The unfortunate state of public transportation in Atlanta
My wife’s car was recently totaled and as a result we have been sharing one automobile for almost a month. As a result, I have taken MARTA a few times. MARTA is Atlanta’s implementation of public transportation, and its woeful shortcomings are burned afresh in my mind. For most people in Atlanta, public transportation serves three purposes:
- You have to go to the airport.
- You have to go to a concert or sports venue.
- You are poor.
This is primarily why public transprotation in Atlanta sucks. The first few trips where I was in Manhattan for weeks at a time, I got such a kick out of seeing everyone use public transportation. It was so refreshing. I wish Atlanta’s public transportation would shape up; I love the idea of not having to drive a car.
A friend and I decided to go to the Brickstore (a pub in Decatur) last week. To avoid the nastiness of driving, we decided to take MARTA. Big mistake.
It took us three and a half hours to get there (from Sandy Springs => Five Points => Decatur), since they kept having us switch trains, the Eastbound line was closed at Five Points, and several trains were late. We left at 4:30 or so, and got to the pub in just enough time to stay for about an hour and a half, then had to deal with the nearly two hour ride back. This, for a drive that would have taken a half hour at the most.
Not to mention, MARTA’s restrooms are perpetually closed, which is decidedly not a good thing after you’ve had a few beers.
Comment by Stephen Touset — October 20, 2005 @ 11:52 am
It’ll never happen until we stop expanding the roads that and our old boy system of government has to end and people have to campaign to get Marta OFF the project, start a MTA etc. etc. etc. It’s so disheartening and it may happen in 50 years. There’s just no infrastructure.
Comment by crank — December 27, 2005 @ 3:12 pm
Copy what Oregon did: Require NN% of all highway projects goes to rapid transit infrastructure. This is largely the reason Portland now has three competing public streetcar systems serving Downtown, in addition to three light rail lines, with another being built and a heavy-rail halfway to the state capital being built. We’re the Manhattan of the west because of it: Everyone takes transit here, and it gets you there in about the same time and a fifth of the money as driving.
And now the answer to “How do I get there” in Portland is Just F@$%*ng Google Transit It! or go to their Tri-County Metropolitan’s website to find out from the GPS on the transit vehicles how long it will be until the next TriMet Bus, TriMet MAX, Portland Streetcar or Naito (Vintage) Streetcar reaches your stop.
Comment by Paul Johnson — April 2, 2006 @ 12:50 pm