Talk of the Town

By harold

February 9, 2007 7:36 AM | Link to this

LET’S SEE, 2 OR 3 DEATHS WEEKLY ON THE FREEWAYS. 2 OR 3 “ROBBED OR BEATEN UP” ON MARTA WEEKLY. EXCLUDE THE FRI AND SAT NITE DRUNKS AND HAROLD WONDERS HOW LOW THAT NUMBER GETS FOR PEOPLE COMMUTING TO WORK. HMM ZERO PERHAPS?

BILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE USING PUBLIC TRANSIT WITHOUT ISSUE.

45,000 AMERICANS DEAD EACH YEAR ON THE ROADS. MILLIONS INJURED SERIOUSLY ENOUGH TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL

GEE I WONDER WHICH IS SAFER.

ALL YOU NEED TO SEE TO FEEL LESS UNCOMFORTABLE PERSONALLY IS MORE RIDERS. NOT MORE COPS.

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 7:36 AM | Link to this

WATCH OUT A LITE BRITE MIGHT GET YOU!!!

By Dusty

February 9, 2007 7:37 AM | Link to this

I take the train every day, even in the dark. I’m a mid-40s woman and I don’t feel threatened at all. That may have to do with the fact that I’m not going to let some punk take advantage of me and I probably give off that vibe. I refuse to let myself be a victim.

I’ve even taken the train after a Thrashers game by myself to College Park. I’ve taken the train after working until almost 8 at night.

I do think the police need to be more visable. I can go days or even longer before I see a MARTA cop. Too many of them are driving from station to station. Get out of the car and get on the train. You can’t help someone on the train or at the station driving on the freeway.

By JohnM

February 9, 2007 7:37 AM | Link to this

I ride the trains pretty much daily, and am a 6 ft.+ male. I don’t feel too threatened very often, but it does happen occasionally with a thug or two here and there. I have to admit that I NEVER see any MARTA cops on the trains anymore, ever! I see them very rarely around Lindbergh, and with the exception of them riding around in patrol cars I otherwise just don’t see them at all. Since my commutes are on the North & Northeast lines with the exception of Airport trips, I can’t speak to the safety of the E-W line. If I were a woman, I would be a little concerned after dark I think - but it does not have to be this way. I do know that MARTA is trying hard to make do with limited funding, and it should be a constant thorn in all Atlantans side that we are the only big city transit system that receives not one dime from it’s State Government. Are you out there somewhere Sonny-do?

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 7:37 AM | Link to this

THE BIGGEST DANGER MOST PEOPLE WILL EVER FACE ON MARTA IS HAVING THE TURNSTILE NOT WORK AND YOU GET STUCK HAVING TO JUMP IT AND RISK PRISON OR PAY AGAIN

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 7:38 AM | Link to this

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT HARRY POTTER.

By CJ

February 9, 2007 7:40 AM | Link to this

I have to commend Chief Dunham. The system is very safe. I also commend Marta for being proactive with hiring a RARE African-American Female to succeed Gene Wilson.

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 7:44 AM | Link to this

WHAT DOES MARTA “PROPERTY” MEAN? EVERY BUS STOP? SO WE ARE INCLUDING RANDOM STREET CRIMES TO MAKE MARTA LOOK LIKE A SCARY VILLIAN?

WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS FOR PEOPLE WHO USE THE TRAIN TO COMMUTE TO WORK FOR NORMAL OFFICE HOURS? ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!

NO DANGER WILL ROBINSON! NO DANGER WILL ROBINSON! NO DANGER WILL ROBINSON! NO DANGER WILL ROBINSON! NO DANGER WILL ROBINSON!

HOW MUCH DID THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER PAY YOU FOR THIS COLUMN BOOSTING CARS AND DOWNING PUBLIC TRANSIT?

HOW MUCH DID THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER PAY YOU FOR THIS COLUMN BOOSTING CARS AND DOWNING PUBLIC TRANSIT?

By LauryT

February 9, 2007 7:45 AM | Link to this

MARTA has a long way to go before I, as a woman, would consider riding anywhere alone. There needs to be more evident policing of the stations and their immediate surroundings before I would feel comfortable enough to ride MARTA by myself.

By Bill

February 9, 2007 7:46 AM | Link to this

Cynthia:

It is very rare for me to agree with you, however on this subject I do. I agree with all you said and I have this question, why do I see as many MARTA Police Cars riding around Atlanta as I do Atlanta City Police? 90% of MARTA Police officers should be on the beat with their feet, not riding around Atlanta.

By Sue

February 9, 2007 7:49 AM | Link to this

I used to ride Marta to work (Buckhead) until my job hours changed. MANY TIMES I was solicited (trying to be nice)for money by various men/women that would become angry if you didn’t give them anything.The lighting at the College Park station parking lot is almost non-existent. The only time you see a Marta policeman is when the terror alert is elevated.I now pay for a monthly parking space out of my budget in order to feel safe. Forget the terrorists, Marta needs to do something about the homeless that ride the trains all day and sleep!

By jeffrye

February 9, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this

By Beretverde

February 9, 2007 7:56 AM | Link to this

Friday nights on the southbound train to the airport is a “zoo in the circus of Atlanta.” No cops to be seen anywhere. The clowns are aplenty, and “acting the fool.” MARTA, in this case and many others, isn’t “Smarter.”

By BG

February 9, 2007 7:57 AM | Link to this

Marta police and the City of Atlanta police refuse to take reports for many of the calls they are dispatched for. In my dealings with both organizations, unless someone is killed, they loathe to spend their time with stuff that may seem mundane to them, but mean much to us. It is especially disheartening when a police report is needed to further the matter to its ultimate resolution, but it takes pleading and complaining before they will even send someone out.

When the FBI posts crime statistics for various American cities, I always wonder how much of Atlanta’s stats are a fabrication, based on the fact they do their best to not take reports.

As for Marta, they like to leave everything they can to the local jurisdictions, even if it is clearly on their property.

I used to take Marta between north Fulton and Downtown, but never again! I’ll sit in gawd awful traffic before I endanger myself on their system.

This, coming from a former NY resident that felt safer walking around Manhattan at 3am than I do at high noon in downtown Atlanta.

Stop pretending to be police, actually BE police!

By Scott Gilbert

February 9, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this

After Last Thursday’s hockey game we were stuck for awhile at the five points station because Marta did not tell that after nine you must take the doraville train and catch the north springs train at Lindberg.

During our wait of over thirty minutes, no Marta Police were seen at the busiest station. There were plenty of people because of the Thrashers game getting out.

I couldn’t agree with you more.

By misawa

February 9, 2007 7:59 AM | Link to this

I haven’t felt safe on Marta in years and avoid it unless I feel I have no choice. The only times I use it anymore are for jury duty or if there is a need to go downtown to someplace where parking will be a problem. My wife feels pretty much the same. We don’t even bother using Marta for Braves games anymore, either.

I know you probably won’t share my opinion on this, and I don’t want to send everything on a tangent, but if the Georgia legislature would change the laws and allow concealed carry (with a permit, of course) on public transportation, I would reconsider. The police are too few around Marta stations (as you pointed out), therefore the only ones armed are the criminals.

By Mike

February 9, 2007 8:01 AM | Link to this

Harold - stop writing in all caps. It’s annoying and rude.

By Jaynicia

February 9, 2007 8:12 AM | Link to this

MARTA is safer depending on which connection you’re riding. While the security on the north/south connection appears adequate, it’s almost non-existent on the east/west connection. Every nutjob on the planet rides that one and they will hassle you fron one car to the next without any MARTA officer or personnel in site. You can intercom the driver and get no action. I rode it one day because I was going on a job interview down near Avondale and was terrified the entire time. I got the job but I turned it down because there was no way in hell I was gonna ride that connection everyday.

By CJ

February 9, 2007 8:13 AM | Link to this

MARTA gets so few things right that I doubt they can get security right either. They’ve had about 30 years in operation to fine tune their processes, procedures, and overall effectiveness yet it’s 2007 and they operate as if they just started up last week. I have never seen security on a train car; only gossiping and laughing at terminal entrances. That sure doesn’t boost my confidence, especially when I get approached by beggers and see people who dress the part of thugs and use hateful language on trains.

No, I don’t feel safe on MARTA.

By Eric

February 9, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this

I take MARTA every day, but I am always traveling during peak times (am and pm rush hour) so there are always many people on the traing. I feel very safe during those times. I have on occassion, traveled with my wife to locations like Phillips Arena, but again those are during events where there are lots of people around. If we are doing to dinner or a how we always drive. MARTA sucks in many ways, heck, in almost ever way (dependability, cleanliness, customer satisfaction), but very rarely have I feel unsafe usin the system.

By Jeff

February 9, 2007 8:16 AM | Link to this

I would love for someone to do a study and how many injuries/deaths happen on our highways compared to MARTA each year. How do the rate of injuries/deaths compare to one another.

It is popular to bash MARTA and public transportation because it gives us an excuse to not use it and stay in our cars which is easier and faster. We do this despite the inherent risks of driving. Studies have shown that for young people my age, driving can be the leading cause of death. But yet people do it and do not think twice about it. But as soon as we hear about crime on MARTA, we say no thanks, I will not use it.

I am a male, and I try to understand the fears of women on MARTA as best as I can as a male. And I think that there are real fears there for women to have on MARTA because of how our society treats women. To be honest though, I fear for my wife’s safety more when she is driving home on the interstate then when she is riding home on MARTA.

By Jeffrey

February 9, 2007 8:18 AM | Link to this

They actually paid you to write this article? I could have written this. MARTA is very safe. Why don’t you report on the hundreds of MARTA trains and bus rides that end without incident. How about that? Why not talk about how the Route 186 bus made it through last week without one bad thing happening to the riders. You are right if you don’t want to ride MARTA you have a choice and that’s driving. Good luck having someone behind you that thinks they are Jeff Gordon and tries to pass you only to fail. I’m so sick of reporters harping on one bad issue. Sure I feel for the lady that was raped however I disagree that MARTA should have to pay that much money. Pay her medical bills sure and perhaps a little more yet 1.7 million is way to much. Of course that’s another issue talking about people who sue just because they can. So next time let’s talk about the safety of MARTA and.

