Of course, there are also some reluctant residents who don’t want to pay the additional tax for something they’d never use. In fact, in some cases, MARTA employees-cops or otherwise-have helped thwart crimes outside of their jurisdiction, thanks in part to the massive network of cameras at their disposal. “MARTA is one of the safest systems, and it always has been, but the perception is what we deal with,” Dunham said. In addition to MARTA’s 460 sworn police officers, and its 15,000 surveillance cameras-in train stations, trains, streetcars, and buses, among other places-the agency has its own SWAT team and bomb squad. “We have never seen somebody with a big-screen TV on MARTA,” she said. Historically, transit opponents have expressed concern over the prospect of Atlanta criminals using the train network to wreak havoc on their neighborhoods and make a clean getaway.īut according to MARTA Police Chief Wanda Dunham, those worries are unsubstantiated. The results of a new survey conducted by WSB and Rosetta Stone Communications show that more than 51 percent of the 1,000 people polled oppose the referendum. MARTA CEO Jeff Parker said that the resistance to the potential transit boost hasn’t been by way of organized groups, but rather from a select few citizens.īut it seems some people, for one reason or another, don’t trust public transit to improve their quality of life. Nathan Deal have voiced support for the referendum, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We want happy people when they come to work, and healthy people, and there are statistics out there that show, when they can have a less stressful commute, they’re healthier, they’re happier people.”Īdditionally, two longtime Gwinnett Republicans, Sheriff Butch Conway and District Attorney Danny Porter, and former Gov. “It would be a recruiting benefit for us to be able to bring additional people from Gwinnett County to this area,” she said. State Farm facility manager Machelle Clarke Pellegrini said that between 12 and 15 percent of the office’s staff uses public transit, and many employees live in Gwinnett. People who want to embrace metro Atlanta cities’ ongoing and arguably inevitable urbanization-think increased density and economic opportunities aplenty-are thrilled to see Gwinnett residents considering the major transit step.Īdditionally, regional business leaders, such as officials at State Farm’s new Dunwoody mixed-use campus, believe bringing MARTA to Gwinnett County would boost employee morale-imagine not sitting in two-plus hours of traffic each day-and make the company more marketable to potential hires. The sales tax would also help grow the county’s existing public bus network and create bus rapid transit (BRT) routes. “It’s really an underutilized part of the county that they’ve to make sure they do the right thing in terms of transportation and land use,” he said. MARTA CEO Jeff Parker said the chosen site would act as an economic catalyst for the surrounding area. The substantial result of a “yes” majority would ultimately be a new, nearly five-mile heavy rail line linking the existing Doraville MARTA station to a to-be-developed stop on county-owned property near the intersection of Interstate-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The deal would impose a 1 percent sales tax to help fund transit projects until 2057, which officials say could collect some $5 billion. If the “ayes” win, the contract Gwinnett leaders inked with MARTA in September would be ratified. Shall this contract be approved? YES _ NO _ Gwinnett County has executed a contract for the provision of transit services, dated as of August 2, 2018. What’s the big question on the ballot, and what does it mean? The primary difference between this agreement and others MARTA has signed with nearby metro counties is that it gives local officials more oversight over how collected tax dollars would be spent on transit projects, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. The following September, MARTA’s board of directors green-lit the same deal. In August, Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners okayed an agreement with MARTA that would allow the transit agency to take hold take control of the county’s transit systems and pave the way for major expansion. Read below to learn the ins and outs of the impending vote. But Gwinnett County is one of 13 metro Atlanta counties recently inducted into the new regional transit agency, the ATL, so if its residents want to see their public transit network significantly bolstered over the next few decades, welcoming MARTA might just be their best bet. Such a question has long polarized suburban communities.
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