Tough Times for MARTA Could Mean Service Cutbacks
Without new revenue sources from the state or region…MARTA will be forced to dramatically reduce service levels, eliminating bus routes, cutting rail service (either certain days or times, or entire lines altogether), and potentially seriously impacting the overall economic well-being of this region and state.
This is from a memo that MARTA sent to state lawmakers. Atlanta’s transit system has been dealing with a $60 million budget shortfall since December. That, combined with a dramatic decrease in predicted sales tax revenue for the coming year have put the system into crisis. For a transit system funded entirely by sales tax revenue, it’s not surprising that MARTA is having trouble making ends meet. MARTA is one of the few, if not the only, transit systems in the nation that does not receive a penny of state funding.
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It’s About Priorities
I find it completely appalling that the City of Atlanta can’t give its transit system any more help but will happily shell out $25 billion to make it easier to get around town by car. Benita Dodd, vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. had this to say about the project, which includes a double-decker tunnel running from one end of the city to the other:
Congestion costs this region economically, and it has become a huge quality-of-life issue. Instead of penalizing Atlantans for their chosen lifestyle by neglecting the dire need for added capacity, we should make them consider the value of their trip. Toll lanes provide that option.
It breaks my heart a little that decision-makers like Dodd see more roads as the solution to Atlanta’s legendary traffic problem. We are one of the country’s smoggiest cities, and when you take a look at our City government’s spending priorities, you can see how we got there. We need to get folks out of their cars to clean up our air. We need more bike lanes, so that cycling can be a viable option for commuters here.
Where Are We Going?
There is no word yet on which line or lines might close, but any closures would cripple the transit system. This map really highlights why cutting just one rail lane would be devastating:
[MARTA Rail Map via itsmarta.com]
MARTA has four “lines:” North-South, East-West, Proctor Creek and Northwest. Cuts to any of these would leave thousands without rail access. While MARTA General Manager Beverly Scott says she was “deadly serious,” I really hope that this whole line-cutting business was an empty threat. If you want to have some input into how MARTA handles its deficit reduction, you can take their survey.
[Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Brett Weinstein]
This is really awful, the City of Atlanta needs to step up to the plate and help fix our transit issues immediately!
As a recent marta convert, I would be SO disappointed if I was forced to drive to work every day. I took the survey, I hope they listen to what people have to say!
While I’m not sure it constitutes an literal Armageddon-like situation, it certainly sucks. They’d not only be taking away my favored form of transportation, they’d be taking away a treasured hour of reading time a day.
~rl