"The MARTA has been variously envisioned as a vehicle for transforming Atlanta into a world-class city"('Transforming Atlanta: The Mode of Mobility Under Construction', Chapter 3, page 51). Allow me to critically analyze to what extent the MARTA has actually been successful in transforming Atlanta for the better.
According to Keating, the MARTA was created to add to the aesthetic value of Atlanta. It's creation was more about "appearances and less about rationalizing time and space". However, the MARTA is seen as a "blight on the city" and does little to beautify Atlanta.
The MARTA is slow, unsafe and invariably not running on time. It threatens one's "sense of security" and provides inadequate service overall. It is foolish to travel via MARTA expecting first class customer experience. Due to its limited accessibility, it fails to rationalize space and time.
So, neither does the MARTA contribute to Atlanta aesthetically nor is it seen as a reliable mode of mass transit. Does the MARTA solve any purpose effectively? NO.
Ever since its inception, the MARTA has been plagued with controversy and corruption. Numerous counties opted out of the MARTA. There was no general consensus over its creation.
What was bad soon became worse. The creation of MARTA led to the displacement of thousands of people. People began complaining that the MARTA serves the suburbs and the suburbs aren't paying for its services. One school of thought is of the opinion that the MARTA simply caters to the wealthy and ignores the needs of the poor. Thus, it ignores social mobility and fails to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Another school of thought is of the opinion that it provides too much service to the poor and to Black riders and challenges White privilege. Thus, due to the shortcomings of the MARTA, automobile dependency is justified.
Despite these shortcomings, the MARTA still is the 9th largest transit system in North America. It carries more than 450,000 passengers a day, using 556 buses, 338 rail cars, and 110 passenger vans, as well as 15 small buses('Transforming Atlanta: The Mode of Mobility Under Construction', Chapter 3, page 56). Thus, we see that the MARTA caters to the needs of a large section of society which is dependent on the MARTA. Moreover, the MARTA also contributes towards attaining sustainability when it comes to environmental protection. Thus, it would be ludicrous to terminate the services of MARTA.
On the other hand, Atlanta must strive towards incorporating an integrated transport system within the realms of the city. The State should fund an "integrated transportation system that can economically move anyone and anything, anywhere, anytime, on time; a transportation system without fatalities and injuries; and a transportation system that is not dependent on foreign energy and is compatible with the environment"(http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www/people/rjhans/docs/vision2050.pdf). Moreover, State funding is imperative if there is to be any improvement to the present day scenario.
In "Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City", transit advocate, Lee Gaddies, speaks about an integrated transit system where you have electric buses, light rail, high speed rail all working as one integrated, seamless mode of transportation. This should be Atlanta's utopian vision! The three pictures above give us an idea of the elements of an integrated transit system.
Works Cited:
1) Konrad, Miriam. Transporting Atlanta: The Mode of Mobility Under Construction. NewYork: SUNY UP, 2010.
2) Konrad, Miriam. Lecture. ENGL 1101: Rhetoric of Mass Transportation. Georgia Institute of Technology, 16 Sept. 2011.
3) Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City. Dir. Aaron Woolf. Prod. PBS. 2010. Film.
4) http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www/people/rjhans/docs/vision2050.pdf
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