Screw you, Gwinnett County

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 03/20/2019 at 07:54 • Filed to: None

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Yesterday, my county voted against expanding Atlanta’s rapid transit past Tom Moreland Interchange ( Spaghetti Junction) which is often rated one of the worst bottlenecks in the country.... specifically because we have no public transport out here. Atlanta already has the most inadequate train system out there, and we just blew our chance to fix that.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:01

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typical government screwing over the taxpayer.

let me guess,  the Koch brothers will have played a part in the decision

E90M3 > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:04

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I lived at home for two summer semesters and commuted while I was at Georgia Tech. My parents weren’t about to pay for a parking pass, so meant driving was out of the equation, my other option was MARTA. I drove to North Springs everyday and rode the train into Atlanta. While I loathe MARTA, it was a superior option to sitting in Atlanta traffic everyday. 

facw > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:04

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Sounds like there was still a lot of dog whistling about transit letting in more black people, in addition to more legitimate concerns about cost (though probably from people who think nothing road construction costs).

facw > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/20/2019 at 08:08

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From what I’ve read, government and big business were pretty strongly in favor of this passing .

Rainbow > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/20/2019 at 08:09

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It was the taxpayers themselves who voted against their best interest, actually. The number one concern was crime, which is just suburbanite-speak for “ people from the city can come here more easily.”

Discerning > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:11

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Ssuburban Atlanta doesn’t want Marta trains?! I can’t imagine why the people out there wouldn’t want it.........

Im in east Atlanta but I work in the Cumberland mall area. Marta will never go out that way either.

I’ll just say it - I think racism plays a major part in Marta’s inability to expand.

Under_Score > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:15

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Y’all have MattyB and Mill Creek, the largest high school in Georgia, so everything balances out.

In all honesty though, it bothers me that Marta is stuck to the city. I’d probably be one to take my car still (as I do now, even though a shuttle is offered), but I think bigger Marta would be a greater opportunity. And for those worried about crime: the people who use my local transit system are sketchy and no one complains. 

facw > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:16

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And of course “people from the city” is code for blacks.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:21

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my apologies. i jumped to conclusions

round up those who voted against it and slap them

facw > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 08:29

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Atlanta already has the most inadequate train system out there 

There’s no question that Atlanta could be better, but most is probably a bit extreme. I’m sure there are other contenders, but look at Houston, the nation’s 4th largest city (5th largest metro area) which is served by three  light rail lines (two of which are pretty short) and some infrequent Amtrak trains. There’s no subway, no commuter rail, and no other rail-based rapid transit. The reasons are pretty similar to Atlanta, though in fairness Houston’s closeness to sea-level and propensity for heavy rain probably do make subway construction more challenging.

Rainbow > facw 03/20/2019 at 09:09

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Yeah, you’re probably right that there are worse ones. Still, when you take into consideration the rate of growth in both population and industry, Atlanta’s certainly in the top five at least.

Rainbow > Discerning 03/20/2019 at 09:13

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Oh, for sure. The weirdest part is that Gwinnett is relatively diverse. White people aren’t the minority, of course, but as of 2010 we only make up around 53 %. I’m sure it’s just below half now.

Although.... that almost mirrors the results for the vote.

Rainbow > Under_Score 03/20/2019 at 09:15

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Yeah, Gwinnett is definitely one of the nicer counties for sure, but I do agree that MARTA won’t change that. If anything, expanding out here would slightly dilute the sketchiness of public transit by adding more boring business people to the mix.

Ash78, voting early and often > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 09:39

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Same basic problem all over the South — our cities all grew too fast for the infrastructure (ATL and Houston are prime examples; Charlotte and Nashville are a little better). Birmingham is just now revamping its entire downtown infrastructure after 40+ years of the same crap. Just roads, no rail. And the buses are pretty pathetic.

But trains? Definitely not here, too many topographical limitations, but also 20+ suburbs who can’t get along. Sound like a familiar story? It’s not really about racism, maybe slightly about classism, but more about money.

ttyymmnn > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 09:42

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Atlanta already has the most inadequate train system out there

Clearly, you have never been to Austin.

Discerning > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/20/2019 at 09:56

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They're  the same people who voted for Kemp, the current governor. Just look up his commercials and you'll understand the demographic that doesn't want a train from the city.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Rainbow 03/20/2019 at 11:34

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And you’re at all surprised? It’s not like the vote would have mattered at all. The state would have found some way to block it. Or the right-wing terrorist infestation would’ve tied it up in court with bogus NIMBY bullshit because “they should just get a job!!”

Seriously. The right to vote needs to be repealed and replaced with a goddamn common sense test. Not a single right-winger would ever fucking pass it.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Discerning 03/20/2019 at 12:25

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His entire campaign was such a nightmare - and just the position he was running from. But at the same time he had the right consonant next to his name, so of course all those people voted for him. What, you expect them to have voted for a *shudder - democrat! black! woman! - instead?!