Who thinks the MARTA should be expanded to include Cobb,Gwinnett, and the other metro Atlanta counties? (Columbus: homes, bankrupt)

[irvm]

Originally Posted by JPD

Greg's right. Unfortunately, we are part of a very selfish society. Everyone wants to talk about how America is the greatest country in the history of the universe, but when it comes to paying taxes (i.e. the DUES that are NECSESSARY to keep it as good as everyone says it is), people become loathesome stingy whiners.

Selfish is the problem. Look in the cars all sitting still on the freeway around you every am or pm. How many have more than 1 person in them?

I thought so.

People are SO afraid they might be inconvenienced by having to actually leave on time or wait a few seconds to pick up a co-worker that sharing a ride is just out of the question. Might inconvenience them in some small way, and that's not acceptable.

Two people in a car would cut congestion IN HALF instantly, at NO cost to the taxpayer. It would even make commuting safer, and cut the gas bill by about 50%. But no, people are too selfish to ever do anything like that.

So how could you even think of asking them to ride with (shudder) STRANGERS?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Cobb barely passed the last SPLOST which was to improve roads, courthouse, etc. They're not going to pass one for RAIL.

But Cobb (and I know 'cause I live in Cobb) has a much larger number of middle-class and upper-middle-class, white, Republican, Conservative, voters, too. Many are multi-generational Cobb/Southern residents, too. Places like Gwinnett however, may very well vote it in, because many transplants to the area from other areas of the country with better transit systems are moving into the Gwinnett area. They will have more progressive, liberal thinker types and it's a completely different county now than it was the last time they voted on it many years ago.

For the record though, Cobb leaders are toying with the idea of a light rail type system that would service the Cumberland Mall business area. It would eventually broaden to the Marietta area, and connect to MARTA rail down the line. Stuff like that either actually moves forward or just stalls and dies, but it has been talked about.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

But Cobb (and I know 'cause I live in Cobb) has a much larger number of middle-class and upper-middle-class, white, Republican, Conservative, voters, too. Many are multi-generational Cobb/Southern residents, too. Places like Gwinnett however, may very well vote it in, because many transplants to the area from other areas of the country with better transit systems are moving into the Gwinnett area. They will have more progressive, liberal thinker types and it's a completely different county now than it was the last time they voted on it many years ago.

For the record though, Cobb leaders are toying with the idea of a light rail type system that would service the Cumberland Mall business area. It would eventually broaden to the Marietta area, and connect to MARTA rail down the line. Stuff like that either actually moves forward or just stalls and dies, but it has been talked about.

I concur that Cobb voters (I live there) would approve BRT or light rail transportation. I don't see heavy rail i.e., subways being a big hit with voters. Ideally, a commuter rail would also be great, but we'll take baby steps first.

Of course, all of this could be avoided substantially if there was a mere penny tax statewide given to MARTA and other regional transportation networks, like they do in other major metropolitan centers. But no, we won't do that unless it means widening GA 400 to 20 lanes...

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Prichard

Why would I vote to bus people in from depressed areas just so they can try to find jobs where I live? Or, why should I be required to suffer to support a poorer community that cannot sustain itself? I don't want that. If I did, I'd move to the depressed areas and open a business there to provide jobs for people. I admit, I am not that kind-hearted.

The reason that people continue to move out to the outskirts of Atlanta is to get away from bussing programs, such as MARTA, which want to import cheap labor for industrial areas. Why would I want to grow bigger industrial areas in my nice rural-suburban community? If MARTA doesn't benefit the residents of a community, and those residents don't want MARTA in their town, why are a bunch of poor, unemployed people from a city 30 miles away cramming this down on an outlying community? Sounds quite draconian to me.

How would you suffer if the people are there to work and then they go back home? I know many of the outer lying areas do have jobs that you can't find inside certain parts of Atlanta. There are factories on the outskirts of Atlanta. The thing is with the addition of subdivisions, most residents almost never see them.

What would YOU do if you were poor and didn't have a job or car and the jobs were far away?

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by 'thaDOME'

I agree. I'm from NY and were called 'Rude', but people from Georgia are 'Closed Minded' and don't believe in change. Gas can go up to $6.00 a gallon and people will still buy the "Trucks". The only thing georgians seem to want is for Property Values to Rise and Property Taxed to get Lowered.

