Meet Marta Days

Marta hosted one of several Meet Marta Days at the North Springs’s transit station today to encourage passengers to attend upcoming public meetings that provide information about the referendum that could help fund current and future transportation projects.

Marta directors, managers, and staff members gathered with prices, food and music at the station to give passengers the opportunity to learn and talk about several public meetings held by the Atlanta Regional Roundtable in support of the draft projects list.

These public meetings provide the public the chance to exchange ideas, concerns, or suggestions before the list is finalized during a full Roundtable meeting on Oct. 15.

These public meetings require people to fill out lengthy essays in order to speak and does not follow regular Marta public meeting procedures, said Ashley Robbins, President of Citizens for Progressive Transit.

“These meetings are not really geared toward public input,” Robbins said.

This draft projects list, which was composed on Aug. 15, contains $6.14 billion worth of extensive rail and bus projects that will be funded by a penny sales tax that will be presented to voters in June of 2012.

Jennifer Jinadu-Wright, director of marketing and communications, said all money collected in the region will stay in the region which is why Marta wants to inform passengers to attend the meetings and learn about the referendum details.

“We want the make sure we get the money we deserve,” Jinadu-Wright said.

John Crocker, Ph.D., director of development and regional coordination, said that a percentage of the money will also go to the state of good repair, which purpose is to maintain all areas of transit.

If the majority of residents vote in favor of the referendum, it will cut in half the time estimated to take for these maintenance necessities, Crocker said.

“It will take 10 years instead of 20 or 30 years,” Crocker said. 

If Marta receives less money than projected, they will revert back to original plans and estimated time spans, Crocker said. Projects like remodeling the Airport station for improvements in efficiently and quality probably will not happen, Crocker said.