MARTA, Changes Coming?

Over the last several months Representative Chambers has been taking much grief and some applause for her aggressive approach towards MARTA as Chairwoman of the MARTOC committee. It seems that Ms. Chambers has the audacity to think that a public transportation entity, that receives tax payer money, should operate in a fiscally sound manner.

I am not in a position to discuss MARTA's financial operations. However, as a rider, I can comment on the experience. It is awful! I have been on the Metro in DC. The L in Chicago. The Subway in New York. All of them put MARTA to shame. But all is not MARTA's fault. Much like Grady, MARTA is funded by taxpayers from DeKalb and Fulton Counties. No State funding, that needs to change if we are going to have a viable and efficient transit system in Atlanta.

It seems, however, that Ms. Chambers is not the only one concerned about MARTA's operations or in some cases, lack-therof. In November, Representative Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) announced a desire to roll MARTA into GDOT.

Recently Representativ Kevin Levitas (D-Atlanta) pre-filed a bill to reduce the number of Directors from 18 down to 7. Lean and mean, I like it!

Representative Levitas said, “Chicago’s Transit Authority has seven members on its Board of Directors,” Levitas said in a statement. “The BART Board in San Francisco has nine members, and Washington, D.C.’s METRO Board has only six voting members along with six alternate directors. Why does MARTA need a board of directors two-and-a-half times the size of the San Francisco Authority?” Good question!

So for all you Chambers bashers . . . it seems like she has created a few more believers over the last few years, including from across the aisle. Remeber folks, this is our tax $$ being put to "use" . . . they cut routes, slowed trains, raised fares. Did any administrators take pay cuts? Be intriguing to know how many higher-ups took a pay-cut in an effort of keeping trains and busses running. Anyone know?