Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty
Fulton and Gwinnett counties may see MARTA really soon..buses that is. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, MARTA is gaining new momentum across the the region as local government prepare for expansion plans.
Though bringing MARTA to these counties can be extremely beneficial to it’s residents, the words “MARTA” and “Transit mean different things to different people. If you are a Gwinnett County resident that is wishing for MARTA rail service transit, chances are you’ll be waiting forever. Quit frankly, county officials feel like rail services aren’t worth the hassle. Residents have shown more interest in the bus system which is the more affordable option. County officials aren’t interested in proposing MARTA because it has been rejected twice by voters.
Gwinnett county is the second largest county in Georgia, and most people feel like the county is ready for mass transit. Former chairman candidate and founder of Gwinnett Needs Mass Transit, Jack Snyder says , “We have citizens who need this mass transit to commute to work going down to Atlanta. We also have businesses that are desiring of having individuals capable of arriving to their places of work by using mass transit.” Gwinnett is nearly 900,000 people and these people are not the same people that once rejected the bringing MARTA to Gwinnett in 1990. MARTA COO Richard Krisak states, ““The millennial, the young folks, like my kids, they don’t really want to have a car. We’re seeing more and more with that population segment, takes transit as a choice, not as a necessity.” I don’t know about not having, but I know that having MARTA as an option when it comes to commuting to Atlanta, most millennials would agree with his statement.
“I think it’s an uphill battle,” Chairwoman Charlotte Nash told the Atlanta Journal Constitution this week. “It’s about feeling like they don’t have control about how their money is spent (with MARTA),” she said
County Commissioner John Heard expressed a similar sentiment. “I believe that if we put it on the ballot, a local transit SPLOST will pass – for Gwinnett County only,” Heard said. “Nobody wants to send our money down to the City of Atlanta.”
Georgia lawmakers are looking at transit “Governance and funding ” . Some lawmakers would like to consolidate metro Atlanta ‘s many transit agencies, which include MARTA, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Gwinnett County Transit and CobbLinc.
A two hour commute from Snellville (gwinnett county ) to Atlanta or the MARTA system? MARTA please.
Words by Ericc Adkins