By Miguel

February 9, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this

I take Marta everyday to work to get to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and I rarely see a Marta police officer on the train. At night is even worse to ride the train with the single tracking problems it may take you at least twice the time to get to your destination. Also, a lot of customers make a lot of noise and Marta has no one around to take care of this behavior. One day a female friend of mine was riding Marta to the airport and a man sat next to her and started to touch his private parts infront of my friend. My friend moved to different seats but this man was chasing her around. At that time there was not one around to help her with this nasty man, then when Marta train got to the airport she contatcted the airport police and they found the man by baggage claim area and arrested him. I believe Marta is not safe at all for anybody. I hope the city of Atlanta will take care of Marta safety because we need to feel secure when riding the Marta rail system.

Thanks… Miguel

By Patrick Farley

February 9, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this

I had to take MARTA once, for a class. I was cured of MARTA that day. I saw a group of young men jumping the turnstile. Alarms started going off. A police officer was talking to two other officers about 100 feet away. I thought, well of course these young men had paid since the officers were taking no notice. However, I don’t think you can prepay for permission to grab other people and their property, which is what they did next. They ran off as the police WALKED toward them.

By Bucky

February 9, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this

Every now and then Cynthia gets it correct, this is one of those times. Harold is an idiot and doesn’t know what he’s talking about. What IS he talking about? He’s the kind of person who probably rides MARTA and strolls up and down the aisles yelling and screaming at people daring them to a confrontation. Yeah, MARTA is safe for nutjobs like you, isn’t it Harold? The problem is the rest of civilized society is not comfortable having to sit next to crazy people like you.

Cynthia is right, MARTA isn’t safe after dark. It would be better if we allowed citizens to carry weapons, THEN it would be safe. At least we would have a fighting chance against the muggers and rapists who use it to move N,S,E,W in the city, which is a whole ‘nother reason not to use the dumb system.

By SharonH

February 9, 2007 8:23 AM | Link to this

You don’t feel safe based on a lack of visible police presence. You must live a very sheltered life! I ride MARTA daily, have encountered no problems in almost 20 years of riding(off and on), NONE, I have never even so much as been solicited for money. I am now a commuter after having my car broken into 4 times, yeah but you don’t feel safe on MARTA, whatever Cynthia. Way to play into stereotypes. The biggest threat I have faced on MARTA are surly workers who hate their job and who have no interest in helping you unless you’re one of the White surburbanites that MARTA values so much, after all their 1.75 is worth so much more than mine.

By Jaynie

February 9, 2007 8:25 AM | Link to this

Harold is a ‘tard. Ignore him.

By Heather

February 9, 2007 8:26 AM | Link to this

Crime occurs quite often when people get off the train and walk home. The Oakland City Station, Hightower Station and the West End station are 3 of the worst. People are often robbed and beaten as they leave the station. It is not reported to Marta police because the crime occurred off of marta property. But it is still related to Marta. The crime is reported to atlanta police and most often not related back to marta. Marta is not safe, but neither are the areas of town that the 3 above mentioned marta stations are in. I cannot speak for stations in other parts of the city, but i can speak for these 3 stations. You may get robbed getting off marta here, but you may also be robbed just driving your car down streets in this area.

By john

February 9, 2007 8:28 AM | Link to this

Chill Harold…you’re gonna have a heart attack. You need some anger-management dude. If you feel safe, you can ride Marta. Others don’t feel safe and don’t have to ride Marta. Its a free country man. All caps is bad!

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this

I think the true issue comes down to race. I have used MARTA all my life I have taken it work DAILY as well as to sporting events, cultural events, doctor’s appointments, church, to the grocery store, to the shopping mall, etc. All of this and I have access to a personal automobile, I choose to ride MARTA because it is convinent, it picks me up in front of my home and drops me off everywhere in the city I need to go. Now I mentioned RACE, the only time you will typically see caucasians riding MARTA is to sporting events or to the airport and you have the rare few that will use it as their primary commute to work. MARTA is jokingly nicknamed Moving African-Americans Rapidly Thru Atlanta cause of its majority Black rideship. The older stations that are typically in african american communities you rarely see officers and this is coming from someone African American. Now if you go to the Majority white community you will see MARTA officers Standing around several, you pick up the Police phone they answer immediately but you go to the black areas you will pick up the phone for assistance and the phone will just ring and ring and ring… well you get the point. The buses that service the majority white communities are typcially new but the ones servicing the black and hispanic neighborhoods are old and frequently break down.

Security is hardly MARTA’s biggest problem. Now I am an African American man 5’11 150 i have never felt threatened on MARTA. My grandmother, Mother, Aunts and female cousins rode and still ride MARTA frequently. I think the issue is this image of the SOUTHERN DAMSEL in distress. Even at the lastest time of night there are plenty of People on MARTA trains and stations. Some women and men are so scared of socially speaking to someone that they are afraid to ask for help from other Atlantans for directions or assistance. That is hardly MARTA’s problem the problem is with that person. NOONE will sit by while a woman, man or child, young or elder is attacked and not step in to assist them. I have seen where groups of people have reprimanded young men and women for their Language, Loud Music and refusing to give up their seats to elder Patrons, this is Very common and you will see it IF YOU RIDE MARTA. If you are only ride MARTA every blue moon of course it is Foreign territory. MARTA police is only half of MARTA’s security its riders are the Other Half. If you see something happening and you don’t say something it is your APATHY that is the problem not MARTA’s Security

By JB

February 9, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this

My wife and I ride to work from East Point Every Day. We never feel threatened, and I don’t worry if she rides home alone later. We both have occasions where we stay after work for drinks with coworkers and then ride home after dark. I feel much safer on MARTA than I do on the roads in this town. We also walk to the station from our home in the Center Park Neighborhood in East Point.

By jt

February 9, 2007 8:37 AM | Link to this

As a man who uses the Linbergh Station daily, I can tell you that MARTA is NOT safe. There is a police precinct right there, but there never seem to be any police any where around - they certainly aren’t present on the train platform. There were none when a group of thugs went around shoving MARTA patrons. They weren’t there when an African American woman was passing out anti-white pamphlets. They aren’t there when the drunk and homeless wander around begging for money.

So where is this intense police presence?

MARTA, whose own chairman of the board was a welfare mother living in the projects, is an organization that has no idea about who its patrons really are….nor does it care.

By Cat

February 9, 2007 8:38 AM | Link to this

I’m a petite woman in her 30’s, and I’ve been riding the East/West line every weekday for the past 8 years. I feel very safe, and see MARTA police at the train stations every day. Every. Day. You folks that say you never see MARTA officers, perhaps you don’t see them because you’re not really looking for them? They’re around, perhaps just hidden in plain sight.

That said, I do avoid taking the train alone after 7pm if possible. Not that I’ve ever had a problem on MARTA, just that I don’t like to travel alone at night - I don’t like to drive at night, either.

By Joeventures

February 9, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this

I’ve ridden MARTA for years. At one time, I used to live in Smyrna, and it was faster for me to park at the Holmes station and ride MARTA to Five Points from there — never had an incident beyond some guy selling socks and incense in the afternoons. Even when I rode back to Holmes very late at night, my personal safety was never threatened.

There are some things MARTA could do to make the system safer.

First, enforce fare gates more vigorously. Anyone who evades fare should at least be stopped for a while as an officer checks the evader’s ID. It’s a very good way of catching people who have warrents out for their arrest.

Second, make the police presence visible on the trains. Plain clothes officers may help catch sock sellers, but they’re a very ineffective way to maintain order on the system. Maintaining order will have the greatest impact on the perception of safety.

Third, discontinue MPACT. This is the reason why it can be easier to see a MARTA police officer in a car than riding the system. I’ve heard about this program from several MARTA employees — all of whom acknowledge that MPACT’s approach lacks common sense.

Overall, I feel much safer on MARTA than I do driving Atlanta’s suburbs. Having ridden the system’s trains and busses at all hours of the night and day, I am confident in the safety and security of the system. However, this is an area where MARTA could really stand to improve its image.

By nomoresmartarider

February 9, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this

I have not been a Marta rider…since the day a conductor got off the train at East Point and left it unattended and just sitting for 10 minutes with every door wide open on the train. Filed an official complaint…never heard a word from management about action taken, changes, reprimands or firing of conductors, etc, etc. The other conductor was not there to switch off at East Point and so the other one on duty just left 100’s of people and a mass transit system unprotected and totally at the mercy of whatever. This was after 9-11 and after the Spain terroist attack on mass transit. I have no faith in this organization. I will pollute the environment and clog the roads until the State/city take over this arrogant group of individuals.

By scott

February 9, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this

Sure it would be nice to take Marta and never have to worry about crime but, “wake up” people,we do not live in Pleasantville.I use Marta everytime I go to the airport which occurs often. Though I am a 6ft tall male I still try and ride the lead car where the driver is. I do agree with the many people who see more MArta police in cars aroudn the city than I do City of Atlanta Police. Not a slam on APD just a but curious why this is. Marta had done a nice job of late and the product is very pleasant (I am speaking of trains here folks) and seems to be timely. Oh, and one last think to the person singing kudos for Marta hiring an African American female. Check your bigotry at the door next time.

By gary

February 9, 2007 8:41 AM | Link to this

Most of the women I know, and they appear to very smart women, feel like a stroll through downtown Baghdad is safer than riding MARTA after dark.

By Will

February 9, 2007 8:41 AM | Link to this

Thank you, Cynthia. Let’s be honest about this…if you were white and wrote this same column, someone would come out and call you racist. It is a truth that the majority of marta passengers along the airport route are minorities. Unless you’ve actually been a victim of crime in a certain spot, or seen it up close and in person, then the only reason to be fearful of the people you are around is their appearance and the associated stereotypes. Someone like Cynthia McKinney would certainly label this as racism.

