MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Jackson: mayor, traffic)

[ccdscott]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Better yet, the business community could get its own rear end in gear. Why dump everything on the government or the individual taxpayer?

Because the government has the money (and the funding mechanisms) to do so swiftly and expeditiously, but refuses to do it. Big projects like these, believe it or not, need efficient government to spearhead it.

Businesses can't even agree on simple things like color schemes, what makes you think they'd all agree on how to get transit right here in the ATL?

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I just find it pretty ridiculous that downtrodden Clayton County, with 250,000 people, WILL be getting MARTA rail construction within a few years. But the other 4 core counties, with 3-4 times that many people EACH, will be getting nothing. And 2 of those counties have zero rail at all, while the other 2 are woefully under-served, haven't got any damn thing in 15 years, and with huge swaths of the county still with no rail, including major corporate job center of Alpharetta. An area which IS a paying member of MARTA, has been for decades. We have zero plan to do anything with transit, except make new stupid Atlanta Regional Commission, pointless and meaningless studies, and PDF documents with bold visions of some far off date that we'll just keep procrastinating and kicking to the curb.

Traffic and transportation mobility/connectivity, and lack of transit are consistently and by far the biggest issues and complaints in the region, by both residents and visitors alike. Businesses driving our economy are pushing for transit. Polls come out and show that a vast majority of the people want something done, and are willing to pay for that.

So what does the GA General Assembly get done with their session for the year? A hate bill to discriminate against people.

This is the power of the idiots and rednecks that run this state. Everyone please vote Democratic until things finally change.

That is the truth, vote democrat and these long standing politicians maybe will change their tune when they are out of a job or very close to being out.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I just find it pretty ridiculous that downtrodden Clayton County, with 250,000 people, WILL be getting MARTA rail construction within a few years. But the other 4 core counties, with 3-4 times that many people EACH, will be getting nothing. And 2 of those counties have zero rail at all, while the other 2 are woefully under-served, haven't got any damn thing in 15 years, and with huge swaths of the county still with no rail, including major corporate job center of Alpharetta. An area which IS a paying member of MARTA, has been for decades. We have zero plan to do anything with transit, except make new stupid Atlanta Regional Commission, pointless and meaningless studies, and PDF documents with bold visions of some far off date that we'll just keep procrastinating and kicking to the curb.

Traffic and transportation mobility/connectivity, and lack of transit are consistently and by far the biggest issues and complaints in the region, by both residents and visitors alike. Businesses driving our economy are pushing for transit. Polls come out and show that a vast majority of the people want something done, and are willing to pay for that.

So what does the GA General Assembly get done with their session for the year? A hate bill to discriminate against people.

This is the power of the idiots and rednecks that run this state. Everyone please vote Democratic until things finally change.

Originally Posted by Hokiehaven

That is the truth, vote democrat and these long standing politicians maybe will change their tune when they are out of a job or very close to being out.

Voting Democrat to send a message to the Republican incumbents that dominate the state's political scene is much easier said than done.

I think that some of us just don't seem to realize that Democratic choices are very slim once one gets outside of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties.

Despite the diversifying populations in traditionally conservative lily-white suburban outer-suburban strongholds like Gwinnett and Cobb counties where the demographics are seemingly trending in favor of the Democrats, the local and regional Democratic Party structure to turnout the minority, moderate and progressive voters moving into those areas often just simply does not exist yet in those outlying areas outside of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties.

The Democratic Party in Georgia is in such severe organizational blight that (with the exception of Rockdale County and some areas in Newton County) there often are no Democrats to even vote for in general election contests outside of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties....Combine this with the typical majority party gerrymandering by Republicans and the Democratic choices are slim-to-nil in much of the area outside of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties....This may potentially change as the population of once lily-white outer-ring suburban counties continues to diversify, but for now it is a problem that the Democrats are so ridiculously far behind the Republicans in resources, organization and the ability to get voters to turnout in their favor during a general election.

Right now, many, if not most, supermajority Republican lawmakers and legislators outside of the I-285 Perimeter literally have no fear whatsoever of being challenged from their left in a general election. The biggest fear of many of those supermajority Republican legislators is being challenged from their right flank in a GOP primary where the concept of increasing funding remains an unpopular proposition in many cases....This political calculus is slowing changing as traffic continues to worsen in some key suburban areas and as the metro area's demographics continue to change, but there is still some ways to go before increasing funding to transit becomes a widely accepted solution to metro Atlanta's traffic congestion issues.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by ccdscott

Because the government has the money (and the funding mechanisms) to do so swiftly and expeditiously, but refuses to do it. Big projects like these, believe it or not, need efficient government to spearhead it.

Businesses can't even agree on simple things like color schemes, what makes you think they'd all agree on how to get transit right here in the ATL?

Even then, they'll simply pass the bulk of the cost on to the consumer.

[demonta4]

I feel like we're not doing enough. How could Atlanta citizens just let such an important bill die. This is ridiculous. There should be protests at the capital or something.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by demonta4

I feel like we're not doing enough. How could Atlanta citizens just let such an important bill die. This is ridiculous. There should be protests at the capital or something.

Why?? It was all those peoples choice to move away from the core. No protest needed demonta4.

[cqholt]

Kasim to the rescue.
http://saportareport.com/54223-2/

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Kasim to the rescue.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed: MARTA bill may not be dead - SaportaReport

Now I'm just intensely curious what will happen, or what he's referring to.

Or what legally/constitutionally could still happen, at this point.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Kasim to the rescue.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed: MARTA bill may not be dead - SaportaReport

Glad to have Reed pushing for this.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Now I'm just intensely curious what will happen, or what he's referring to.

Or what legally/constitutionally could still happen, at this point.

A couple options immediately come to mind:

1. SB330 passes today.
2. The MARTA language gets added into some other existing bill that is on track.