On this trip (to NY) and the trip recently to Europe, I’m blown away at the power of good, properly laid out public transit. It might not be the fastest way to get to a point, but it’s normally the most consistent and the most economical way to travel throughout a metropolitan city. (Kudos to London, Paris, and NYC.)
That brings me to Atlanta, my home city. All I can do is sigh when I think about the public transportation options. Yes, MARTA is there. But it’s limited, to say the least. If you live anywhere except mid/downtown or right on the artery that is the ONLY north/south track, you’re kind of out of luck.
(For this rant, I’m not going to discuss buses. I’m just not.)
Anyway, given that there are SO many places that MARTA doesn’t touch, I start to wonder why (for the 873rd time). There are certainly cultural reasons that it has never expanded past where it services now. And some of those are rooted in a very racist past and present. (Looking at you, Cobb County.)
But I have to imagine the largest reason is money/resources. And i can understand that. Also, given that the city is already built, any interference with normal operation (beyond normal maintenance) will throw the city into havoc. Got that. Understand that. But large(r) cities around the world have had to deal with this. It is doable.
The money is where we always (collectively) end up. And I can imagine a business suit somewhere screaming about ROI when the discussion comes up. How will the city/metro area recoup its spend? When? How much pain does it cause in the meantime?
And I have to ask the question: Is ROI the be-all, end-all of every decision? Should it be?
There is no doubt bringing a proper mass transit system to the city of Atlanta would help it in many ways. Traffic being the number 1 reason. Have you seen traffic lately? Of course you have, it cannot be escaped.
The availability (or lack thereof) of easily accessible public transit also affects commerce. If you live in the Kennesaw area, for instance, it is a trip to get downtown for a “night out”. So, what happens? People end up staying in the area and going to the local chain (see what I did there?) restaurant. And the movies. And that’s the extent of it. They don’t get to other parts of the city to explore museums, concerts, exhibitions, and a wide variety of local restaurants. All the things that make cities great. Imagine if the customer base for these were not just limited to the midtown/downtown residents.
And let’s talk about parking. Dear lord, parking is a nightmare. And the need for parking, especially in downtown areas, takes away from space efficiency. Takes away from opportunities for those small businesses to occupy. Even a large park area needs almost as much area for parking. How is that a good thing?
All I’m saying is we should consider a project like public mass transit in the Atlanta area and NOT have ROI as the reason not to take it on. The city needs it. The residents need it. The environment needs it. Hell, the economy needs it.
Above all, though, the future of the city needs it.
