this point her ass needs to court me. Bring me some sweet potato pie and wooo me. Fk it. Im doing good in my own. She needs me more than I need her. She needs to get her sh}t together because she has missed out on several good men and now she is about to miss out on the biggest prize in decades. If she thinks she can do it on her own then so be it

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Well, Buckhead, or whatever you want to call it. The northwestern most part of Atlanta. East of the river, west of Roswell Rd, down as far south as Peachtree Creek, and up to the city limits w/ Sandy Springs.

That entire area (a huge area) has zero train stations, and only one single bus route, the 12, which is slow and long and useless. I live maybe about a mile or so west of the city/river, but if I lived on the Atlanta side of city limits, inside the city proper- the transit situation would be just as dismal and useless.

And south of there you don't have any train stations either. Howell Mill doesn't have a station (ridiculous), Northside Dr doesn't, Collier doesn't. Underwood Hills, Bolton, Riverside, Whittier Mills, Berkely Park, Loring Heights... nothing. Besides a few bus routes.

Even if Cobb forever refused to have any transit, Vinings would still be well served if there was a station in Atlanta at Mt Paran or W Paces Ferry or down at Moore's Mill (as appeared in the original MARTA plans.)

Route 60, from Moores Mill to HE Holmes operates at 15m headways during peak hours. Part of the Feb. Fast Tracks Program, with Moores Mill eventually getting a transit center

[fourthwarden]

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====> TRANSIT FOR GWINNETT WEBSITE <====
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It's been five months since I first hinted at this campaign, but I'm glad I finally get to announce the launch of Transit 4 Gwinnett, a campaign built by a coalition of groups looking for improving the transit situation in Gwinnett County. This campaign is not related to any agency, nor governing body. This is purely an effort of the people, for the people.

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We invite you, the residents of metro Atlanta to come and see what the coalition has to say. Everyone is invited to sign up for email updates, and a petition is ready for Gwinnett residents to sign.

If you see anything factually incorrect in the website, or if there are any glaring technical issues, feel free to either PM me directly, or use the 'Contact Us' form on the site itself.

If you have any questions just about content on the site, please use the 'Contact Us' form on the site itself.

This site is a living one, and updates / changes will be made as the campaign evolves. Check in every now and then for events, news, new ways to help out, and updated content.

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We are currently looking for volunteers! If you would like to offer a bit of your time, we are looking to sign people up to hand out information flyers at bus-stops, attend events with a petition sheet, set up face-to-face meetings with your Gwinnett representatives, and attend County Commissioner meetings.

Please use the 'Contact Us' form on the site itself, and we'll get back to you with info as soon as possible. If you're not interested in the above, but feel you have other skills you would like to offer, still contact us! We'll do our best to let you help your county in the way you most can.

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It's time we start actually doing something to fix our abysmal transit situation, don't you think?

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[cqholt]

As always an excellent read from Maria Saporta

Here is the rub. It will take years, maybe even a decade or more, to build a rail transit line. To be prepared to meet this surge in demand, we should be well on our way in expanding our regional transit system to Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Douglas and Rockdale counties.
And we should have been building out all the missing links in North Fulton, South Fulton and DeKalb counties. Even in the City of Atlanta, which just approved a half-penny MARTA sales tax increase, there needs to be much more transit to create the kind of multimodal city we want to be.
We are so far behind, and we cannot keep spending years doing study after study. It’s time for the state to become a real financial partner of transit – much in the same way it has helped build roads and highways throughout the state.

https://saportareport.com/marta-jewe...ampaign=buffer

[ATLTJL]

She's right because it will soon be too late....if it isn't already.

[whodean]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Look at what Clayton County did. First they held a non-binding vote that should majority of voters passed the referendum. Next they held public meetings where MARTA presented potential high capacity projects and local bus routes, timelines, etc. Lastly, Clayton County held a binding, referendum on MARTA sales tax.

This may be the way to do it, but the people who vote in the non-binding in Cobb are less likely to be for MARTA.

This may be one of those things that just requires leadership from elected officials. People willing to stick their neck out for something they feel strongly will eventually be for the overall good.

[whodean]

Originally Posted by cqholt

As always an excellent read from Maria Saporta

https://saportareport.com/marta-jewe...ampaign=buffer

Exactly why, for Cobb, commuter rail along the CSX line is the way to go. Get it going much faster and cheaper.

Also, You can sell the more xenophobic portion of the electorate on a train that only goes IN in the morning. Then once you get this thing up and running if it is a success you can expand from there as needed.

[oldschoolChevy]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Well, Buckhead, or whatever you want to call it. The northwestern most part of Atlanta. East of the river, west of Roswell Rd, down as far south as Peachtree Creek, and up to the city limits w/ Sandy Springs.

That entire area (a huge area) has zero train stations, and only one single bus route, the 12, which is slow and long and useless. I live maybe about a mile or so west of the city/river, but if I lived on the Atlanta side of city limits, inside the city proper- the transit situation would be just as dismal and useless.

And south of there you don't have any train stations either. Howell Mill doesn't have a station (ridiculous), Northside Dr doesn't, Collier doesn't. Underwood Hills, Bolton, Riverside, Whittier Mills, Berkely Park, Loring Heights... nothing. Besides a few bus routes.

Even if Cobb forever refused to have any transit, Vinings would still be well served if there was a station in Atlanta at Mt Paran or W Paces Ferry or down at Moore's Mill (as appeared in the original MARTA plans.)

i live off Howell Mill on Defoors and I won't act like I can walk to a MARTA station, but there are still about 3 different bus routes that serve this area. 1,37, 12. And Midtown and Arts Center Station is only about 10 minutes max give or take with traffic. Lindbergh is further, but a quick short cut down Peachtree Battle and then thru Peachtree Hills makes that a quick ride too. Yeah we damn sure need more transit stations everywhere, but I'm not complaining over here in NW either. Bankhead Station is a short drive too, it's just a hassle to wait cuz those trains Proctor Creek trains don't come as fast.