MARTA Bill Dies in Senate

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ATLANTA, GA -- A bill that would have allowed citizens to consider an $8 billion expansion of MARTA along the S.R. 400 corridor north of Sandy Springs has stalled in the Georgia General Assembly.

That’s according to Brett Johnson, spokesperson for State Sen. Brandon Beach, the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 330.

“The bill will not be moving forward,” Johnson confirmed to Patch.

According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Jim Galloway, the bill did not make the Senate Rules Committee’s calendar and will not be considered on Crossover Day, which is Monday, Feb. 29.

The bill drew criticism and concerns from elected officials in north Fulton County, including the Alpharetta and Johns Creek city councils.

However, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood expressed support for the plan while Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul called on legislators to allow residents to vote on the matter.

Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle, who said the proposal “deservedly failed,” added he believed the expansion of public transit is ”part of the solution as we look to shorten our drive times to home and to work,” however.

Paul added that the outcome was disappointing, but “one not unexpected.”

“The transportation problem we face can only be solved by looking at solutions from a regional perspective,” He added. “We are making progress. In Fulton County, (as) we had 13 of 14 city mayors and the Fulton County Commission in support of the MARTA Bill. A year ago, who would have thought that could happen. MARTA is vital to the long-term health of our community. We know that people will take transit if it can take them where they want to go. It is a vital component throughout the region. We can’t sit back and wait for the perfect solution. This was not our year for transit. We go back, regroup and work towards 2017. Doing nothing will simply strangle our economy in a sea of gridlock.”

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Image via Georgia State Senate’s Facebook page