MARTA: No Turner shuttle or buses for road race under cutbacks

This what I was talking about on twitter last week. It ain't even Marta it's the big wigs bugging. Why would you keep marta from running on a friday or even the weekend all together. Somebody have to wake these people up because the results if this go through is going to be crucial in Atlanta. This article was on the 2nd of April.


By APRIL HUNT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

MARTA officials reached out to power brokers from major organizations in the metro area Thursday, to let them know how severe cutbacks could hamper their events.

The shuttle from Five Points to Turner Field? Gone. Buses to ferry runners in the Peachtree Road Race? Gone.

Reductions in hours when the trains and buses do run mean weekend and evening events would suffer as well.

“It behooves none of us if MARTA is overloaded and you and we have customers waiting on a platform for an hour,” said MARTA CEO Beverly Scott. “We need your help.”

The transit agency is weighing whether to shut down the entire system one weekday — likely Fridays — or for the entire weekend, to fill a budget hole.

MARTA can avoid those cuts if the state Legislature allows it to tap into $65 million in capital reserves. The bill that would allow MARTA to do that could be voted on Friday, the last day of the regular legislative session. Under state law, MARTA must put half of its revenue into capital projects, not operations.

The leaders, ranging from sports teams to the Georgia World Congress Center to Underground Atlanta, seemed receptive to the plea. Many said they would review the information and develop a plan to support MARTA.

“When you look at it, it’s pretty self explanatory,” said Mark Zimmerman, general manager of the GWCC. “It hits us all right in the stomach.”