By no way am I mocking anybody, just sharing my views. Can't be considered a Major City without Major public Transportation.

I couldn't agree with you more. Closed minds do seem to bring a problem. I was talking to a woman living in Powder Springs and she said she said MARTA wasn't wanted in her town because she feels the crime rate would go up. What a farce. You have crime in Powder Springs already without any sort of public transit going down there.
I know people who would soon pay $6 a gallon for gas in a big vehicle(and move far away) than have MARTA.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Prichard

I know of no one in Atlanta that likes the traffic. However I know of many people who hate MARTA - hate it so much that they would move away from it. MARTA has done nothing to eliminate traffic. There is no question that lower income people rely on MARTA. Why would someone who spent $800,000 on a house in an area that doesn't have MARTA want a MARTA station to move in, opening the path for cheap condos, cheap appartments, more burger and frenchfry eateries, and cheap housing all around the new MARTA stop? That's exactly what MARTA brings to an area - crap!

Crap comes into an area no matter what. Real criminals can steal cars(and often do.). Some legitimately own cars. I don't see the poor as "crap". The "crap" are the criminals who steal and kill. That can get anywhere.

[JPD]

Prichard still hasn't named a specific example of crap opening near "new marta stops". I'm waiting.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by JPD

Prichard still hasn't named a specific example of crap opening near "new marta stops". I'm waiting.

He can't.
MARTA specifically built stations (and lines) in run-down areas, partly in the interests of 'urban development', but mostly because it's cheaper to buy and tear down dilapidated old warehouses than new multi-story condos to make room for a station. In almost every instance, the station brought new development and investment to the area. Naturally, very little of this development is plantation-style mansions on 20 acres of lawn, which seems to be the only thing he would consider 'progress'.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I couldn't agree with you more. Closed minds do seem to bring a problem. I was talking to a woman living in Powder Springs and she said she said MARTA wasn't wanted in her town because she feels the crime rate would go up. What a farce. You have crime in Powder Springs already without any sort of public transit going down there.

I live in Powder Springs. Another thing they do here is to deny building licenses to builders who want to build apartment complexes. There are literally NO apartment complexes in the city limits of Powder Springs, except for one very small old one from the 60s that was grandfathered in long ago, and it's tucked out of the way next to a cemetery. They feel that apartments also bring crime (and congestion - I do agree with the congestion part, though).

Now they did approve an Express bus service route in Powder Springs, mainly because it is not a regular "curb-to-curb" bus route. It's just an express route with only something like 3-4 stops total before it is already in downtown Atlanta. It actually starts in Hiram, and has a park and ride stop/lot on Florence Road in Powder Springs. From there I think it just goes nonstop down Thornton Road to I-20 and into Atlanta. They just had to build a new, much larger parking lot to handle all the commuters who park there to ride it, too - it's PACKED which does show a need for something. I can pretty much guarantee though, that the city leaders will never allow regular CCT bus service into the city limits.

In areas like Powder Springs, I have no problem with substituting curb-to-curb bus service with express routes. Everyone who lives out here already has cars. The reason is to get cars off the road, so Park and Ride lots and Express buses work fine, but, they don't have enough of them. They only run 4-6 times in the early AM, then 4-6 times in the late afternoon and that's it. There is no mid-day service at all. I'd park my car on the weekend and ride the bus into Atlanta if there were a few runs in the middle of the day I could take back home. But it doesn't run on weekends AT ALL, and again, there is no mid-day service on weekdays. DUH.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by wxjay

Of course, all of this could be avoided substantially if there was a mere penny tax statewide given to MARTA and other regional transportation networks, like they do in other major metropolitan centers.

I'm afraid that would NEVER fly in Georgia.

Atlanta is already considered the "evil child" by most of the rest of Georgia. Technically they need Atlanta for the state's overall economic prosperity, but they hate it at the same time. There are constant complaints that Atlanta gets all the money while the rest of the state is ignored (which of course isn't true).

While places like Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, and perhaps Macon would benefit from such a tax for their public transit systems, all of the little "Cooterville" type towns throughout the state would rant and rage about how they're paying a tax for something (transit) that will never exist in their communities.

So it's going to depend on getting more Federal money (which will never happen under the current administration), or block grant type funds from the state (which again, won't happen with this governor), or raising fares and getting more money from the cities themselves (hard to do for cash-strapped cities). Not a rosey picture.