Why are Cobb/Gwinnett still averse to MARTA rail? (Sandy Springs: 2015, live in)

[ATLTJL]

speak for yourself. i and many others in north fulton want the marta rail line that we already pay for in sales tax... if you'd attended the 400 corridor meeting you'd see my opinion was the consensus among everyone there.

And that's a very good example why I would be much more comfortable with a system run, or at least contracted out and overseen, by Gwinnett county.

Why would I want to deal with an agency that won't listen to the people who fund it? Residents of North Fulton have a right to be pissed about not receiving a service that they pay for, and probably pay more for than most residents given all the retail up there.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by northwinds

Too funny.....I can almost hear the musical score from "Shaft" playing in the background.............but seriously, what do you think might be the cause of the folks in Cobb and Gwinnett traditionally not wanting Marta to expand into their areas?.......

Speaking personally, I don't want to see my money as a Cobb resident being spent on something I can't use.

Now, the once-proposed MARTA stub into Cumberland had promise as the base foundation for something more serious in Cobb in the future, and I was on the fence about that, but that project was dropped from TSPLOST for reasons I don't fully comprehend.

I'll probably vote for the TSPLOST just out of principle, but I honestly have no idea if my attitude is common in my area. It could be ... there are a LOT of new transplants in Cobb.

[toll_booth]

I agree that Gwinnett's resistance to MARTA has faded considerably in recent years. For one, the county is becoming a lot more diverse, and people of color tend to be more likely to support mass transit than whites do. (I hate to inject race into this, but facts are facts.) That being said, there are no doubt some whites in Gwinnett who would appreciate having an additional commuting option into town.

As for Cobb, much of its resistance, as is typically the case in situations such as these, is fear-based. You still have some people worried about "that undesirable element" that MARTA would allegedly bring. More so in recent times, however, is the resistance to anything with a government label on it.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

And that's a very good example why I would be much more comfortable with a system run, or at least contracted out and overseen, by Gwinnett county.

Why would I want to deal with an agency that won't listen to the people who fund it? Residents of North Fulton have a right to be pissed about not receiving a service that they pay for, and probably pay more for than most residents given all the retail up there.

we do have the bus service and they are planning to build a rail line to windward parkway.

[rabernet]

Originally Posted by northwinds

Yeah, I can see where you are going with this.......the majority white populations in Cobb and Gwinnett see a Marta system coming into their neighborhoods as nothing more than a ghetto train bring crime into their lives....that's the perception....and perception is reality. We are all grown up here....just say what you mean....... These two counties, which were bastions of white, conservative demographics ten years ago are changing rapidly....particularly with the influx of Hispanics, so this "perception" may change. Atlanta gets more white and the old white 'burbs' get more ethnic...stayed tuned.....we may even see a white mayor again in Atlanta and Marta trains running to the Marietta Square.....

Wow...just....wow. As a white woman living in Cobb county, and have been for the last 18 years (as half of an interracial couple as well), I don't see any of that. What a way to paint an entire county with such a broad stroke.

I would personally have no personal gain from a MARTA rail into Marietta. I don't work downtown, and I generally don't play downtown. I work in Alpharetta, and my friends are scattered from Woodstock to north of Gainesville.

I don't personally know anyone who has the perception that you say we have. What a way to stereotype.

[cqholt]

why isn't Marta in Alpharetta then? That's Fulton! B/c they don't want it

That's why North Fulton is calling for 2 seats on the MARTA board because they want the Red Line extended north. The Cobb County representatives removed the NW line from the list, most likely pressure from those who do not want a rail line in Cobb?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

So everyone, why isn't Marta in Alpharetta then? That's Fulton! B/c they don't want it, so quit calling out Cobb/Gwinnett when you can't get an existing line extended!!!!!!

Years ago I asked a MARTA representative why the North line hadn't been extended to Alpharetta yet - his response... "We don't see a need for rail service in that area".

Yes - really. And he didn't live in Alpharetta, by the way. I know people in that area who have been begging MARTA for an extension to their area for two decades provided it's planned and done right. There is not mass resistance to it.

And a reminder that while yes, race has always been the invisible elephant regarding MARTA expansion in decades past, let's NOT turn this into a race-based topic and argument, or it will be closed. We also need to stop generalizing and labeling whole swaths of people in the city or burbs regarding their attitudes towards it.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by rabernet

Wow...just....wow. As a white woman living in Cobb county, and have been for the last 18 years (as half of an interracial couple as well), I don't see any of that. What a way to paint an entire county with such a broad stroke.

I would personally have no personal gain from a MARTA rail into Marietta. I don't work downtown, and I generally don't play downtown. I work in Alpharetta, and my friends are scattered from Woodstock to north of Gainesville.

I don't personally know anyone who has the perception that you say we have. What a way to stereotype.

I don't have any benefits of my tax dollars going to welfare. I don't complain because I know someone else might need it. I never complained when the were doing construction on more roads. I don't drive.

For the record, I live, go to school, and work in Kennesaw. However, I have increasingly done more things in Marietta and Atlanta. There are more places I want to be in Marietta or Atlanta than in Kennesaw. One problem: Only two CCT routes go where I live. The rest go southbound. Why don't I live in Marietta? Well, it would take forever to get to my university from Marietta considering I don't have a car. In theory I could live in Marietta without a car. However, it isn't logistically sound. I should know because I have taken the CCT. It takes nearly an hour to get from KSU to Marietta. I want to see MARTA come into Cobb County because it would help for me to live my life. With the rail, I can get to places faster.

[10 feet tall]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

... and people of color tend to be more likely to support mass transit than whites do. (I hate to inject race into this, but facts are facts.)

Fact, eh? Please support this fact with some evidence. It seems a lot more like opinion or anecdote to me.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by 10 feet tall

Fact, eh? Please support this fact with some evidence. It seems a lot more like opinion or anecdote to me.

POC may be more likely to use it but that doesn't necessarily equate to voting to support it. They are two different things.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/trvpatns.pdf