For some reason the Georgia legislature thought that if it didn’t deal with MARTA’s shortfall, the problem would just resolve itself. Or they just didn’t think that public transit was all that important to a world-class city’s standing or its residents. Silly legislature.
Now that same legislative body is reaping the rewards of their inability to do anything that anyone cares about.
Unlike say our dysfunctional GDOT and its kingdom of ever-widening, neglected pavement, transit systems can just flip the switch and shut down. (Stupid politically inflexible transit! Why can’t you just accept your neglect like everybody else?!) And then a lot of impassioned, teary-eyed transit advocates and fat-cats with a stake in the image of this city gets majorly POed.
Its already happening. No one can stop talking about MARTA’s call yesterday for a special legislative session to free up capitol improvement funding to cover the drop in sales tax revenue. But according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the governor thinks MARTA is being a bit hasty.
Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said MARTA’s call for a special session is “premature” because the governor hasn’t seen details of the agency’s financial plight. While MARTA officials put that information together for lawmakers to consider as the bill went through the General Assembly, Brantley said, the governor didn’t receive a similar pitch.
“They didn’t come up and ask for help on the bill to begin with,” he said. Scott said MARTA’s board will decide in early June specifically how to carry out the planned service cuts.
I’m beginning to get the feeling that this is all going to end up with the Governor driving a MARTA train. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?