MONROE, DOUG. “Where It All Went Wrong.” Atlanta 52.4 (2012): 86-98. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com /eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6976c97b-93d9-41fd-bf02-0fedf44ac568%40sessionmgr4004&vid=12&hid=4202>.
Monroe analyzes how the government failed to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) into the suburban areas in Atlanta. He explains that not enlarging the MARTA was a tremendous mistake that created the region’s transportation infrastructure. The Georgia General Assembly voted to create MARTA in 1965, which is the mass transit system for the City of Atlanta and the five core metro counties: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett. The creation eventually only had a few counties financial support for the MARTA. The lack of support ultimately leads Mayor Sam Maxwell to plan a subsidy for MARTA through a sales tax, which was approved in 1971. The MARTA was used for many people who could not afford cars and helped many with time management. This article provides a great example about the struggles to establish the MARTA, which is now the dominant method of transportation in Atlanta and many other counties. Monroe provides the outline of how the MARTA was established to bring the people together and give them the conveyance needed.
Toon, John D. “Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).” New Georgia Encyclopedia. 19 August 2013. Web. 01 February 2016. <http://www .georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/metropolitan-atlanta-rapid-transit-authority-marta>.
In this article, Toon acknowledges that the Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Authority is known as the ninth-largest transit service system in the United States. More than 550,000 passengers utilize the MARTA a day. The article describes the process of how the MARTA was built and the complications that came with it. MARTA was predicted to bring danger and struggle to the community, so it was limited to many areas. MARTA expands in various ways, including forty-eight miles of track and thirty-eight stations. The MARTA also operates in many different areas, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Interstate 285, Interstate 85, and Georgia 400. Toon explains how the different systems of MARTA’s transit spreads and diverges to various places. Toon interprets the inside of MARTA and the usefulness it provides. This article supports MARTA, which helps diversifies and allows communication in various communities. The architectural design of MARTA is spread throughout several areas and is a cooperative transportation system for everyone.
Vock, C. Daniel. “The Driver Behind Public Transit’s Transformation in Atlanta” Governing the States and Localties. October 2014. Web. 01 February 2016. < http ://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-marta-atlanta-keith-parker.html>.
The CEO of MARTA, Keith Parker explains how MARTA is becoming a financial problem, having struggles with the state legislature, and a bad public image. Since the 1970’s, MARTA trapped in racial, regional and partisan acrimony. Due to the state legislatures criticism, the MARTA has not been able to expand. Most of the national public transit agencies get a quarter of their income from the state funds, but MARTA is dependent on local sales tax. This situation creates defenselessness for an economic downtown. Keith Parker explains his struggles to try to financially improve the MARTA in order to enlighten the aspect of it. Vock evaluates Keith’s attempt to persuade the state legislature to approve and support the system, “So I viewed that as a major thing to work through: how we change the image of the agency”. Keith plans many determined expansions to improve the MARTA transit agency and make it much more compatible for passengers. This article analyses the complexities for the MARTA and how it affects the passengers and the agency.