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Message
1
Posted on 11/12/13 at 3:34 pm to CatFan81
Your points, and all the infighting in the metro area regarding traffic/congestion reduction, were a major reason for the TSPLOST fail. There is zero level of trust that if funding is provided that good outcomes will occur. It is partly based upon what long time residents have seen in the region + a little lunatic fringe. Like the 400 toll road when the powers that be wanted to change the terms to keep the toll in place forever although the initial terms mandated the toll be ended when the road was paid for. That actually ended well after the public went onpoint against some officials and the toll will cease this month.
Posted on 11/12/13 at 3:39 pm to hiltacular
quote:
Public transit usually involves a little bit of waiting, it is like this everywhere. If you want convenience driving is the way to go. If you want a cheaper option, mass transit is the way to go. From my experiences in various cities, very rarely is it actually quicker to use public transit than driving yourself.
Your points are well taken, I was primarily speaking to convenient access to the rail line as buses are not for me. NYC and Chicago have very usable rail lines and the Metro in Paris kicks arse, but MARTA just hasn't happened due to poor access in many outer areas, fear and lack of funding in the metro area. If I lived north of the city and worked downtown I would ride the rail, luckily I don't have to worry about commuting.
Posted on 11/12/13 at 3:45 pm to hiltacular
MARTA also believe bus service is more than enough as they do not have rail service to northwest or southwest Fulton county and any area in Dekalb that is not near Memorial Drive
Posted on 11/12/13 at 3:57 pm to CatFan81
You are correct that the state certainly doesn't enable MARTA financially, and that the legislature makes it difficult for them to operate autonomously.
Of course, that is a lot different than blaming the plight of MARTA on the GOP. It'd be one thing if MARTA had a record of competence, and the General Assembly came in and put a chokehold on them. But that wasn't the case. You're talking about an entity that has squandered many millions of dollars over the decades through an operating budget that has been used, quite frankly, in a blatantly fraudulent manner. What hasn't been stolen or wasted has been used to serve one specific community above all others.
There is rightfully, I suppose, mutual distrust on both sides. Everyone at the State level knows how effective DeKalb, Fulton, the City of Atlanta and MARTA have been at managing money. That is to say, a complete half century of financial mismanagement. You're right that if the pieces were in play to make MARTA viable, the General Assembly's actions would make it difficult, I just don't think it is intellectually honest to blame the GA for MARTA's status.
In truth, MARTA won't ever be fixed. The demographic issues in Atlanta are too large to overcome any time soon. There is way too much tension, and there really aren't any good solutions. We all talk about unity or getting over irrational fears, but a lot of them aren't irrational. There are city issues that are easy to solve in theory, but difficult to implement. Atlanta's deeper issues aren't among them, solutions aren't even theoretically obvious.
Of course, that is a lot different than blaming the plight of MARTA on the GOP. It'd be one thing if MARTA had a record of competence, and the General Assembly came in and put a chokehold on them. But that wasn't the case. You're talking about an entity that has squandered many millions of dollars over the decades through an operating budget that has been used, quite frankly, in a blatantly fraudulent manner. What hasn't been stolen or wasted has been used to serve one specific community above all others.
There is rightfully, I suppose, mutual distrust on both sides. Everyone at the State level knows how effective DeKalb, Fulton, the City of Atlanta and MARTA have been at managing money. That is to say, a complete half century of financial mismanagement. You're right that if the pieces were in play to make MARTA viable, the General Assembly's actions would make it difficult, I just don't think it is intellectually honest to blame the GA for MARTA's status.
In truth, MARTA won't ever be fixed. The demographic issues in Atlanta are too large to overcome any time soon. There is way too much tension, and there really aren't any good solutions. We all talk about unity or getting over irrational fears, but a lot of them aren't irrational. There are city issues that are easy to solve in theory, but difficult to implement. Atlanta's deeper issues aren't among them, solutions aren't even theoretically obvious.
Posted on 11/12/13 at 4:06 pm to Pettifogger
quote:
In truth, MARTA won't ever be fixed. The demographic issues in Atlanta are too large to overcome any time soon
You need to also include state issues. The area outside of the Atlanta region seems to be very anti-Atlanta. You will probably never see any state funds used to help MARTA
Posted on 11/12/13 at 4:25 pm to CatFan81
quote:
I'm not sure what what will do to traffic as I'm not at all familiar with Cobb County
Screw it up badly for the next 4 years.
Posted on 11/12/13 at 4:28 pm to Tigertown in ATL
quote:
Screw it up badly for the next 40 years.
FIFY
Posted on 11/12/13 at 4:29 pm to NorthGwinnettTiger
quote:
Not Gwinnett. These dumb fricks just voted for 3 more years of SPLOST for "undetermined" road projects.
Roads not rail!
Posted on 11/12/13 at 4:30 pm to Wally Sparks
quote:
Also, Cobb and Gwinnett turned down MARTA decades ago and the minorities still moved up there. Apparently they know how to drive cars as well.
Posted on 11/12/13 at 9:10 pm to Pettifogger
MARTA won't ever be fixed because it was designed to be a failure from Day One.
Here's a good read on the topic: LINK
Here's a good read on the topic: LINK
This post was edited on 11/12/13 at 9:14 pm
Posted on 11/13/13 at 7:35 am to Sophandros
quote:
MARTA won't ever be fixed because it was designed to be a failure from Day One.
More like Day Two, and you can thank the idiot voters in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton for that.
This post was edited on 11/13/13 at 7:35 am
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:02 am to Sophandros
quote:
MARTA won't ever be fixed because it was designed to be a failure from Day One.
I am hoping the Beltline will make it easier for public transit within the city. I think one of the reasons places like Cobb continue to vote it down is bc even if MARTA can you into the city, travel within it still sucks. Take GT for example, if I was to take MARTA to 10th st or N Ave I am still walking over a mile to get to where I need to be and most of ATL is this way. The beltline will help a lot, or at least I hope it does.
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:27 am to hiltacular
quote:
I think one of the reasons places like Cobb continue to vote it down is bc even if MARTA can you into the city, travel within it still sucks
That's a naive position.
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:31 am to Sophandros
quote:
That's a naive position.
Possibly, but I never ride Marta because it's a 15-20 minute drive to any station (so obviously walking is not an option), and it doesn't take me anywhere I want to go.
Marta is a disaster IMO.
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:34 am to Tigertown in ATL
Atlanta is too spread out for mass transit to work IMO
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:39 am to Caplewood
quote:
Atlanta is too spread out for mass transit to work IMO
DC metro spreads two states and the district. The above excuse is bullshite.
This post was edited on 11/13/13 at 8:40 am
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:40 am to Sophandros
quote:
That's a naive position.
It isn't the driving factor behind them voting it down but the existing marta infrastructure is anything but convenient.
Posted on 11/13/13 at 8:43 am to YouthInAsia
It's different
Posted on 11/13/13 at 9:05 am to Sophandros
quote:
That's a naive position.
As a transportation planner, that "last mile" connectivity is crucial to a successful mass transit system. MARTA does well if you're going to the GA Dome/GWCC/Philips/Airport/most of Midtown, Downtown, and Decatur, but outside of that, light rail and streetcar is needed to bring people where the heavy rail doesn't go. Buses should also fill that function, but they unfortunately have a huge racial stigma.
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