By Linda

February 9, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this

I am a 40-something woman, and I commute by MARTA rail and bus every weekday, as early as the first bus at 5:37 a.m. and as late as 10:30 p.m. I have never been afraid on either the bus or the train. In the very early and very late hours, I make sure to get on the first rail car with the conductor, and I don’t read as I normally do during rush hour, but I have never felt as though I were in danger or needed to take other precautions. MARTA police are very seldom visible, either at stations or on trains, but, since most of the officers I’ve seen appear to be overweight and out of shape, I don’t think they could do very much more to protect me than I can by myself. I feel much safer on MARTA than I do walking down West Peachtree Street from the Arts Center Station.

By Greg

February 9, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this

You people are paranoid. I ride MARTA everyday for years and except for the bootleggers and homeless folks (which you can just ignore, btw), MARTA is safe. I do agree that the police presence has gone down since the threat level has been decreased.

However, to improve the system, there needs to be more people interested in the system. Reducing or eliminating use of MARTA WILL NOT help.

By Heather

February 9, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this

Bill, I agree with you. Why do Marta police drive up and down the street all day? The streets outside the marta station are to be patrolled by APD not Marta PD. They need to be on foot, in the stations and on the trains.

Harold, chill out, man. You’re gonna have a heart attack. Slow down on the caps- use some anger management techniques.

By ms ssam

February 9, 2007 8:45 AM | Link to this

I have been thrilled to ride the MARTA train since the EW opened in ‘79. Two white teenage girls going the the Who concert at the Omni by ourselves. What freedom! I grew up with older relatives who remembered riding the trolley from their ‘suburbs’ (one West End, one Kirkwood)down to Rich’s. Downtown. My two daughters and I ride every chance we get, although I will say East Point is my preferred NS station, and one (summer) night when we decided to stay dntwn late I did a lot of praying btween Oakland City and getting my car back on Main Street pointed back home. My daughters both want to attend college in town, partly because of the train. I would be happy to see more MARTA officers ON the train, and PATROLLING the parking lots. I have some great pictures of MARTA on youtube which can be accessed on southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com as well as on yt. From one who lived in the ATL area bfore and after, MARTA trains are fantastic, and we’d better take care of them before we lose them, either to apathy, or to crime.

By No Marta For This Man

February 9, 2007 8:46 AM | Link to this

Last summer I took Marta from the airport to Decatur. I had a broken arm at the time, was in a cast, and had a large piece of luggage that I maneuvered onto the train with my good arm. There was no room for the luggage in the usual area so I placed it next to me in partially in front of an empty seat. Two stops later a grubby overweight man (younger than me) told me that if I didn’t move my luggage so that he could sit down, he “would break my other arm”. I moved it as best as I could and he continued to rant and curse at me (even though there were empty seats a few rows away). He verbally threatened me until he got off the train a few stops later and never did sit down anywhere. Nobody on the train said anything (did I mention he was black and I was the only white person there?) Then, a self-proclaimed “Native American” started to rant about how he and the blacks in this country need to band together to take America away from the white people who stole it from them. The other black people on the train starting mumbling “ah-ha” and “yea, brother” all the while looking at the white boy with his arm in a cast. Needless to say, I felt very threatened and, of course, never saw any cops during the entire trip. I will never, ever, ever, take Marta again.

By FL Resident

February 9, 2007 8:49 AM | Link to this

I’m a female Florida resident who visits ATL often, and almost always take the train from my downtown hotels to Buckhead and other destinations, and have never felt unsafe. However, there have been young male riders who I thought I had to stare down to let them know I was not intimidated by them.

By Lou

February 9, 2007 8:51 AM | Link to this

Hey Harold, please turn off the caps lock. We all get your points.

I feel safe on MARTA, but only during rush hour, and only Monday-Friday. The weekends are down right creepy. My “feel safe” factor decreases the further south I go. I ride daily from Chamblee to Five Points, and between 7am and 6pm, I’m comfortable.

I do feel MARTA picks and chooses where to put more of a presence. I also feel extremely unsafe on the East/West line. I walk from Five Points to the GWCC, because I feel safer on the street.

What does scare me about MARTA is the lack of knowledge by MARTA personnel. They don’t know what’s going on half the time. The other thing that scares me is all the delays and problems MARTA has all the time. What the heck is wrong that EVERYDAY there’s a 10-30 minute delay for a train??? You could call that a safety concern, because people get angry and when people get angry, they get stupid.

My biggest complaint on MARTA isn’t safety. You learn how to protect yourself and move on. I don’t make eye contact with anyone. I don’t respond to people asking for money. I know where all the exits are. No, my biggest complaint is waiting 30 minutes for a train at 7:15am on a Tuesday. The service stinks.

I also feel fairly safe in the parking lot, but I always park under a light. As a single female, I’d do that anywhere, not just at MARTA.

It’s about having street smarts. With all that said, I did feel much safer on the MBTA in Boston than I ever have on MARTA. I was on the T at midnight, and never once looked over my shoulder. I can’t say that about MARTA at 9pm.

Here’s a huge different, in my experience, between the two systems. Riders on the “T” policed each other. Riders on MARTA hope that someone else will do the police work.

By RhondaA

February 9, 2007 8:51 AM | Link to this

I take marta everyday. I think that there should be more marta cops on the train. Everyday someone will ge on the train between North Springs and East Point stations selling something, drinking, or just using a lot of profanity. Yesterday, there was a young man on the train when we boarded at North Springs bragging about how high he was and he was drinking from a Jack Daniels bottle. He was saying that he was on Heroine and other drugs. We need marta police on the trains. Please!

By sarah

February 9, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this

I was accosted by a man on Feb. 5, 2007 at the Indian Creek Marta Station. This man deliberately went out of his way to touch my body. My son and I had to fiend for ourselves because the MARTA police force was nowhere to be found. This occurred around 7:35am. I reported the problem to the headquarter office and to the Indian Creek station and one idiotic MARTA official even asked “Where was I touched” as if that mattered. I was asked to come in a file a report but I refused because if the police force was around I could have made it then. I know they couldn’t prevent what happened but they sure could have been there to PROTECT AND SERVE. The MARTA administration is a JOKE

By Porkins

February 9, 2007 8:55 AM | Link to this

Jeffrye,

Get over yourself.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this

What alot of people do not understand is that MARTA is having to run on a Skeleton Budget it is the ONLY public transportation system in the country that doesn’t recieve a great amount of Federal funds.

The only people you have bothering you even when the train is packed are Homeless people who are trying to “get” enough money so they can pay to say in the downtown mission. Yes you have your drug addicts but they are not as bold as you might think. They will not attack you when the train is crowded. Typcially the violent attacks that i have seen have been amongst TEENAGERS who are fighting other TEENAGERS that is not a problem for MARTA that is a problem for parents who have poor supervison. CHeck your children and alot of the problems in Atlanta would be solved. Also when I do see something strange like other concern passengers I will use my cell phone. The Apathetic it ain’t me so it is not my business mentality is why crime is up Nation wide. When communities looked after each other instead of looking out solely for self the nation was alot safer. So you can’t blame just MARTA any crime in atlanta is due to citizen APATHY.

By Brad

February 9, 2007 8:58 AM | Link to this

HEY HAROLD TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK PLEASE!

By who cares

February 9, 2007 8:59 AM | Link to this

Marta doesn’t go anywhere or pick up anywhere so who cares.. Who rides this thing anyways?

I feel safe when i am armed and no one sits near me.

By DailyRider

February 9, 2007 9:11 AM | Link to this

Ya know…what do you consider crime? I consider daily watching folks harass me and sell bootleg CDs and Movies on the train crime. I also consider vagrancy a crime and daily I see stinky smelly homeless people taking up two seats during business rush hour so that they can sleep. Disturbing the peace is a crime, I have to listen to punk riders hip hop being played WAY to loud…I don’t feel unsafe, I just feel disgusted and annoyed. I live next to a Marta Station and I ride for the environment and to support the system, but I think MARTA is far from a pleasant experience and filled with way too many undesirable trashy rude riders.

By Gayle

February 9, 2007 9:13 AM | Link to this

I ride MARTA and don’t fear for my safety necessarily, however, if you go to any other major city, including NYC, you DO see some kind of personnel on or around the platform. Anyone on this blog read about the woman who was kidnapped and raped at the Lindbergh station? She leaned on her horn when approached at her car in the parking garage and not a soul came to her rescue. Where was the MARTA employee who was supposed to be on duty? Probably shoveling some fast food down their fat, lazy throat somewhere else.

By Ed

February 9, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this

It depends on the time of day, the event I am traveling to and the area. If there are lots of people from the suburbs on the train for a daytime sporting event, I have no issue. At night in places like Five Points, never do I do that or allow my family to, its a risk I won’t take.

By dj

February 9, 2007 9:18 AM | Link to this

Feelings, nothing more than feelings…

Feel safe… ride MARTA (like I do, at any time… never seen a crime, a fight, etc.)

Feel unsafe… don’t ride MARTA.

How many times can the AJC reinvent this same blog?

By DailyRider

February 9, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this

Ya know…what do you consider crime? I consider daily watching folks harass me and sell bootleg CDs and Movies on the train crime. I also consider vagrancy a crime and daily I see stinky smelly homeless people taking up two seats during business rush hour so that they can sleep. Disturbing the peace is a crime, I have to listen to punk riders hip hop being played WAY to loud…I don’t feel unsafe, I just feel disgusted and annoyed. I live next to a Marta Station and I ride for the environment and to support the system, but I think MARTA is far from a pleasant experience and filled with way too many undesirable trashy rude riders.

