Moving to Atlanta area. Is MARTA as bad as everyone says it is?

[aslowdodge]

I tried martA last week. I went out of my way to drive to the station. Overall it took me about an hour and a half or more to get to the GWU.i could have driven there in 36 minutes. I couldn’t find a bathroom at the 3 stations I was at. I froze my butt waiting for trains, had two thAt told me to get off while they went out of service. Watched 5 trains go by in the opposite direction while I waited. Got pan handled by a few people and little kids
Overall not a good experience
I’m not saying I’ll never use it again, but I think I’ll drive from now on.

[ATLTJL]

modcut

We don't have a problem with bathroom culture in America. If we did, every restaurant, hotel, gas station and store wouldn't have free ones. They don't even cost, like they do in parts of Europe.

A couple years ago I was riding MARTA to Chamblee. I got stricken with the sudden need to pee quickly. I knew there were no restrooms at that station and nothing close by. So I got off at Brookhaven because I knew there was a McDonald's across the street where I could relieve myself. Then I Ubered to Chamblee.

That's fricking lame.

And you said it yourself: SOME MARTA stations have bathrooms. So are we to believe the riders at Bankhead and Five Points stations are somehow more respectful than people who use the Lenox or Buckhead stations?

Keeping people from acting stupid in bathrooms isn't nearly as hard as you portray. Especially not for a system with it's own massive security force. Just have them go in and check on the bathrooms every hour or so. Prosecute people who mess them up. It's not rocket science.

[wasel]

Originally Posted by cqholt

All stations have restrooms the question is which ones are open to public. In most other countries people tend to have more respect and take care of public things. Here in America we are selfish and that has led to restrooms being closed because of damage, safety concerns, etc. It has more to do with the culture and less to do with MARTA; eg: Doraville.

In other countries I've visited, there were restroom attendants in the bathrooms, making it cleaner and safer.

Originally Posted by TheProf

I agree with this. Aside from a few holes in DC's Metro, like say Georgetown (and even there, it's either a healthy walk, a quick bus ride, taxi or Uber/Lyft -- and there are long-range plans to loop the Blue/Orange/Silver line to/through a new Georgetown station), Metro is very comprehensive, frequent and efficient (few breakdowns, at least in my experience). On top of this, the rail system is backed up by a high frequency of Metrobuses which interface well with Metrorail and literally go everywhere and, now (in parts of NE DC, a couple streetcar routes). And then, for the really far away places, there are 6 commuter rail branches into Union Station (and L'Enfant Plaza) run separately by the states of Maryland and Virginia.

MARTA just can't compare with Metro. On top of that, D.C. is an older, more traditional city with a much denser core, tons of walkable neighborhoods all over (in fact, most of D.C. is walkable, including a few burbs, like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Alexandria, to name a few); much different than Atlanta which has Midtown, 5-points, a few areas on the East Side (Virginia Highlands, Candler/Little 5-points and Decatur), but not much more-- Atlanta seems like a large bunch of cul-de-sac-y areas pushed together more than a traditional city and that makes mass transit more challenging... There are a few recently sprung-whole TOD hoods at MARTA stations like Lindbergh and Buckhead; the latter of which is more of a suburban downtown (malls, office parks and a few skyscrapers) than a traditional city neighborhood.

You know, I was surprised that when I visited DC a couple of years ago, we kept being told by locals to use Uber instead of the train. Every time we would ask someone what the nearest station to X restaurant or venue was, the answer was always "Oh don't bother taking the metro -- it's too much hassle." On further questioning it was because they said trains were unreliable and it was too far to walk.

I was surprised that a local friend I met for brunch drove up in her car.

Go figure.

[Vacanegro]

Originally Posted by TheProf

I agree with this. Aside from a few holes in DC's Metro, like say Georgetown (and even there, it's either a healthy walk, a quick bus ride, taxi or Uber/Lyft -- and there are long-range plans to loop the Blue/Orange/Silver line to/through a new Georgetown station), Metro is very comprehensive, frequent and efficient (few breakdowns, at least in my experience). On top of this, the rail system is backed up by a high frequency of Metrobuses which interface well with Metrorail and literally go everywhere and, now (in parts of NE DC, a couple streetcar routes). And then, for the really far away places, there are 6 commuter rail branches into Union Station (and L'Enfant Plaza) run separately by the states of Maryland and Virginia.

MARTA just can't compare with Metro. On top of that, D.C. is an older, more traditional city with a much denser core, tons of walkable neighborhoods all over (in fact, most of D.C. is walkable, including a few burbs, like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Alexandria, to name a few); much different than Atlanta which has Midtown, 5-points, a few areas on the East Side (Virginia Highlands, Candler/Little 5-points and Decatur), but not much more-- Atlanta seems like a large bunch of cul-de-sac-y areas pushed together more than a traditional city and that makes mass transit more challenging... There are a few recently sprung-whole TOD hoods at MARTA stations like Lindbergh and Buckhead; the latter of which is more of a suburban downtown (malls, office parks and a few skyscrapers) than a traditional city neighborhood.

Traffic in both cities is horrendous, but I think Atlanta's is even worse (as hideous as the infamous DC Beltway is, I-85 is far worse)... Atlanta officials really seem hell bent on extending MARTA rail or bust, but really, commuter rail seems the way to go to really penetrate those sprawling burbs up to 25-30 miles away.

Have experience with both and agree and disagree with some of the above.

It is really hard to compare DC and Atlanta when one has huge downtown/near town employment (DC) and the other is a sprawling mess (Atlanta). Going downtown in DC on Metro is a huge hassle too. Firstly it costs a great deal, especially if you park at the station (often over $15/day just for the privilege of driving to the station and getting in a cattle car standing all the way to your destination). It doesn't go to the biggest airport in the area and the system is often far from the hotels making using it a non-starter for many travelers and locals.

Atlanta's road system absolutely dwarfs the DC area and they move a lot more traffic mostly without $40 tolls. In fact the Hot Lanes in Atlanta are downright affordable. Marta does go to the airport and is both convenient and economical for getting to/from the busiest airport in the nation. Marta works when you need it and for what you need it (occasional downtown trips) without being a huge hassle. Otherwise life in general in Atlanta requires the use of a car whereas in the DMV you can easily live without one.

[Beretta]

This has now ventured off the OP's original questions. Thanks for participating.