2012 Atlanta Region Transportation Referendum (Alpharetta, Acworth: live in, bus, train)

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Plus it was between North Springs and Buckhead. It gets more packed between Arts Center and Five Points.

Ok but Arts Center to Five Points is already in the downtown core. We were talking about "commuting", aka from outside of downtown to downtown.

If the entire point you're trying to make is that a suburban rail system will be viable for Atlanta, then you're not doing much to prove your point by admitting that the trains are nearly 3/4 empty from the suburbs until the downtown part of the line. I'm telling you that they are, that ridership is probably down from the time I lived there.

And here's the link about MARTA's ridership being 225'300 per weekday, which is about not even half of what you said it was.

List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's #8 in the country, and that ridership is actually not all different from what is was when I was living in the area. In 2006 it was 231'000. Now it's 225'300, which is DOWN from then.

So when I was using the system it actually had higher ridership than it does now. You would have done better to not point out how "outdated" my view on the subject was, it would have served your position better, seeing that ridership then was higher than it is now.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by RC1981

So when I was using the system it actually had higher ridership than it does now. You would have done better to not point out how "outdated" my view on the subject was, it would have served your position better, seeing that ridership then was higher than it is now.

Part of that number could be the result of unemplyment. If less people are working, less people are commuting.

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by JPD

Part of that number could be the result of unemplyment. If less people are working, less people are commuting.

So then how does that prove that MARTA is used by 500'000 people a day lol and that an extension into Cobb County that the voters there have repeatedly struck down be a viable solution to the city's traffic problem?

[JPD]

Originally Posted by RC1981

So then how does that prove that MARTA is used by 500'000 people a day lol and that an extension into Cobb County that the voters there have repeatedly struck down be a viable solution to the city's traffic problem?

I never made either of those claims.

If people insist on driving, even when given the option to take transit, I really couldn't care less if they are miseralbly wasting their life sitting in traffic.

[cqholt]

So then how does that prove that MARTA is used by 500'000 people a day lol and that an extension into Cobb County that the voters there have repeatedly struck down be a viable solution to the city's traffic problem?

It provides an alternate commute to those that want to use it to commute from Cobb to Atlanta. Eventually a line will be built from Cumberland to Doraville. MARTA is used by a little less than 500,000 commuters.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by cqholt

And tired of hearing y'all ***** every morning about traffic and gas prices.

Who's complaining? More sweeping generalizations...

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It provides an alternate commute to those that want to use it to commute from Cobb to Atlanta. Eventually a line will be built from Cumberland to Doraville. MARTA is used by a little less than 500,000 commuters.

MARTA on the whole is, but the claim that was made was that the TRAINS are used by 500'000 people, and we have PROVEN that to be false.

Somebody also told me that my views on the subject were outdated because I have not been on the train since 2004. We have proven that to be wrong as well, since ridership now is actually DOWN from then.

And just look at how the traffic on GA400 is right next to North Springs station. People sit there for 20 minutes staring at it and STILL won't get on and would rather sit in the traffic. That pretty much proves beyond all doubt that an extension of MARTA like the one proposed in the referendum, is useless and would be a waste of money. Atlanta is just not a public transportation oriented city. Period.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by RC1981

But, haven't people Cobb struck down the MARTA extension idea like 20 times already? The people there obviously don't want it, keep voting against it, and don't want to pay for it. If this were to be implemented you'd have the same problems with traffic, they'd just be centered around the train station on a 2 lane county road as opposed to be an 8 lane interstate.

Why do people keep on repeating this crap?

Cobb residents haven't had a single vote on it yet.

Some representatives of Cobb have apparently had a lot to say, but we've had no formal referendum and no vote at all.

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Why do people keep on repeating this crap?

Cobb residents haven't had a single vote on it yet.

Some representatives of Cobb have apparently had a lot to say, but we've had no formal referendum and no vote at all.

In 1968 and 1971 Cobb voters twice struck down a measure to extend MARTA service in to Cobb County.

[ATLTJL]

And just look at how the traffic on GA400 is right next to North Springs station. People sit there for 20 minutes staring at it and STILL won't get on and would rather sit in the traffic. That pretty much proves beyond all doubt that an extension of MARTA like the one proposed in the referendum, is useless and would be a waste of money. Atlanta is just not a public transportation oriented city. Period.

I disagree.

I think what you are seeing is people who drove down from Alpharetta and places like that. Once you already have the inertia of being in your car and on the highway, it doesn't seem to make much sense to get off the road and transfer to mass transit for the second leg of your trip. Long run it may save time, but it just feels like it would take longer and be too much of a hassle. If these people had a MARTA station they could drive to in a few minutes without getting into bumper to bumper traffic on the way, I think they would be more inclined to use it.

Or it could be that they are going places that MARTA does not go. Or their offices are a mile or two away from the closest MARTA station.

Also, remember that MARTA is not something that is an "impulse buy." Most people aren't going to be in the mindset of driving to work, and then just all of a sudden decide that they are going to get off the highway and take MARTA instead. Most of them probably don't even have Breeze cards or understand how they work. If you made the train more convenient, I bet you would see ridership go up.