By Leo Brown

February 9, 2007 9:24 AM | Link to this

It is very unfortunate that the masses who could actually benefit from using public transportation do not. I’m talking mostly about middle-class Americans. I wholeheartedly agree that more and higher visibility by MARTA Law Enforcement is warranted. I am not a resident of the area, but do visit a couple of times a year, and have plenty of experience using the train system, mostly North/South line. I will admit that there are times when it’s slightly uncomfortable, just based on the body language and eye contact that is made with certain other riders who “appear” to be looking to cause trouble. However, I have NEVER encountered, nor seen, any activity of the sort during my use of the system.

As the City continues to grow and bring in thousands of new residents annually, my hope is that more people will get onboard and make the system more successful. Also, bringing more college students intown (new GA State Dorms) is going to help, because I believe they will also become patrons of the system.

While policing can go part of the way to increasing safety, the real key is usage. Without high usage, fear of safety, whether perceived or otherwise, will never improve to a great degree.

By Safety is a Joke

February 9, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

All seven times, during the middle of the day, I have ridden MARTA I have run into direlects who are either acting crazy by themselves or trying to intimidate me. I would only ride MARTA in an extreme emergency. I knew one woman who said she had ridden MARTA home from the airport one night around midnight, and that she felt totally confortable. I think she must have been totally oblivious to her surroundings. What a shame that what could be an excellent alternative is not safe. I might add that on one of the trips I took home from the airport I was approached by an unsavorably character trying to put his arm around me. I had to get up and move to another seat. This happened with a so-called security officer sitting right across the aisle from me, without her doing a thing, but, to continue reading her book. Total joke.

By Scott Case

February 9, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

I like the smell of vomit and rotting corpse on the trains. Also, the young black youth are so friendly. At least we have TV’s. That’s the most important thing. Also, the Decatur station sure is coming along. Everytime I walk by it’s 1 redneck and 2 Mexicans picking their a$$. Maybe they should get the people who can throw up a super Wal Mart in 1 month to fix it. Let’s put the anta back in Atlanta.

By Karen

February 9, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

I am an almost 40 year old female and I’ve ridden Marta consistently for 17 years. I feel pretty safe, but I agree that there is a major difference in the north/south line and east/west. I very rarely see Marta police on the system, but see them very regularly sitting in their cars at the Chamblee station. I felt safe at Peachtree Center any time, night or day, and I do at Chamblee as well, but the Arts Center Station is a whole different thing. It feels dirty, and there is definitely a different atmosphere. I would ride after dark, but I would be very alert to what was going on around me.

By RC

February 9, 2007 9:28 AM | Link to this

MARTA’s reputation for being unsafe is a reflection of Atlanta’s reputation for being unsafe. Most of this has to do with racial perceptions and in its simplest form can be stated as: Blacks moved in. Whites were forced out. Blacks cause crime. Therefore, Atlanta is unsafe because of blacks. Thus it follow’s that since everyone knows that MARTA was created for blacks, and blacks ride MARTA, MARTA is therefore unsafe.

Fair or not, that is the perception of large majority of the white people who don’t live in Atlanta and/or don’t ride MARTA.

Coincidentally enough, whites are supposedly moving back into Atlanta in fair numbers because we hear a lot about “gentrification” which fairly or not translates to: Whites are stealing black folks homes and forcing them out (and demanding that the city pick up the trash on time).

Will these same newly arriving whites start riding MARTA, forcing the blacks off, thus lowering crime and making MARTA safe (for the first time since it was created for blacks who weren’t safe to be around in the first place)? Only time and an objective analysis of crime statistics will tell.

Meanwhile, perceptions can be a very limiting thing, and fair or not, MARTA, Atlanta, and all commuters regardless of their race, creed, color, nationality, or metropolitan county of origin have a lot to overcome.

By CandlerStation

February 9, 2007 9:33 AM | Link to this

Ya know…what do you consider crime? I consider daily watching folks harass me and sell bootleg CDs and Movies on the train crime. I also consider vagrancy a crime and daily I see stinky smelly homeless people taking up two seats during business rush hour so that they can sleep. Disturbing the peace is a crime, I have to listen to punk riders hip hop being played WAY to loud…I don’t feel unsafe, I just feel disgusted and annoyed. I live next to a Marta Station and I ride for the environment and to support the system, but I think MARTA is far from a pleasant experience and filled with way too many undesirable trashy rude riders.

By Chris

February 9, 2007 9:34 AM | Link to this

Safe? It is as safe as anywhere.

MARTA does have a very tough job. It is called perception. We all have a part to do in safety. I ride MARTA every day from Lindbergh to Peachtree Center. I feel unsafe on the walk to my office building. All the bums who urinate on the buildings and hide in the coves to get warm scare me more than on Marta. Anytime I have told Marta about a bum asking for money they chase them off for me. Also I see the police and they do have an office at Lindbergh. They patrol that station on foot and bicycle all the time. They can’t be everywhere all at once. Yes, they can higher more of them. I guess it is like the scarecrow in the yard but after a while even the bird knows it is just a scarecrow. Safety comes from everyone looking out for each other. We all have to be on the lookout and call the police for help. No one needs to try to be Superman but we can all help. That lady who was raped said in the paper she honked the horn of her car and screamed very loud but no one cared to help her.

Safe is a concept in your head.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this

I agree with Scott. YOu have to use a certain level of common sense. When I was an Intern in the New York city/ Jersey Area i rode the PATH and the METRO often to work, heck everyday to and from. ANd I always rode in the lead car I can defend myself but the further you are from the lead car the less safe it is IN ANY CITY not just on MARTA. That is like walking down and street with no lights. YOU have to use common sense. If you don’t have that then you might need to stay home watching Oprah. I had a female friend who rode MARTA for the first time to work and asked me about safety. I instructed her to ride in the front of the train. She asked me don’t you ride it daily, Yes i replied but that is just common public safety on ANY public transportaion system in London or Portland or Boston of Chicago, you just have to use common sense.

NO public transportation system is perfect NONE. For one postive experience you will have a negative one. SO lets just all be realistic. If you go down all the comments for everyone good one you have a bad one, that can be said of anything that is discussed in thee blogs for everyone PRO there is a CON for every Advantage there is a Disadvantage that is JUST LIFE.

By Naked Emperor

February 9, 2007 9:38 AM | Link to this

I am also a former MARTA rider both to work and the airport.

Without major security changes in the system, the only way that I will ride the train again is with my pistol in my shoulder holster.

The last train rides I had (from the airport) was a filthy experience. Griffiti, chicken bones, and empty food wrappers everywhere. Loud, unwashed folks looked like the train was their home and were angry that I dared to enter it. Unintelligible announcements over the loudspeaker.

Atlanta will never be a truly cosmopolitan city until it has a transit system that works. Look at New York and Paris. Those systems are over 100 years old and shine by comparison to the rathole we call the MARTA train line.

I pity the folks that have no other transportation to work.

By Ann

February 9, 2007 9:51 AM | Link to this

I’ve lived in Atlanta since ‘99 and have taken the train on countless occastions, at all hours of the day or night.

I have yet to see a Marta Police Officer on a train; it’s a bit like the Loch Ness Monster - I’m starting to wonder if they really exist!

By armed and dangerous

February 9, 2007 9:53 AM | Link to this

I hope to God I never need help on MARTA because I KNOW there wouldn’t be any.

By SteveO

February 9, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this

A. HAROLD TURN OFF THE FREAKING CAPS LOCK!!! IT’S ON THE LEFT SIDE ABOVE THE SHIFT KEY!11!!

B. I ride MARTA late night often and never feel concerned. Then again, I’m a guy, so it’s probably easier for me.

By Linda

February 9, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this

The last time I rode MARTA was to the Olympic games in 1996, an unsettling experience to me and my family. I vowed after that not to ride MARTA as it was not worth the potential risks to personal safety. Having read the comments posted here, nothing has changed and might well be worse now. Putting off people’s real concerns on this matter of security lends credence to me my decision not to ride for years. To pooh-pooh these concerns says a whole a lot about those who are in charge of doing anything about it. Like the DMV nightmare for driver license renewal, nothing changes that recurring theme of incompetence either.

By ken

February 9, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this

I am a man who has been taking MARTA to my office in Dunwoody for the past 6 years, not once have i ever felt threatened or feared for my life. I feel very safe and have never had any problems. However i can understand why some women might be a little fearful, when i started using MARTA, there were police all over the train going from car to car, and now i haven’t seen that in years. When ever someone was using profanity or playing loud music, they would nip it in the bud. Now when i hear loud music or profanity i nip it in the bud. I think a lot of comments being made are by people who have never taken MARTA for a period of time. When you live in a city, homeless people , drug addicts and mental people are part of the package. I feel much safer on MARTA than the subway when i lived in New York. In closing i do say they need to make the cops more visible on the train.

By ryan

February 9, 2007 9:58 AM | Link to this

Okay. 2 incidents per week. This is such a miniscule figure - check the following.

The AJC article also quoted ridership at “more than 182 million per year.” For the sake of simplicity, let’s round that down to 182 million, then divide by 52 to get weekly MARTA ridership: 3,500,000 (3 and a half million per week). Divide it by 2 (the number of incidents per week), and you get 1,750,000 - that’s 1:1.75 million.

So when you ride MARTA, your chances of being robbed or beaten up are 1 in 1,750,000.

That’s a little more thatn 1/3 of the Atlanta region’s population, folks. If the whole Metro Atlanta area’s crime stats matched these, you’d have 3 robberies or assults per week for the entire 20+ county region. If you don’t feel comfortable riding MARTA because you have a 1/1,750,000 chance of being injured, robbed, or beaten up, you probably shouldn’t even leave the house .

