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| Rev. Jesse Jackson leaving MARTA rally |
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) provides transportation for approximately 500,000 people per day. With the constant increase in gas prices and one of the nation’s most congested highways, MARTA offers an efficient mode of transportation financially and economically. Forty six percent of all riders use the transit system to get to work, with another 10 percent using the system for medical visits. MARTA keeps approximately 185,000 vehicles from hitting the highways daily as well. But all of that may be changing very soon due to financial turmoil for the transit company.
If some much-needed funding isn’t acquired soon, MARTA may have to lay off 1,000 employees and cut 30 percent of the services it provides for passengers throughout the metro Atlanta area.
According to itsmarta.com/martamatters, if MARTA stopped running, annual traffic delays in Atlanta (already second only to Los Angeles) would increase by 1.25 million hours and cost an additional $245 million in congestion costs like gas consumption, tardy deliveries and employee productivity.
Despite the fact that people from all of the surrounding counties in Atlanta’s metropolitan area use the transit system, not all of the counties financially support MARTA. The transit system is diligently seeking federal funding to prevent a possible nightmare for passengers and workers alike.
On May 12, Rainbow PUSH founder Rev. Jesse Jackson made a special visit to the Georgia Capital and MARTA’s 5 Points to join hundreds in a rally against the cuts. He approached the issue from an economic standpoint; saying that investing in the public transit system is a green job investment. “If we’re all concerned about breathing clean air, we need more mass transportation,” Jackson mentioned in an interview with Fox 5 prior to the rally. With companies and organizations pushing for a more eco-friendly society, the fate of MARTA can be a huge step forward, or a huge step back for the movement in Georgia. –steve simpson
