By Guest Columnist SARA PATENAUDE, chair of the Coalition for a Diverse DeKalb
On a recent freezing night in January, two unhoused residents found refuge in DeKalb County Fire Station No. 3, located in Avondale Estates. They were shown into the station conference room, where they were allowed to sit at the tables and chairs and spend the night out of the cold.
Two important points emerge from Georgia’s plan for a greater role for private partners in future tollways along portions of top end I-285 – the state will set limits on rates a company can charge drivers to use the lanes; and the transit component comports with language by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux that’s been added to the nation’s pending transportation funding legislation.
Transit expansion in metro Atlanta will continue in Atlanta and Clayton County. The region will go without eye-popping transit projects once envisioned in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, nor will Newton County pilot a transit system, in the foreseeable future.
In Gwinnett County, local control is the watchword in the campaign for a proposed 1 percent sales tax to expand transit. MARTA will be involved only because state law requires it – and the role is restricted to heavy rail.
Two Black women, both Democrats, have changed the political dynamics in Cobb and Gwinnett counties in the 2020 election cycle. One is an incumbent county commissioner campaigning for the position of county chair; one promotes candidates and the GOTV effort as head of the county’s Democratic Party.
By Guest Columnist AISHA YAQOOB MAHMOOD, director of the Asian American Advocacy Fund
Growing up in Gwinnett County, some of my fondest memories include weekend trips to Jimmy Carter Boulevard to get our ethnic groceries, stock up on some great Indian food, and hang out with our friends at Global Mall. Businesses along the Jimmy Carter corridor have helped bring pieces of home for many Asian communities for over 25 years. To this day, my friends and family from neighboring counties plan trips to Gwinnett, as it is revered a nexus for so many immigrant communities.
MARTA’s planned service expansion in Downtown Atlanta and, possibly, into Gwinnett County comes as MARTA’s finances have received positive credit reviews and a budget that could afford to stretch federal pandemic-related funds into future years.
A “yes” vote in Gwinnett would make it one of the metro’s big transit spenders.
Funding for a Complete Streets project along 5th Street in Midtown, new roads at the General Motors redevelopment site in DeKalb County, and a smart corridor installation in Gwinnett County were included in a basket of 19 mobility projects funded by the state.
Costs too much to build or too much to not build?
Gwinnett County voters could get an early indication Thursday as to whether a transit tax could be added to the Nov. 3 ballot. A heavy rail line is eligible for consideration for sales tax funding, to reach from MARTA’s Doraville Station to a future facility in Norcross.
People who judge, prosecute, defend and jail metro Atlantans are on ballots.
People who judge, prosecute, defend and jail metro Atlantans are on ballots.
Expanded transit is a good idea … in some way, maybe. Depends who you ask.
Transit funding is poised to emerge in 2020 as a major discussion in Atlanta, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. In addition, Atlanta is slated to try again to revamp traffic movement in the central business district, regulate e-scooters and possibly reduce the city speed limit to 25 mph – even as a push for transit on the Atlanta BeltLine remains in the mix.
Dudley Arnold found himself standing in front of a parole board after more than half of his life spent in a jail cell. The Athens native had a “normal childhood,” but he said he always “wanted to grow up too fast.” For this reason, he says he ran into trouble with police and served his […]
Despite the MARTA referendum loss in Gwinnett County on March 19, county and transportation leaders stand firm on the need to bring transit to Georgia’s second largest county.
“Regardless of the way the vote went in March, there is so much need for transit and mobility relief in Gwinnett,” said Charlotte Nash, chair of the Gwinnett County Commission.
By King Williams en·mi·ty /ˈenmədē/ noun the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. Earlier this week we saw the defeat of mass transit expansion in Gwinnett to start the week. And by the end of the week, we saw one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the […]
As MARTA and its advocates in Gwinnett County look beyond the unofficial negative transit vote Tuesday, the Trump administration is looking forward to a transportation future replete with innovations including hyperloops and autonomous vehicles – albeit with no details about how to pay for it or the nation’s existing infrastructure needs.
An influential group of Gwinnett leaders and transit supporters showed up for a victory party in downtown Lawrenceville at the Slow Pour Brewing Co. SaportaReport will regularly update the results and reaction as the votes come in.