By judy

February 9, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

I never see cops on the trains. if anywhere, they’re congregating together up by the “turnstiles” blabbing amongst themselves (when Unions go bad)….useless fat pieces of garbage. i would really hate to be in a situation where i was in trouble and needed their assistance…………

By QC

February 9, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this

I use Marta Monday-Friday and i’m on the train very early in the morning. No i don’t feel safe all the time why are there not Marta Police on the trains all during the day? These high school kids get on there…cussing, fussing and being soooo disrespectful. But let there some type big convention, or famous speaker, etc come to Atlanta, you can find Marta police on every car…so why wait until something bad happens, we need protection on the trains 7 days a week so step up to the plate **Marta, stop taking the fair up, and pull some of these cops down and place them on the train so “we” can feel safe, would’nt you want someone to do the same for YOU88

By Morris

February 9, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this

MARTA needs to target the white demographic. It needs their support. It needs to show them that MARTA is not just for blacks as many whites want to believe. It needs to show them that MARTA is not just “a train that doesn’t go anywhere I want to go”. It needs to show them that it has an extensive bus system too. It needs to show them that it is responsive to their needs. It needs to show them that that it will take them to where they want to go. It needs to show them that it can do this safely, swiftly, and more cheaply than by automobile. It needs to spiff itself up. It needs to present a public image that is friendly, courteous, knowledgable, safety concious and willing to help. Right now it does none of those things. It seems to operate as if it exists just to for the sake of existing. Who wants to do deal with an organization that apprarently doesn’t give a damn about getting your business? There is a huge portion of the metro-population looking a commute solution. These folks are white. It is alright to market to white people. They have money to burn. Go for it. Don’t be stupid.

By Miss P

February 9, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this

Cynthia, I definitely agree with you. I take Marta to work everyday. I work an earlier shift so I am never caught at 5 Points station when its dark outside. I see Marta cops (every once in a while) at stations, but never on the actual trains which is when I have the most concern for my safety.

I wish they would do something about the peddlers that post outside their station and roam between the train cars. Outside of safety concerns, the trains are extremely dirty and smell horrible. And there seems to be a maintenance delay or issue at least twice a week on the East/West line. Why do their trains come so far apart?

By AJC is the NY Post of Atlanta

February 9, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

Stolen from another blog after a similarly pathetic misinformation letter to the editor:

What’s so annoying about this letter is that it takes incidents that are infrequent and make them sound like they’re happening on an every minute basis. While I’m not going to say that none of these events happen, I haven’t been panhandled on the train in over a year. I have never ever seen someone with a “boom radio” (what is this, the 70s?). People do sometimes listen to their headphones too loud and it is annoying but has nothing to do with safety. While I have no doubt that most of the events descibed happen on a system as large as MARTA, I do think the letter gives a grossly inaccurate view of what it is like to use MARTA on a daily basis. Unfortunately, for most of metro Atlanta, such letters and the associated verbal stories traded around their offices are the only information about MARTA they get.

While the writer does have a point about the lack of police presence on the trains (since they’re off protecting automobiles in parking lots) it does seem like there have been more officers on the trains lately. You’ve got to love the “decent” remark at the end but I’m use to being indirectly being called a scumbag when non-riders refer to all MARTA riders with such terms.

Also troublesome is how often the AJC prints letters full of unverifiable alligations. The Vent columns are even worse. I’ve seen vents dozens of times stating that GA400 tolls were suppose to be removed long ago when in reality the bonds are not paid off until 2011. But the AJC continues to give a forum to so many transporation myths and half-truths that serve only to misinform the public as to the true costs and utility of different modes of transporation. As a friend who moved here recently from NYC said, it reflects poorly on the paper to pass long information of such dubious truth.

The interesting thing is that as the crime statistics show, MARTA’s OVERALL crime rate is a bit over 3% (per 1000), which is the same as that of the violent crime rate of Alpharetta and one tenth of Alpharetta’s property crime rate. Obviously MARTA is not a city so you wouldn’t expect there to be as many opportunities for property crimes, but it would seem there is more opportunity for violent crime and yet the rates are similar (MARTA’s is probably lower when the property crimes are removed from the crime rate). But Alpharetta does not have the same “oh my God, we’re going to die” perception as MARTA does. Letters like the above only add to the false perception and I suspect the writer was grossly exaggerating their experiences.

It would be interesting to do a full crime comparison between MARTA and some of our “better” cities and see if we could get the AJC to publish it.

By Rich Davis

February 9, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this

MARTA wants to attract more middle class riders. Their strategy of using plainclothes police officers in high incident areas may have been effective but it is perception that keeps people off the trains.

There is a perception that there are no police when no one ever sees a uniform. There is a perception that there is no law enforcement when people are allowed to spit, eat, drink, smoke, sit on the steps and listen to loud music.

Enforce the rules of behavior, make the police visible again, and you will immediately see a decline in serious incidents as well as an increase in ridership.

By Lisa Marie

February 9, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this

I ride Marta every day to work. I am often riding after dark, I feel pretty safe once in the station but not always walking to it. I try to keep an eye on what is going on around me and if I don’t feel comfortable, I move to a new location. After a woman was abducted at the College Park train station a couple of years ago, I started waiting to park in a closer spot when I new I would be coming home late. I also would ask a Marta Police officer or Station Attendent to walk me to my car if I felt unsafe. For a while I use to see a Marta Police Officer at the station but now I usually see them either huddled together at East Point near the exit or in their car traveling from College Park to East Point. I really like riding Marta because I can read my book on the 15 minute ride downtown and will continue but I think that Marta Police should ride the trains and be more visible. This morning, I didn’t see a single officer on my way in to work.

By Mr. Write

February 9, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this

I ride Marta twice daily, five times a week. When I catch the bus in the morning, it is dark outside. When I arrive home, it is dark outside. I ride the train from Indian creek to North springs, which makes my average trip time around 1 to 2 hours (depending on if the trains are delayed). My issue is not Marta, but the neighborhoods around Marta are not well lit, which includes my neighborhood. The city and county governments should put more lights around the bus stops and neighborhoods that Marta travels through.

By Spanky Johnson

February 9, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this

I ride MARTA train every day. And I haven’t seen one woman get harrassed or anything. There are alway rude and loud people riding….but thats every where. Only thing to fear is not having a seat. I think I’ll take my chances on MARTA than sit in the terrible traffic

By Jeff Pruett

February 9, 2007 10:14 AM | Link to this

I’ve been riding MARTA for over 20 years and the decline in all services (including security) is appalling. I’m a male and I don’t safe even with MARTA police present. In my interactions with MARTA’s finest, I’ve found them to be arrogant, rude and hostile.

By the way, as I was leaving the Five Points station this morning I noticed a man inside the station smoking a cigarette. There were two MARTA cops standing 10 feet from him; totally oblivious (or indifferent).

By Dave Armstrong

February 9, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this

New York Street Bravado is sometimes necessary when using Public Transportation - it translates into “Mess with me I will mess you back.” MARTA is a clean, convenient blessing.

By Chris

February 9, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this

I ride the train every day and have for years. I see uniformed Marta police all the time and have the worst incident I’ve witnessed was a man being very rude to someone.

By phillip

February 9, 2007 10:18 AM | Link to this

I don’t feel unsafe on MARTA I feel uncomfortable.

My last ride on a train I was surrounded by one couple having sex, one person smoking a cigarette, about 4 people chomping down on fast food, and 2 people selling candy and CD’s.

By Jennifer B

February 9, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

I’m just curious. Are those of you who feel safe African-American or Caucasian, or Asian, etc.?

The reason I ask is because as a Caucasian female, I don’t feel safe riding MARTA after dark. In the city, I am always one of only a few caucasians riding MARTA. I do feel frightened at times, but I don’t feel like driving and paying to park.

Let me know

By Chris

February 9, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

I am a 6ft+ male who rides the train everyday back and forth from East Point to Midtown. I have been riding the train everyday for over seven years. In that time span, I have seen less and less Marta police and more and more thugs, homeless, and downright undesirables on the trains and around the stations. Everyday at least once while on Marta property, I am approached and asked for money or a cigarette. Where are the police? Riding around in their cars, talking to the girls, or just doing nothing. If I am wrong, prove it. If Marta is in such a money crunch, why don’t they sell off those police cars, have the cops ride the trains, buses, or ride around the stations on bikes? Marta is a broken machine that needs more security, updated cameras, better lighting in stations, and better service. Also, ride past the Five Points or East Point, or even the College Park stations and see what kind of people are just hanging out around the station. Arrest these people for loitering for goodness sake. The police and Marta management need to step it up!

By Oprah Weaver

February 9, 2007 10:22 AM | Link to this

Mighty Migthy Mighty Apothesis Cynthia Tucker you are not because you a epigone.You want the Diva prediliction. After you arive on Marta Ms Thing Presuppose your weave was still intact say no more just please release your pretentiousness and get yourself a Breeze Card girl. Hocus Pocus because god doesn’t like ugly so here me clearly Get off your high horse.

By MARTA is Smarta ??? Not Really.

February 9, 2007 10:22 AM | Link to this

Do I feel safe when being treated like dirt as a paying customer by MARTA employees because of my law-abiding, MARTA-rule-complying, lily-white flesh tone?

Do I feel safe when MARTA makes me late for a concert, jury duty or work?

Do I feel safe when the aggressive panhandlers give me their UNwanted religious “testimony” while I’m stuck waiting on a MARTA rail platform for the usual broken down train and then demand money from me?

Uh, NO.

Burn in H-E-L-L, MARTA !

By Marc

February 9, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this

I ride daily from North Springs to Five Points during normal rush hours. I have seen some things (a few potentially dangerous people, most not) that could have quickly been taken care of if MARTA police road the trains like they did years ago, or roam the station platforms.

By SKC

February 9, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this

I recently rode Marta to the airport to pick up a relative. I had no problems at all. I felt safe as there were many people on the train with me. I might however feel differently if it were nite and I was by myself. I dont know as I wont do that.

