AJC Atlanta Forward: Making the case for regionalism (Carrollton, Dallas: neighborhoods, luxury)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

And? Why shouldn't metro Atlanta have some efficiency and actually having things like public transportation run the way it should, instead of this feudalistic mentality?

MARTA does a good job serving it's counties. MAX cannot compare to the speed and capacity of MARTA, also MAX has been cutting it's bus service to cover the rail funding which puts lower income residents at a disadvantage. MAX has 52 miles of rail, while MARTA has 48 not a huge difference. CCT and GCT have horrible coverage because they are funded and ran by counties that do not make transit a priority.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by cqholt

MARTA does a good job serving it's counties. MAX cannot compare to the speed and capacity of MARTA, also MAX has been cutting it's bus service to cover the rail funding which puts lower income residents at a disadvantage. MAX has 52 miles of rail, while MARTA has 48 not a huge difference. CCT and GCT have horrible coverage because they are funded and ran by counties that do not make transit a priority.

MARTA rail does good for its Fulton and DeKalb. The problem is that Cobb and Gwinnett have basically treated MARTA rail like the plague. MARTA got started earlier than the MAX did. However, the MAX was able to get more done in 30 years than MARTA has in 45 years. It was originally planned for the western terminus of MARTA rail to be in Marietta.

My point is that there seems to be less in-fighting over transit in the Portland area than in the Atlanta area.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I agree that it is very important for local governments to come together and agree on solutions to regional challenges.

But it is also even more very important (critically important) for state government to take the lead to partner with those local governments in finding, funding, designing, implementing and operating those solutions.

Because these challenges affect multiple counties throughout the region, the extremely active participation of state government is critically important to finding solutions to these challenges that affect a very large (and critically important) portion of the state.

We have already seen what happens when it if left up to individual counties to come together to find solutions to regional problems.

Individual counties will very rarely come together to find solutions to regional problems....Instead, individual counties will often act in their own interests (often at the expense of other regional counties and even cities within their own counties) and often refuse to work with other counties and city government, often viewing other cities and counties as intense competitors to be one-upped instead of as partners to cooperate with in finding solutions to critical problems.

Local governments should be much more cooperative with each other, especially when it comes to finding solutions to critical regional problems....But it is state government's job to govern the state....It is ultimately state government's job to make sure that those problems confronting 60% or more of the state's population get adequately addressed.

Metro Atlanta's problems are the State of Georgia's problems.

It's difficult for metro Atlanta's problems not to be the State of Georgia's problems when the Atlanta metropolitan area includes 29 counties and the Atlanta metropolitan region includes 39 counties and the Atlanta metro area makes up about roughly 65% of Georgia's economy.

One thing that makes Georgia different is that 65% stat along with having over half the state's population. In most states, you don't have one metro area so dominant-and the rest of the state so dependent on that economy being healthy.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Which is why I purposely excluded Cobb and Gwinnett counties. Let the politically and culturally similar counties come together.

Cobb and Gwinnett can link up with which ever county(s) is characteristically similar to them.

No need to waste further energy and time dealing with obstinate governments with a major case of "seige mentality".

Yes, its best for others to work without obstinate Atlanta.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by JMatl

In all honesty, I blame the State more than any other entity for this balkanization.

Our State government is an absolute embarrassment in SO many ways at this point in time, and is basically dysfunctional.

If it wasn't for the howling coming from the business community, NOTHING would get done.

No, we've had corrupt, self-interested local governments. Do we really need to list all the criminals in Atlanta, Fulton County, DeKalb County, Clayton County and Gwinnet County governments? Probably been some in Cobb as well. Do you really need to be reminded of the embarrassing failures in APS, DCSS and Clayton County schools?

The state should have shown more leadership to bring them together, but its been driven by local failures.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

MARTA rail does good for its Fulton and DeKalb. The problem is that Cobb and Gwinnett have basically treated MARTA rail like the plague. MARTA got started earlier than the MAX did. However, the MAX was able to get more done in 30 years than MARTA has in 45 years. It was originally planned for the western terminus of MARTA rail to be in Marietta.

My point is that there seems to be less in-fighting over transit in the Portland area than in the Atlanta area.

Portland has a very strong regional planning agency that set an urban growth boundary, something that will never happen in Georgia. Also, Oregon is very liberal compared to GA.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

I haven't gotten grey hair yet. However, I've found myself losing my temper and saying things like "I hate this place" several times when I was in my early 20s. If you remember any posts I made back in the mid-late 2000s, some of them were tinged with some anger. Nowadays, I feel like complaining won't get me the results I look for.

In my opinion, many of the moderates seem too content to change certain things. If not content, at the least, fearful of challenging things. It's a matter of pleasing whomever one can please.

I've often wondered why and how Georgia can work the way it does. North Fulton and South Fulton feud. Other counties feud with Fulton and DeKalb. Clayton County lost its accreditation some time ago. Metro Atlanta is huge and dynamic. At the same time, it feels held together with shoestring. It does not work efficiently. No cohesiveness. No cohesiveness in the state either. When Perdue ran the state, I felt like there was an anti-Atlanta bias going on. Ironic considering Atlanta is the CAPITAL of Georgia and that is where the governor lives while in office.

Interstate 20 is full of potholes from Douglas County into western Fulton County. I have to wonder why that is. Last time I checked, this isn't Michigan where it snows all year. Last I checked, there was hardly any snow this year. Why the potholes?


I'm undecided on whether or not I will attend a baseball game at the future Suntrust Park, where the Braves will soon play. I find it quite strange that Cobb County will lay off so many teachers, but there is no problem in funding a new stadium will will cost billions. The same county that refused MARTA rail(not the same as MARTA bus) several times.

Anti-city attitudes are hardly confined to Georgia. Its pretty common for there to be a rural/urban divide in states. Lowndes County is a lot different than Fulton.

Rural counties don't need government to do quite as much. And don't have the resources and wealth of the cities. And frankly, I've never heard a city beg and complain so much as Atlanta. Atlanta really triggers a lot of resentment from the poorer rural counties. Now as someone mentioned, an awful lot that in other states could be decided locally has to be decided in the state legislature (annexation is a prime example). So you've got representatives in Lowndes County deciding a lot of Atlanta area issues. That's not good.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Portland has a very strong regional planning agency that set an urban growth boundary, something that will never happen in Georgia. Also, Oregon is very liberal compared to GA.

But Dallas which has strong, large suburbs, a history of urban/suburban fights, and is one of the most conservative big cities in the country has cooperated very well on transportation. The state hasn't lead there.

We need better local leaders here. We've got, in all counties, a lot of parochial leaders. Many only interested in lining their own pockets.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

It was originally planned for the western terminus of MARTA rail to be in Marietta.

The West Line was planned to end at Fairburn Road (which is why the H.E. Holmes station has side platforms).

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bu2

But Dallas which has strong, large suburbs, a history of urban/suburban fights, and is one of the most conservative big cities in the country has cooperated very well on transportation. The state hasn't lead there.

We need better local leaders here. We've got, in all counties, a lot of parochial leaders. Many only interested in lining their own pockets.

Negative, several suburban cities decline to join DART.

n 1985, member cities Carrollton and Farmers Branch held elections to pull out of DART, though the measures failed. But shifting suburban politics and a loss of confidence in DART management after voters declined to support DART's measure to incur long term debt in 1988 led to seven more pullout votes, two of which (Flower Mound and Coppell) were successful. Just one suburb joined DART — the tiny community of Buckingham, which was later annexed by DART member city Richardson.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia