Hopefully We Can Get MARTA Money Now! (Atlanta, Marietta: apartments, loft)

[KevK]

Hopefully with the new Obama administration, we can get some money to expand MARTA outward and get some funds for decent commuter rail service here. Obama, being from Chicago, is probably more pro public transit than the Republicans are. It is common for people in Chicago to use it.

We need to expand MARTA west to Fulton Ind/ Six Flags and south to Riverdale. We need commuter rail to Cobb, Gwinnett, Douglas and Rockdale. We are choking on traffic and it cannot happen fast enough!

[neil0311]

Maybe, depending on what form any "public works" stimulus takes. I would guess that bridges and other infrastructure repair will take priority over any kind of transit expansion, but who knows.

State and federal tax revenue will be strained as unemployment rises and corporate profits wane in the next year. Combine that with the TARP costs and the structural deficits we have, and throw in all the new spending discussed by Obama and the Democrat leadership in Congress, and we will need to get the spending and the deficit under control first. Raising taxes at any level in this type of economy will do nothing but shoot us in the economic foot.

[coolyfett]

Originally Posted by KevK

Hopefully with the new Obama administration, we can get some money to expand MARTA outward and get some funds for decent commuter rail service here. Obama, being from Chicago, is probably more pro public transit than the Republicans are. It is common for people in Chicago to use it.

We need to expand MARTA west to Fulton Ind/ Six Flags and south to Riverdale. We need commuter rail to Cobb, Gwinnett, Douglas and Rockdale. We are choking on traffic and it cannot happen fast enough!

Kevin Ill co-sign you. You made a great point about the prez being from Chicago, cause if he was from Nebraska or Idaho transit supporters would have no case.

I also want to add I think the Marta east line should be extended to Stone Mountain Park.

[wxjay]

Um, don't we currently have federal money for a commuter rail? That's not the obstacle - it's the General Assembly and the county governments/citizens that are resistent to it. And last time I checked, Congress passes legislation and Congress dictates where money goes. The President doesn't make unilateral decisions.

[netdragon]

Kevk, I wouldn't call it "expanding MARTA", since it turns people off to commuter rail. Commuter rail isn't expanding MARTA rail. Commuter rail in Cobb County, for instance, would most likely be under control of CCT.

Originally Posted by wxjay

Um, don't we currently have federal money for a commuter rail?

Sort of. We have one line (the Lovejoy line) about 40% financed by the government for initial build. It's mostly a disagreement about where the rest of the funding and for ongoing operations would come from that held it up. I don't think some people think about how it will centralize development and save some road dollars in the future.

Originally Posted by KevK

We need to expand MARTA west to Fulton Ind/ Six Flags and south to Riverdale. We need commuter rail to Cobb, Gwinnett, Douglas and Rockdale. We are choking on traffic and it cannot happen fast enough!

I disagree here. Although it would be nice and forward-thinking, it's one of the places we least need rail expanded. The population density is pretty low there and improving the I-20/I-285 interchange could do a lot to improve congestion there. Furthermore, there is already a commuter rail lined planned from Vinings to Austell, which can handle people from Douglasville. It's an emergency to expand rail up Marietta Blvd, which is being filled in by loft and mixed-use developments. When we have the next boom, that area will become overly congested.

[DeaconJ]

We have the equivalent of pennies when it comes to federal funding of transit programs. Maybe sometime very soon a few billion can be diverted from Iraq to public transit.

Um, no...the population density is not low in Riverdale/Clayton County or on the west side/Douglas County. Those are areas where rail tranist is most definitely needed. I very much agree that calling anything a "MARTA expansion" will kill that project very quickly. Call it the Beltline - or better yet call it widening the highway.

Didn't the change to the GA Constitution pass that allows TAD spending of school system funds for area improvements? i.e. The Beltline? I think it did...so that transit project can get back on track hopefully.

[coolyfett]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Kevk, I wouldn't call it "expanding MARTA", since it turns people off to commuter rail. Commuter rail isn't expanding MARTA rail. Commuter rail in Cobb County, for instance, would most likely be under control of CCT.

Sort of. We have one line (the Lovejoy line) about 40% financed by the government for initial build. It's mostly a disagreement about where the rest of the funding and for ongoing operations would come from that held it up. I don't think some people think about how it will centralize development and save some road dollars in the future.

I disagree here. Although it would be nice and forward-thinking, it's one of the places we least need rail expanded. The population density is pretty low there and improving the I-20/I-285 interchange could do a lot to improve congestion there. Furthermore, there is already a commuter rail lined planned from Vinings to Austell, which can handle people from Douglasville. It's an emergency to expand rail up Marietta Blvd, which is being filled in by loft and mixed-use developments. When we have the next boom, that area will become overly congested.

You mean extending to the North right? Why does Marta expansion turn people off here?

[netdragon]

I was specifically talking about Douglas County. Compared to Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett County, population density in Douglas County is pretty low. If you looked at my response, I talked about I-20/I-285, so obviously I wasn't talking about Clayton County :-)

Anyway, Douglasville is already on the comprehensive commuter rail plan, on the line that goes through Mableton and Austell and terminates in Vinings or Bolton. Since Southwest

Originally Posted by coolyfett

You mean extending to the North right? Why does Marta expansion turn people off here?

Because CCT (Cobb County Transit) has been much better managed than MARTA For a very long time. With funding, CCT can build its own rail. CCT could even use matching train stock if it wanted to. Giving MARTA control over transit spending in Cobb County makes no sense when CCT can just cooperate with MARTA, giving local control over our tax dollars.