By C

February 9, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this

I ride MARTA on daily basis to and from work using the EW line. While I don’t feel that MARTA is more unsafe than my parking lot at work, I do think MARTA has a lot of work to do in terms of beefing up security. A couple of years ago, I witnessed a fellow passenger pulling a gun out of another man’s pocket on a crowded afternoon train as it pulled into the Decatur MARTA station. Needless to say there was rush for passengers to exit that car at that station.
It wasn’t my stop but I fled too, stopping to alert a station manager at the entrance.
Apparently someone had already notified the Decatur police, because what appeared to be their SWAT team stormed into the station before I could exit. The station manager asked if I would make a witness statement and I agreed.
Unfortunately,what followed made me lose my confidence in MARTA Police. They took my statement but never seemed to understand that I had seen two men involved in the incident. They even brought in the perpetrator for me to identify (I don’t know whether Decatur PD or MARTA PD actually apprehended the guy.) But they never seemed to get the fact that there were two men involved and that they hadn’t caught or even identified the man who had the gun in the first place.

It took me several days to get over my fear of riding MARTA but I guess I’ve got a “lightening won’t strike twice” kind of attitude toward this kind of trouble. (I still won’t ride it alone after 7 p.m.)

By Animated38

February 9, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this

What’s the matter Cynthia? Not used to being around Black Folk over there in Inman Park?! NOT everybody on the train with baggy jeans and a white tee are a danger to you! Even tho’ I own a car, I take the train each morn and eve darn near everyday to MY less than dark neighborhood and I feel just fine. BTW update your photo, you look much older on those Sunday news shows.

By CDog

February 9, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this

I had to ride MARTA when I did my graduate work at Georgia State University. I am a 6’4” 240lb male, and I felt unsafe. There needs to be a visible armed police officer and/or security guard at every station 24/7 and one one every train 24/7.

Also, people with carry permits should be allowed to carry concealed firearms. You are ultimately responsible for your own safety and security, not the police or government. What the heck good is a “right to carry” permit if you can’t actually carry somewhere you might actually have to use it? If the would-be criminals even think that passengers might be armed, violent crime on MARTA will drop to nearly 0.

By Truthman

February 9, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this

Cynthia,

I am a big fan of yours, but you do MARTA and those of us who would like Atlanta to become a real world-class city a great disservice by denigrating MARTA.

Now, all the crackers and bigots will say, “See, even Cynthia Tucker won’t ride MARTA.”

I live in Conyers. I would like to be able to drive over to Olde Towne (or, better yet, take a bus), catch a train and be at Philips Arena - or Atlanta Motor Speedway - without driving.

This city NEEDS expanded rail service to every suburban city from Cartersville to Covington to Douglasville to Newnan to McDonough.

I’ve lived here since 1970, and I remember the MARTA battles of the mid-70s when Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett were too rednecky to vote for MARTA. Now, those counties suffer daily gridlock because of their short-sightedness.

Cynthia, please print a retraction. Otherwise, Sonny and his boys at DOT will pave the entire state!

By NH

February 9, 2007 10:38 AM | Link to this

I believe the point of the suit and the articles is if Marta is delivering the level of security which is expected/advertised. Public transportation is safer then an individual in a car, but not the point. It questions whether their crime statistics are accurate, which affects police strategy. Furthermore, the safety of its facilities, in this case it was precautions which were scheduled (budgeted) to be included in the construction of the parking deck because of known danger according to studies and recommendations by experts, but in the end were eliminated to save money. Simply put guard yourself and be aware of your surrounds, not to expect Marta will be there to protect you. They are doing their best but with poor internal policies.

By JT

February 9, 2007 10:38 AM | Link to this

I do feel safe on MARTA…especially at the Underground Station. Everyday I see 5-6 officers just standing huddled in front of the entry gates talking about the lastest Kenneth Cole line, or about the new tennnis shoes he just purchased at the nearby Payless.

It’s nice to hear that they are in “the know” when it comes to fashion instead of patrolling.

By Deb

February 9, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this

The only time I ever saw a cop on the train was on a ride home from the airport one evening.

The train was full. I was actually sitting with an officer. We were waiting to depart and most travelers like myself were tired and introspective. A homeless man boarded the train and began roaming the aisles loudly “speaking in tongues” or pretending to. After a long minute I made eye contact with him and said loudly “IF you don’t sit down and shut up, I’ll have him (indicating the officer) shoot you!” He gave me an indignant look and got off the still idle train. There was a smattering of applause and the cop said “Thanks.”

By sandi edelson

February 9, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this

I recently took Marta to the Airport for the first time. Let me preface my comment with the fact that I lived in New York City until I moved here, so I’m used to travelling on mass transit in a city that knows subway crime. I agree that there aren’t enough police present on Marta. Two loud, antagonistic guys kept making wise cracks while trying to make eye contact with me and my son while I was on Marta. If this happened in NYC, you always have the option to get off the train and take a bus, grab a cab easily or walk, but that’s not an option here!

By Vee

February 9, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this

As with any place, you have to be aware of your surroundings. MARTA is no different. I ride MARTA four days a week during the day and have never (*knock on wood) encountered any problems other than train malfunctions and delays. I do agree with Ms. Tucker, however, there is not a strong MARTA police presence. Because of that reason, I probably would not ride MARTA at night unless I had no other choice.

By Emma

February 9, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this

Crime statistics bear out that MOST crime is INTRAracial—meaning black-on-black, white-on-white, hispanic-on-hispanic, etc. So according to statistics, you are more likely to be a victim on MARTA if you are black.

By Harold and Oprah Weaver

February 9, 2007 10:47 AM | Link to this

Oprah Weaver, What an amazing collection of words! You and Harold should get together and who knows, the two of you might get hitched on a MARTA train! What prose you pose!

These two are exactly why nobody likes to ride the MARTA. They’re nuts and willing to spread their diseases to anyone close to them!

By k

February 9, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this

I completely agree with you. I took MARTA to work until early November when it started getting dark too early. I’m not worried about being on the train, but getting to and from my car can be sketchy. I later found out that in November there were a number of armed robberies around the station where I parked. Looking back, I remember a sudden increase in police presence … guess it was in reaction to that threat. Too little, too late.

I may start using the train again in the spring, but I don’t like feeling like I have to base my schedule on the time the sun rises and sets.

By Rick

February 9, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this

MARTA has police ? They can’t even keep people from eating on the train, much less anything else !

By Temp

February 9, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this

I don’t understand how this is so hard. MARTA says they have 300 police. So let’s divide that into 3 shifts, so 100 officers per shift. From my cursory look at the Marta map, there are 38 MARTA stations. So you place 2 officers at every station and put the remaining 24 spread out among the trains. I doubt there are more than 24 trains running at once, so you probably have about 1 officer per train. Since MARTA doesn’t run 24 hours, the shifts will overlap, at certain times, so you would have even more officers around during those times. Visibility is high, people are happy, crime should be low. How can I come up with this solution in 1 minute but MARTA officials can’t get their act together?

By Beretverde

February 9, 2007 10:55 AM | Link to this

When Brian Nichols is found NOT GUILTY… will he use MARTA?

By Fredrick

February 9, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this

Over the last couple of years, I have constantly been telling people that Marta is not prepared for a disaster such as 9/11 or any other type of problem. It is very rare when you see a police officer on the train. I ride Marta almost everyday and do not feel safe. The only place that I normally see a police officer is hanging out around 5 points station. It may take a couple of more lawsuits before they get the point.

By Jamie

February 9, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this

Only our state leaders are to blame for the issues with MARTA. If Gov. Purdue and our state representatives would free of 1/100th of the tax money that they waste on trying to pay us out of gridlock then MARTA would have more funding for police, cameras, etc. Instead of investing in rail, a system that could at least partically pay for itself, they tax us for more roads and bridges. Don’t let them fool you…THEY ARE NOT CONSERVATIVES! Many of our elected Republican state officials are part of the same gang of crooks that liberals and conservatives alike voted out of the federal house and senate in 2006. Spoken as a true conservative, Sonny Purdue and (most) state Republicans are simply wrong on the issue of Atlanta gridlock. History will prove so.

By C. Johnson

February 9, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

MARTA is a safe transportation alternative.

I just wish the trains were not delayed so much. A cartoonish female sounding voice saying “We are experiencing delays” is a very common sound repeated over the PA systems. I also agree with the other writer. There are a lot of kids (and adults) who ride the train cursing, screaming and rolling their necks and eyes.

By okay

February 9, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

It is a person’s right to be scared to ride MARTA, so let’s not bash them, but what are we going to do in 5-10 years when our morning and afternoon commute take a average of 2 hours to move 5 miles? Remember the incident a couple of weeks ago? Something is going to have to give. The first thing that MARTA needs is state funding like other cities. Secondly, to the person who said MARTA doesn’t go anywhere, that is because people don’t want MARTA coming to their communities because they fear a certain element will taint their carefree existence. MARTA does need more police presence, but that is not going to happen on their VERY limited funding, because you do have to pay these people. Maybe if our current law efforcers, not just MARTA, got paid better, we would see much better service. Until then, we will have half a** police officers that hate their job and could care less about you safety(not all). So if you are scared of MARTA, don’t ride, but what are you going to do when you can’t drive because of traffic? I gues you will have to move.

By Will

February 9, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

Marta cops are too concerned with fare evaders to be concerned about the safety of its passengers.

In addition, if cops were more prevalent at high crime stations and not stations like Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, riders might feel safer.

Marta loses a LOT of potential travelers because of problems people, mostly women, experience riding the train from the airport north. There are several frequent visitors to our city who work in my company who refuse to ride Marta because of problems they have encountered riding the train between the airport and peachtree center.

By JEB_in_ATL

February 9, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

I don’t ride MARTA very often for many reasons — safety concerns being only one of them. I have no fear during the day, but do not feel comfortable at night. Like many people, this fear is due to low ridership at night, little police presence, and many beggars/vagrants in/near stations and on trains. I’ve lived in other cities where riding trains at all hours of the day and night is no problem. Atlanta is not one of those cities — at least not yet.

By L.D.

February 9, 2007 10:59 AM | Link to this

I’ve been approached both on the train and outside the Peachtree Center station, and the one that approached my wife and I for money while riding the MARTA train, I later saw that guy on trial for murder.

MARTA is generally safe, but the overall prescence of security is sorely lacking. I see maybe one MARTA policeman once every 4-5 round trips. Sooner or later that lack of prescence in and around the stations is going to catch up to reality.

By AT

February 9, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this

I walk everyday from Georgia Tech to the Midtown MARTA station. As a white female, I feel more concerned for my safety on my walk through midtown and to my house than at the MARTA station. I always leave school after dark, too. I have yet to see any incidences that require police presence other than people selling CDs and candy.

By Cynthia Tucker

February 9, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

Jeffrye, As you noted, I live in Inman Park, a pretty safe, middle-class neighborhood. But I don’t job after dark there, either. I see other women doing it, but I don’t. Call me paranoid, but I’m pretty cautious about my personal safety.

By Denise

February 9, 2007 11:07 AM | Link to this

If you want to know where all the Marta police are, go to Five Points. I take Marta during business hours but I try not to use Marta in the evenings and on weekends unless I am in a group. Seeing Marta police are as rare as a pearl in a oyster unless you are at certain stations. Five Points seems to have 1 officer for every 5 customers. Just know you are on your own when you travel on Marta, and take the necessary precautions.

By Nancy

February 9, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this

4 years ago I was at the North Avenue station around 11:00 at night. I had a man approach me and tell me his name was Flash and he was going to kill me as he shoved his boom box in my face. A marta employee walked by about a minute later and I told him that Flash was threatening my life and asked him if he would mind standing with me until the train came. He flat out told me NO and to go upstairs and find a Marta Police Officer. I contacted Marta twice and never heard back from them. Although Flash did not kill me, I still feel lucky that he did not.

By Matt

February 9, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this

There is a consensus on this blog. Folk’s perception is that they rarely if ever see a Marta police officer on the train or in the station. That is also very much my perception. Marta must not only become safer, Marta must also deal with the widespread perception that Marta is not safe. Part of changing that perception is implementing and publicising a more consistent and pervasive police presence at the stations and on the trains. Marta’s past leadership has not been capable of getting the job in regards to changing this perception. Perhaps new leadership is in order?

By Lee Biola

February 9, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this

I don’t feel safe on the downtown connector. I saw the picture in the newspaper last week of that compact car crushed under the front end of that school bus. The driver died because of someone’s split second bad decision. MARTA had two deaths in the past five years, but road deaths happen five times EVERY DAY in Georgia (1800 people a year). Now that is really scary.

By woodie

February 9, 2007 11:13 AM | Link to this

I feel safer in MARTA than I do when I get off of MARTA downtown. They used to have a really bad vagrant problem but they seemed to have a handle on that now. I’ve seen the MARTA police quite a bit. Lindberg should have extra security because it’s bigger. But the car parks are pretty big and open to the public so things are bound to happen.

By mads

February 9, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this

MARTA is the most inferior mass transit system in the country for many reasons. Safety and perception are two. If they want to attract the white suburban middle class rider they need to expand the plus sign routes and clean up the mess (people and inanimate) that rides it.

I feel scared everytime I get on it, feel like I should take my watch off my arm or I’ll get shot for it. My son loves trains and when he wants to ride we go to the dunwoody and north stations.

By Still Defiant

February 9, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this

I’ll have to disagree with Cynthia on this one. I take MARTA everyday from College Park to Civic Center and back in the afternoon as well as Hightower to Philips Arena for events there. I’ve never seen an incident not to say they don’t happen. I’ve never felt unsafe but that may be for the fact that I’m not scared of every little thing like some of the people who comment here. Here’s a newsflash - a lot of people on MARTA are working hard everyday just like you and I. They don’t have time to steal your purse or mug you. They’re going or coming from a long day of work. To those “scared”, you’re the least of our worries. Now, do nuts or people begging for something ride the trains? Sure, but there are just as many or more nuts driving on the roads everyday. As for the presence of MARTA police, I’ll have to join the majority and say they just aren’t there. Whether short staffed or just not getting out of their cars, this should definitely be addressed. Now if we could just work on getting those trains to be on time…..

By SawIT

February 9, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this

I actually watched while four MARTA officers gathered around a thug with a big bag of bootleg moves. No, they did not arrest him they purchased over sixty dollars worth of illegal merchandise and one of them got the dudes number so he get a copy of Stomp the Yard the next day! Problem is you have thugs guarding thugs

By Stan Lee

February 9, 2007 11:30 AM | Link to this

Look at Lenox square, for example, every time I go in there, I feel like im in south dekalb mall. Marta, thanks for bringing the thug life into north atlanta. You wonder why so many people move to alpharetta? Marta has turned the whole of Atlanta into a ghetto.

By Rick

February 9, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

I ride MARTA every day to work. I love it because I don’t have to sit in traffic and also saves me gas as well as wear and tear on my car and tires. The problem I have is the homeless. I can’t when they come up to me and bother me at MARTA. I usually ignore them but still I can’t stand them. We really need to do somthing about it because I am sure there are other people that feel the same way and also when we have out of town visitors I am sure they don’t want to be bothered by homeless people either.

By Ted

February 9, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this

One person commented that MARTA doesn’t have the funds to provide security. MARTA spent almost $200 MILLION on new turnstiles. Tied to this, they’ve had to hire numerous “station attendents” to explain how to use the new Breeze system. By my calculations, they could have hired a security agent at each gate from now until the next century for what they spent on this new system - which, btw, has one or more gates out of service at almost every station, every day. They could have let the guards keep out the turnstile jumpers, the inebrieated and homeless and solved most of MARTA’s security issues. Nope, money isn’t the problem.
Finally, props to the guy who made the rider take his luggage off the seat. Unless you’ve paid for 2 seats, only use one. I don’t know why MARTA police don’t enforce that rule, but, as pointed out, who ever sees a MARTA policeman? Maybe they’re out walking those bomb sniffing dogs they wasted their money on.

By cynthia tucker

February 9, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this

Truthman, We are in violent agreement. I, too, believe that the metropolitan area MUST develop a comprehensive mass transit system that provides rail service in at least the five major counties — whether that entity is MARTA or something else. But the system must also have the PERCEPTION of safety if it is to attract middle-income riders of all colors, black, white and brown. That means that the mass transit system needs to be well-financed enough that it can deploy more police officers. I’m not denigrating MARTA. I’m hoping it will improve the perception of safety. (And, yes, perception matters. Remember all those years that downtown floundered because of the PERCEPTION that it wasn’t safe?)

By vonn

February 9, 2007 11:37 AM | Link to this

Typical… people who dont use MARTA on a regular basis are quick to yell out they don’t feel safe. Well I take MARTA and yes I do have a car, but MARTA is quicker than sitting on 285, 78, 85 or 400 in rush hour traffic. I’ve been on the train at 5 am and as late as 11pm. I feel safe. Yes crime happens, but you can’t be unaware of your surroundings. Im not saying its a picnic, but its safer than most systems.

It amazes me how only two counties Dekalb and Fulton pay for the upkeep of MARTA, yet everyone rides. If all counties kick in on the bill then more officers can be placed in and around the stations….

By Jmarsh

February 9, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this

Don’t feel safe on MARTA? Get your concealed carry permit and equip yourself to keep yourself safe, should it be necessary.

That’s right, you’re not allowed to. Only criminals can carry weapons on MARTA.

By BUSHWACKER

February 9, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this

Yea, how come you NEVER see a MARTA COP around the stations???

And I am sure there are alot of crimes that don’t get reported so the numbers are higher than they are telling us.

By Lily

February 9, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

I ride MARTA everyday. I used to go from Inman Park to GA State, and now I go from Chamblee to Five Points, so I have some experience with the East and North lines. I often feel threatened and/or unsafe on the train, in the station and especially leaving the Five Points station through the plaza. I frequently have things yelled at me, I have people walk beside me (too close for comfort), and threats yelled at me. In fact, a friend was walking through that plaza the other day and some guy yelled to her something vulgar, and then his girlfriend threatened my friend because of it! I’ve walked by gangs of people beating up a homeless guy (it took me 10 minutes just to find a police officer to tell), and daily there is someone asking me for money. But as soon as I walk into the station itself, there are tons of officers standing around - usually about 5 of them chatting and laughing and paying zero attention. But that’s just the Five Points Station. When I get to Chamblee, often after dark, the parking lot is POORLY lit and there isn’t an officer around anywhere! The Inman Park station has officers in the parking lot - usually parked next to each other talking. But there are NONE inside the station! Maybe I feel so threatened because I am a woman, but I have that right. Especially when people hassle me and leave the MAN standing next to me alone. I also have experience with the transit system in NYC, and the reason it works is that people actually ride it! In Atlanta, people love their cars way too much, and only take MARTA when they have to. I don’t need police presence where ever I go to feel safe - only at those places where my safety is threatened. And to those of you who ride MARTA dauly and have managed to escape all of this, good for you. I’m happy that you don’t deal with it, but don’t discount the experiences of those of us who do. I beat myself up about this all the time because I feel like a huge racist when I’m scared of thugs on the train. But the bottom line is that as a blond haired white woman, maybe I’m a target. And if you think that’s not possible, try walking behind me through the Five Points Plaza some day.

By Gwinnettian

February 9, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this

So, Vonn, you wan’t only people who live in DeKalb and Fulton to ride MARTA?

Done.

I’ve got no problem with that whatsoever.

You stay out of my county, and I will stay the $*^&%$ out of yours.

Happy MARTA-ring!

By BUSHWACKER

February 9, 2007 11:49 AM | Link to this

Harold you are dumber than you look. We are not talking about traffic accidents when we say its not safe you moron. Yea you probably will not get hurt in wreck when on the train but you probably will never get raped or robbed while you are in your car driving dowm i-85 EITHER YOU IDIOT!!!

