Anyone plan on using Ga 400 once it is free? (Atlanta: salaries, shop)

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by mdiggs1

Northerners can move anywhere they please in the United States of America; its their privilege.

I dont have a problem with taxes, but with overtaxation. That is why people are moving out of the Northeast. Who in the world can afford to buy a home and raise a middle class family in New York. If it wasnt for poor immigrants, New York would not run, cause no Americans are moving there, unless they trying to get into entertainment, or their hipsters/yuppies.

it's not just taxes— the cost of living in general is much higher. but even as a solid democrat i will agree that taxes on things like cigarettes are simply psychotic.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I look forward to the day when there is a direct line from Five Points to downtown Cumming.

that will only happen if it's commuter rail, with stops at cumming, dawsonville, dahlonega, cleveland and helen, for example. they won't go for MARTA, plus it's simply too far.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by magnetar

I suppose we can only hope then that those people will move back home.

I don't get this line of reasoning. I bet the people who don't want to pay tolls are the same ones who don't like taxes. I guess they think someone should be donating the highways for free.

I have never met anyone who actually liked paying taxes.

Sometimes, it comes down to what you're used to. In the south, the only time I have run across toll roads are on GA400 and in New Orleans going to the West Bank after crossing the Mississippi River Bridge. So, since toll booths are not that common down south, it can make one wonder what the hell is wrong with the state's DOT. What exactly is going on that you cannot pay for with fuel taxes and the federal highway taxes & fees like a normal state?

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

So, since toll booths are not that common down south, it can make one wonder what the hell is wrong with the state's DOT. What exactly is going on that you cannot pay for with fuel taxes and the federal highway taxes & fees like a normal state?

Nothing, because GDOT doesn't operate the state's toll roads (that's SRTA).

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Stolen from AshleyPark



Headline from today's AJC... Apparently, GA400 tolls were used for purposes that had nothing to do with GA 400 building, maintenance and operating costs, including the purchase of land at Atlantic Station. Even used for funding development of transportation plans in Savannah. Even funded an "educational" trip to Barcelona and Madrid.

All of those things are potentially very profitable things for the Atlanta metrp. Guess it just depends on how much you trust the spenders.

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Georgia 400 is a state-maintained highway, which means that the revenues from the Georgia 400 tolls were the State of Georgia's to misuse and misallocate, not Fulton County's.



With the state's habit of misallocating fees and funds from important revenue sources, the news that GA 400 toll revenues were used for purposes that had nothing to do with operating and maintaining the road is not at all in the least bit surprising.

Oh if that's the case then good riddance. The State would very likely spend the money on things outside the Metro area that have no positive impact here.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Nothing, because GDOT doesn't operate the state's toll roads (that's SRTA).

OK, well maybe SRTA shouldn't be running it.

[residinghere2007]

I might use it at times. I tend to stay away from 400 due to the horrible backups on that road. So if I am going to Lenox Mall maybe (if I don't feel like taking the train there but I haven't been to Lenox or any other area up there in years due to horrible traffic) but I highly doubt it.

The backups will be worse now that us cheapskates don't have to pay 50 cents. The only time I drive up 400 is to go up to US19 and the N. Georgia Outlets and I've only been there twice.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by arjay57
I look forward to the day when there is a direct line from Five Points to downtown Cumming.

Originally Posted by bryantm3

that will only happen if it's commuter rail, with stops at cumming, dawsonville, dahlonega, cleveland and helen, for example. they won't go for MARTA, plus it's simply too far.

At about just under 50 miles from the Atlanta Airport, it may appear at first glance that Cumming is too away from the city to receive heavy rail transit service.

But Northern California's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit...of which Atlanta's MARTA is supposed to be modeled after at least partially) has a heavy rail line (the BART Yellow Line) that is just under 50 miles or so in length between the Millbrae BART Station on the west side of the San Francisco Bay on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station on the east side of the San Francisco Bay in the Sacramento River Valley Delta area.

If heavy rail service were ever to be extended north to Cumming, Cumming would most likely (but not absolutely) be the farthest north that heavy rail or any type of passenger rail service would or could ever be extended because unlike in the I-75/I-575 North and I-85/I-985/GA 316 North corridors, no pre-existing parallel freight rail right-of-way exists in which to operate regional commuter rail trains in the GA 400 North corridor.

Although, I guess that one could argue that would not necessarily be completely out of the realm of possibility to extend some type of express or commuter rail-type of regional train service up through the median of GA 400 to the Dawsonville area and maybe even beyond to the Dahlonega area where GA 400 ends about 6 miles south of the city of Dahlonega.

Though, overall, because there is no pre-existing freight rail ROW in the GA 400 North corridor, the most likely possibility would be that regional heavy rail service would be extended to as far north as Cumming where regional express commuter bus service would continue on up the GA 400 North corridor to Dawsonville and Dahlonega.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

At about just under 50 miles from the Atlanta Airport, it may appear at first glance that Cumming is too away from the city to receive heavy rail transit service.

But Northern California's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit...of which Atlanta's MARTA is supposed to be modeled after at least partially) has a heavy rail line (the BART Yellow Line) that is just under 50 miles or so in length between the Millbrae BART Station on the west side of the San Francisco Bay on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station on the east side of the San Francisco Bay in the Sacramento River Valley Delta area.

If heavy rail service were ever to be extended north to Cumming, Cumming would most likely (but not absolutely) be the farthest north that heavy rail or any type of passenger rail service would or could ever be extended because unlike in the I-75/I-575 North and I-85/I-985/GA 316 North corridors, no pre-existing parallel freight rail right-of-way exists in which to operate regional commuter rail trains in the GA 400 North corridor.

Although, I guess that one could argue that would not necessarily be completely out of the realm of possibility to extend some type of express or commuter rail-type of regional train service up through the median of GA 400 to the Dawsonville area and maybe even beyond to the Dahlonega area where GA 400 ends about 6 miles south of the city of Dahlonega.

Though, overall, because there is no pre-existing freight rail ROW in the GA 400 North corridor, the most likely possibility would be that regional heavy rail service would be extended to as far north as Cumming where regional express commuter bus service would continue on up the GA 400 North corridor to Dawsonville and Dahlonega.

Forsyth County will never allow MARTA! Also, its not dense enough for HRT. North Fulton is the farthest is needs to go.