MARTA to make an $8 billion pitch to change the face of Atlanta (Clayton: hospital, annual)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fieldm

Yeah Im not with that plan at all. The state hasn't invested 1 cent into MARTA but they want to control everything. GTFOH. Why weren't they talking about doing this 5 years ago before Keith got here?

They had to let him to all the hard work and turn it around, then they'll ride his coattails. This must be a referendum to the voters before this happens.

[fieldm]

Originally Posted by cqholt

They had to let him to all the hard work and turn it around, then they'll ride his coattails. This must be a referendum to the voters before this happens.

I don't think the Atlanta/Dekalb voters would approve that at all. The state either needs to build a separate rail system OTP that connects to MARTA or just expand MARTA OTP. Luckily the race/class card will come up to prevent this from happening lol. This pisses me off. Its similar to a custodial parent raising their troubled kid but that kid now has turned his life around and is being accepted major universities across the country and then the deadbeat parent shows up trying to take credit for the custodial parent hard work

[primaltech]

Cagle may end up doing really good things for transit, but his comments are so damn infuriating, and his positions he states about MARTA are so unfair. And he gives no credit to the amazing and brilliant Keith Parker, which is insane.

MARTA's success has been blocked at every turn for decades upon decades by Republicans, at the state level and county level. It's been crippled and set up to fail and be useless. The powers that be (ahem, racists) have historically made it impossible for MARTA to be a value, then he has the nerve to criticize MARTA for not being a value? Pray tell sir, what exactly were they supposed to do differently?

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

They had to let him to all the hard work and turn it around, then they'll ride his coattails. This must be a referendum to the voters before this happens.

And even then, who actually would control MARTA? Neither GDOT nor GRTA wants to even touch that issue (plus they already have representation on MARTA's Board).

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

And even then, who actually would control MARTA? Neither GDOT nor GRTA wants to even touch that issue (plus they already have representation on MARTA's Board).

Non-voting representation.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Non-voting representation.

Then they should make them voting members (which shouldn't be an issue).

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Then they should make them voting members (which shouldn't be an issue).

Without state funding the state has no say in MARTA operations, outside the MARTOC.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Without state funding the state has no say in MARTA operations, outside the MARTOC.

That's what I meant. State would contribute funding towards MARTA operations and in turn MARTA grants GDOT's commissioner and GRTA's executive director voting rights on the board.

[primaltech]

I have a sneaking suspicion that Gwinnett and Cobb (and possibly other counties) will get something new, not called MARTA. Or, they will join MARTA but MARTA will be totally re-named and re-branded and etc. Either way, it won't be called MARTA. And it will probably be based around express commuter rail to the core job centers and airport, that won't stop anywhere deemed too poor and/or too non-white. Then, that transit system will finally get state funding and support.

Which, hey, that's something, at least. Better than nothing. Better than all the squabbling.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I have a sneaking suspicion that Gwinnett and Cobb (and possibly other counties) will get something new, not called MARTA. Or, they will join MARTA but MARTA will be totally re-named and re-branded and etc. Either way, it won't be called MARTA. And it will probably be based around express commuter rail to the core job centers and airport, that won't stop anywhere deemed too poor and/or too non-white. Then, that transit system will finally get state funding and support.

Which, hey, that's something, at least. Better than nothing. Better than all the squabbling.

MARTA is Atlanta, just as Metro is DC.
And no, it's not better than nothing. It will just increase the economic inequality as those who rely on transit will be forgotten and a federal lawsuit will be brought against the transit agency.