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Um, no...the population density is not low in Riverdale/Clayton County or on the west side/Douglas County.

I wasn't clear that I was talking about Douglas County, not Clayton County. Southwest Cobb is more densely populated than the OTP Cascade area of Fulton County (Fulton Industrial, Camp Creek Parkway), it makes sense to use the main rail line through Austell and Mableton and Riverview Rd passing through the edge of Vinings near Atlanta Rd, then crossing the Chattahoochee river to Bolton and connecting to a MARTA extension on Marietta Blvd, killing two birds with one stone since both Douglas County and Southwest Cobb would get commuter rail and Marietta Blvd would get MARTA to prepare for its impending dense loft apartments growth (and to help encourage it)

In fact, commuter rail through Southwest Cobb to Douglasville is part of the comprehensive plan: http://wwwb.dot.state.ga.us/dot/plan...uterrail.shtml

From Wikipedia:
Douglas County - 462/sq mile (Douglasville has 938.5/sq mile)
Cobb County - 1,952/sq mile
Fulton County - 1,544/sq mile
Dekalb County - 2,844/sq mile
Gwinett County - 1,360/sq mile
Clayton County - 1,658/sq mile

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by netdragon

I was specifically talking about Douglas County. Compared to Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett County, population density in Douglas County is pretty low. If you looked at my response, I talked about I-20/I-285, so obviously I wasn't talking about Clayton County :-)

Anyway, Douglasville is already on the comprehensive commuter rail plan, on the line that goes through Mableton and Austell and terminates in Vinings or Bolton. Since Southwest


Because CCT (Cobb County Transit) has been much better managed than MARTA For a very long time. With funding, CCT can build its own rail. CCT could even use matching train stock if it wanted to. Giving MARTA control over transit spending in Cobb County makes no sense.



I wasn't clear that I was talking about Douglas County, not Clayton County. Southwest Cobb is more densely populated than the OTP Cascade area of Fulton County (Fulton Industrial, Camp Creek Parkway), it makes sense to use the main rail line across Thornton Rd, along Veteran's Memorial through Austell and Mableton and Riverview Rd passing through the edge of Vinings to Atlanta Rd, then crossing the Chattahoochee river to Bolton and connecting to a MARTA extension on Marietta Blvd, killing two birds with one stone since both Douglas County and Southwest Cobb would get commuter rail and Marietta Blvd would get MARTA to prepare for its impending dense loft apartments growth (and to help encourage it)

In fact, commuter rail through Southwest Cobb to Douglasville is part of the comprehensive plan: GDOT- Commuter Rail

From Wikipedia:
Douglas County - 462/sq mile (Douglasville has 938.5/sq mile)
Cobb County - 1,952/sq mile
Fulton County - 1,544/sq mile
Dekalb County - 2,844/sq mile
Gwinett County - 1,360/sq mile
Clayton County - 1,658/sq mile

When MARTA considers an expansion I know that population density is a big factor...but I don't think that the density of an entire county is important. If a new station was considered for the west side, wouldn't the density within a certain radius of the new station be the important statistic? (not the entire county - that seems like trivial information).

If CCT has been better managed than MARTA, the reason just may be that CCT is only buses...and CCT is much smaller in budget, size and ridership...and CCT is a much newer entity. Those factors make it easier to manage all the way around. Also - how is CCT funded? As we all know, MARTA is privately funded, which may be one big reason it is always strapped for money...but most transit systems are always strapped for money.

Wouldn't it be a better idea if more people could view Metro Atlanta as a unit - especially for transit? That way it would be governed as one system rather than 12 systems trying to interconnect. As long as people continue to think that it is "Cobb County's Transit" or "Gwinnett County's Transit" rather than "Metro Atlanta's Transit" the situation won't significantly improve and we will continue to have small, fragmented public transit systems. A comprehensive system is really the way to go - at least for the main core of Metro Atlanta.

[coolyfett]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

I very much agree that calling anything a "MARTA expansion" will kill that project very quickly. Call it the Beltline - or better yet call it widening the highway.

You know, I was just reading an article in the AJC about how sprawl is dying. Urban walkable neighborhoods are the future of any major metropolitan area. The article also mentioned that homes closer to the urban core are selling better & for more $$$ then the homes in the out skirts. Which makes sense. Communities will start to centralize around transit locations, using rail as the main vein. Deacon if what you say is true, I totally understand why Georgia is RED state. Some people just don't get it, nor do they see what is happening around them. Ive only been here 7 month and I wonder, how can people be so blind? The Marta was a major part of the reason I relocated here. And boy do I use it. I used to change my oil every 3-4 months. I changed it in Feb 2008 prior to moving and it hasn't been 3000 miles yet, matter fact it just got to the 2000 miles mark. I barely drive, nor do I want to. Gas is down right now, my tank is full, but I drive like gas cost 6$ a gallon. I refuse to change my driving habits, because the signs are there. If you are car driver that is fine by me personal, but what gets me is the drivers that feel if you don't own a car then you shouldn't be able to get around. Its like drivers want everyone else to be drivers. The less vehicles on the streets the more room the pro driving rail haters have on the road. Why can't they understand that? 38 stations is a lot for me. I'm not coming from New York or Washington DC, so expanding the system is ok news, but go against the growth of a rail line is just plain dumb.