4/22: Getting on track?
By the AJC Editorial Board
A metro Atlanta transit governance deal is overdue. So ARC’s move to seek legal advice to allow local transit agencies to better work together offers hope.
You’d think in these times of calls for smaller government, zero-basing public agency budgets and the like that the businesslike concept of spending public transit money more effectively would be an easy sell.
Not so, as proved by the continuing travail over deciding just how to improve coordination of Atlanta’s multiple transit systems.
That situation may soon change for the better, at least somewhat. In an encouraging show of unity by local officials, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s board recently voted unanimously to seek legal advice on just what more can be done locally to push forward on working more closely on transit matters. The board’s action is a refreshing sign of unity by metro Atlanta’s leaders in acting to help reduce the congestion that affects us all, no matter where we live or work.
Read the rest of what the AJC Editorial Board has to say, along with some other views and information. Then tell us what you think.
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11 comments Add your comment
Road Scholar
April 23rd, 2012
9:55 am
Hyder: Why leave your house? Are you really that paranoid? I have never had an incident on MARTA in 40 years. Or is it your perspective of the “low lifes”?
Zeke: So your teenagers and adults in your community don’t hang out at the mall? Or is it because those others are different?
Skeptical: So why don’t you just kill yourself? The whining is not tasteful. What have you done to ensure government is working? Voting and walking away to sulk doesn’t cut it.
nomobama
April 23rd, 2012
9:07 am
Debbie, isn’t it convenient that Gwinnett started going downhill in the late 90s, when illegal immigrants flooded the county…perhaps that is a major reason u moved? Don’t be ashamed that your fear of illegal immigrant gangs and drug pushers caused you to move…there are thousands more just like you. Don’t worry, I won’t call you a racist for moving…I call you smart.
DeborahinAthens
April 23rd, 2012
7:00 am
I am white, upper middle class, and when it is convenient, I ride Marta. The problem is that is is rarely convenient. I haved used rapid transit in many major cities–Chicago, New York (where I lived for several years), Pariis–I the postings by people like hryder makes me boil. I was born in Atlanta in 1950. My family moved to Gwinnett in 1960. I always pushed for a rapid transit system. Why couldn’t we have a monorail, I would ask my Dad. He would answer that rapid transit would bring a “bad element”. Every time the opportunity came up to make the right decision, it was voted down. For many years, I drove the 35 miles into Atlanta to work. The drive went from 45 minutes to one hour and thirty minutes. One evening, it took me three hours to go that 35 miles. I moved to Athens because of that commute. Now I’m three minutes!!! away from my office. Gwinnett still doesn’t have rapid transit, and, guess what??? It is the gang land of the south. My old high school is on the list of the most dangerous schools in the country. The “bad element” evidently knows how to drive. @ hryder, people like you are a sad, sad comment on our country. You are so afraid of “the other” that you cut your nose off to spite your face. I bet you have a basement stocked with survival gear and five guns in you pitiful bunker of a house. How sad.
middleground
April 22nd, 2012
4:51 pm
Not hearing of many new businessess wanting to move to Atlanta these days……….maybe they are not wanting to be shaked down by the civil rights leaders or be called racist at every opportunity.
Kev
April 22nd, 2012
3:16 pm
“Scream racism when you have no arguement.”
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
And I did have an argument if you had read my full post.
hryder
April 22nd, 2012
10:23 am
Scream racism when you have no arguement. We know from the physical face to face crimes that have occured on public rail transit that thugs use the opportunity to prey on people. There is no logic, other then liberal feel good spending others money, that validates providing criminals easy access to potential victims. There are reasons that people are in the socio-economic strata or area in which they reside. Certain areas were virtually crime free until recreation trails, bus lines, rail lines, bridges, etc., were built or extended permitting much easier access for ALL people. All people includes the thugs who do not otherwise have such easy access to potential victims. People move even out farther out of the central city until it is deemed too far. Then back into the city with armed guards of higher density housing, schools, and other public venues. This has become the historical pattern in our country and to indicate that by doing what others have done with the eventual short time failures because YOU know we can make it successful when almost ALL others have failed is absurd. People, I and my family among, no longer take rail from north of the city to the airport and back when flying, accessing the airport in other ways, rather than exposing our selfs to the lowlifes who discovered easy access to victims and/or potential victims by boarding at inner city stations. Logical thinking people know this is not racism but realism on the part of law abiding achieving citizens who do not desire to become victims of the nonproductive criminal element of society. VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENT ELECTED OFFICE HOLDERS IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS!
Kev
April 22nd, 2012
1:34 am
“And yes, suburban, mostly safe communities, do not want the urban blight or the criminals there to be transported into their communities regardless of the reason!”
You just gotta love suburbanites’ code words for their racist thinking.
News Flash! The suburbs aren’t that safe. Plus, having to drive even to get a gallon of milk because of all the suburban sprawl means less exercise and more obesity and the health problems associated with it (diabetes, etc…). And all that driving adds to the worsening pollution problem.
Skeptical
April 21st, 2012
10:08 pm
There is so much resistance to this monstrosity because government demonstrates time and again that it can not be trusted. We the people refuse to provide it with more money and more power given the lousy track record of government at all levels. You will continue to complain until you come to terms with this. The only thing that will change this thinking is a fundamental change in our government reducing the size and scope of the intrusion into the lives of her citizens.
Rick in Grayson
April 21st, 2012
12:37 pm
The metro Atlanta area is not like NYC or Chicago where they have areas of very dense residential/employment.
From Gwinnett county, I have to drive to a rail station. The train will not bring me within walking distance of my employment site around North Druid Hills and I-85. I will not take yet another ride (bus) to my place of employment. I still would not be able to go to lunch and would be forced to bring my lunch every day. I would have to repeat the steps to get home. Yes, the I-85 is crowded and very slow/stopped at times, but it would still be faster than all the connections I would need to make to go to my job.
What is the solution?
The major employers must disburse themselves about the metro-Atlanta area, not just with the perimeter. Employers must embrace teleworking for those jobs where it is possible. Managers must learn to manage groups that are working from home.
zeke
April 21st, 2012
11:55 am
In no universe should an single agency control transportation plans for counties and communities forcing in projects that those counties and communities do not want, but, taxpayers would have to pay for anyway! And yes, suburban, mostly safe communities, do not want the urban blight or the criminals there to be transported into their communities regardless of the reason! Don’t think those scum prowl the areas served by marta to ply their trades of assault, robbery, rape, murder? All you have to do is ride marta from Lennox on any night, day for that matter, and view just what kind of people are on the train. When you see dozens of these people coming from Lennox or Phipps, you can make an intelligent assumption that they are not there shopping in these high priced malls! They are there for other reasons, most of which are not good! That is what suburban families DO NOT WANT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES! You can call it xenophobic or urban discrimination or whatever! The other thing is that mass transit is a money losing venture everywhere it is used! It does not relieve traffic or congestion! A better plan would be an outer loop as planned in the 80’s, direct route bypasses, or any other plan that would direct traffic not destined inside the current perimeter AWAY FRO THAT AREA! Someone going from Norcross or Duluth to Kennesaw has no business on 285! The outer loop, BUILT WITH VERY LIMITED INTERCHANGES AND ACCESS POINTS would improve traffic 50% or more and be far less expensive! And do not get me started on the absurd boondoggle you call the beltline, or, the trolleys!