By the future

February 9, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this

Not too far from the future Atlanta will be a predominately white city once again. Old neighborhoods and old parking lots are being remolded with new high-rises and new housing in the city core. The transitions will also be focused on I-20 and below with gentrifications done many years from now when everyone will be so sick of traffic the average hard working American will be moving in and cleaning up things which is already happening at a fast rate. Real estate prices will be so high, that will help push out the element that cause issues and no one wants to be around in the first place.

By Nancy B

February 9, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this

Whatever happened to the man who was busted by MARTA cops for the token exchange?

Not being a driver I have no choice but MARTA to get around Atlanta. On Wed. I got on at Indian Creek and got off at Decatur caught a bus and made a return trip (around 4:00pm) where I saw a mingling of 4 MARTA police cars parked over the median. The 4 men were clustered together just talking and had zero interest that 4 cop cars might block busses. I see this sort of thing over and over—no cops on the trains—none patrolling the station but always in cars always in some parking lot clustered in groups. Never is there cops at any kiosks outside the station where we wait for busses and only MARTA employees are ever seen are at the turn styles or janitors. I dont know what MARTA cops job involves but one almost struck me on a sharp turn without using his signal (he works out of Indian Creek). I have seldom seen him get OUT of the car and he even shouts down people to come to his car (seen that 3x). Seldom see any cops on a rail car, never on a bus and never around some of the dark kiosks where passengers have to stand. In recent years the police presence has become far less.

I am still not afraid to ride MARTA in daylight but I feel very frightened especially around 5 Points station at night when waiting for a bus. Don’t see ANY cops even at their Cop office. I never carry anything valuable, seldom have a visible purse…but I have never been harassed by anyone on a MARTA train, bus or in a rail station so while I voice a complaint I need to add that these MARTA cops must be doing good!

By Julie

February 9, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this

My parents, siblings and I used to ride MARTA to concerts and sporting events and the circus and everywhere in Atlanta all the time when I was younger. Because of this, I learned how to travel while in the city. Watch out for your surroundings and you’ll be fine. Don’t think like you’re going to be a victim, and 99.99% of the time you won’t be. The racist bigots who are afraid if a black person even just speaks to them that a crime is going to be committed are the ones that avoid MARTA. Now I go downtown at least once a week for Thrashers games or concerts at the Tabernacle, and I go to Braves game all the time during the season. The ONLY reason I don’t ride MARTA to Philips Arena/Dome/GWCC etc. is if I’m in a hurry (like I am meeting people or got off work late and have to rush down there) and DON’T HAVE TIME TO WAIT FOREVER FOR A TRAIN. That is the only complaint I have. I have to allow an extra 30 minutes wherever I go to ensure that I allow time to wait for the damn train to come. Fix up the E-W line service and speed, and we’ll be alright. I am a 21 year old female and I don’t feel unsafe riding MARTA by myself. I agree with all the people who are saying that the roads in Atlanta are waaaay more dangerous than riding the train, but time is a precious commodity to me and I can’t afford to sit on a non-moving train for an extra 20 minutes to see if it will fill up with one more ghetto-trash homeless person.

By Chris

February 9, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this

It really depends on when and where one uses MARTA, and how one is dressed. I have ridden MARTA many times and seen police (in fatigues and automatic weapons gear once) and there have been times I have not seen the police. There are surveillance cameras supposedly in the bubbles hanging from the ceiling and I hope they are being used. There have been times that some characters have come into a station and onto a train that I was concerned about and there have been times when a woman who was dressed professionally get a lot of looks. I notice that those that dress just slightly casual don’t get the predatory look. I suspect, Cynthia, you need to use MARTA not dressed in such fine clothes. There are predators in every public transportation venue, that’s why Cobb County is so resistant to having their’s tied in to Atlanta. All in all, I think MARTA is fairly safe, but one should always be aware that man’s most affective predator is… man.

By The Monk

February 9, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this

It seems to me that if you are inclined to be feel unsafe on/in MARTA, then you see danger lurking all about.

On the other hand, a number of the comments here seem to be from MARTA advocates who dismiss any discomfort expressed by others as “the paranoid rantings of racist suburbanites.”

As a middle-aged man who occasionally rides MARTA to the airport or when his car is in the shop, I rarely find myself truly frightened on the train. However, I do occasionally encounter folks who send my antennae up (I can’t help it, folks who carry on loud arguments with themselves concern me) and if I were older or a woman, I would feel more like Ms. Tucker.

I guess what I am saying is, if any discernible percentage of people who are willing to ride MARTA feel threatened while doing so, then MARTA needs to do something about that whether it means more and better lighting, more visible transit cops, or whatever.

By Swangirl

February 9, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this

I think it’s pretty clear from the posts written today that the presence of MARTA police on trains and at the station is pretty pathetic.

I’ve seen it myself. Whenever I’ve taken MARTA from Lindbergh to the Arts Center station, at various times of the day, I have NEVER EVER seen a cop on a train. I saw one female office at the station once but she was leaving.

What does this tell people? MARTA cops would rather be anywhere than on a train doing their jobs. They’d rather kill time driving around and avoiding actual citizens.

Until riders see with their own eyes that there is a police presence on trains (esp. women), this perception of MARTA as being unsafe is just going to grow.

By Sam

February 9, 2007 12:08 PM | Link to this

I am a white male in my late 30s. I’ve been riding MARTA for over a dozen years, and I’ve never had an incident on MARTA that I can recall. Sometimes people would start to fight on the train, and then I’d move to another car. Having said that, if I were a woman, I would probably not ride MARTA alone. There does need to be more policing of the stations. And of course, there is soliciting galore on MARTA. There is always someone asking you for money, or handing you a sign that says, “I am deaf and mute. Can you please give some of your change?”

I think one of the biggest problems with MARTA is just general incompetence. At least 50% of the time, the buses and trains don’t run on time, the Breeze turnstiles don’t work, and then all MARTA offers is excuses. Their perennial message seems to be “We apologize for any inconvenience.” And then if you call customer service, they never want to give you any tokens to make up for your inconvenience. I’m not sure how dangerous MARTA is, but in so many other ways it’s just one big joke.

By Bradley Smith

February 9, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this

i feel safe on marta however i dont ride at night but its due to the lack of trains after rush hour its infrequent and worse after 9 pm but thats mainly due to the fact that most people dont take transit at night…mainly due to lack of trains and lack of the ability to get around town without waiting too long for connections its a safe system most of the time

By anthony

February 9, 2007 12:12 PM | Link to this

…This is so alarmist and fear inducing, it makes me wonder if anyone has ever ridden public transportation in Paris, New York, Prague, Chicago… One has to take precautions EVERYWHERE!. Moving to Atlanta from Dallas, I rode Marta two and from Midtown to the airport for 11 years without incident and this encompassed evenings, nights, and early mornings. Heck, going to school anywhere is more frightening than a Marta excursion!!

By Jason

February 9, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this

Ted, the reason why MARTA has money to spend on new fare gates and high tech toilets is because those are capital expenses whereas police, cleaning crews, train operators, bus drivers, repair crews and mechanics are opeartional expenses.

The STATE OF GEORGIA requires that MARTA spend 45%-50% of its budget on capital expenses and 50%-55% on operational expenses. As a result, the operations side is always short of money while the capital side is always flush with cash. The STATE OF GEORGIA refuses to change this and as a result, MARTA has plenty of money but due to STATE OF GEORGIA restrictions, can not spend it in the appropriate places. The road lobby loves this meddling by the STATE OF GEORGIA because it keeps MARTA in a state of disrepair and keeps it from effectively competeing with our SOCIALIST government funded road network (you do know that gas taxes only cover 20% of the costs of roads in Georgia, right?)

If the STATE OF GEORGIA would stop micromanaging the MARTA budget, money spent on high tech toilets could instead pay for more police officers and for mechanics to keep the buses and trains in good operating order. Of course this will never happen because as we know, every additional trip on MARTA is one less on the road which means less congestion and thus less money out of the general fund (remember that 20% figure again) for the six billion dollar road tunnels.

P.S. to Cynthia… no wonder Bobby Lowder runs Auburn with an iron fist. If all alumni are as scared as you to ride the transit system that 17 out of the last 23 years was the SAFEST in the country, how can you expect to have enough of a backbone to take on someone like Lowder? Your fear only enables people like Lowder and the road lobby criminals buying influence in our government.

By Susan

February 9, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this

Yes, I too feel threatened, I take the North Springs line to the airport. I always feel unsafe, I travel extensively and MARTA is a logical low cost alternative to the airport. I have never seen a police presence on the train or at the stations, there are many different people that take the train. I just do not like sitting in the same car with folks that are begging for money or food, or using the time to recruite for a cause those held hostage in a box between stops. Or have to hear angry lamentations of a clearly confused individual. This is all during the day, even at 6am in the morning on an week day! I alway sit in the first car hoping this will be a more secure car since the driver is there. (A false sense of security?) Mostly I get verbally harrassed or others do which gives me a concern about my safety. I’m not sure that $1.75 is worth the hour of anxiety. It is not every time, but it is a lot more frequent than I am comforatble with, not good odds. I am very grateful when I get to the Airport unharmed. Lately I’ve been taking the much more expensive shuttle alternative, and I must say it is much less stressful.

By Corey

February 9, 2007 12:16 PM | Link to this

“Marta did not tell that after nine you must take the doraville train and catch the north springs train at Lindberg.” Scott, Please pay attention to your surroundings. MARTA has a sign in the Five Points Station that states when you will have to take the Doraville train and transfer at Lindberg. Start paying attention and stop waiting for someone to always take you by the hand.

By JP

February 9, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this

Harold, Remind me NOT to call not to call you if I need help.

By Leah

February 9, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this

As a former MARTA rider, my question for them is the same for the city of Atlanta itself: How could you have allowed things to deteriorate to this level? When I took my first bus and train ride in the early 80s, it was absolutely wonderful and the 5 Points area was beautiful. Fast-forward 20 years… Peachtree Street was (may still be) the main convention destination… What happened to Woodruff Park? The 5 Points train station is disgusting and The Underground is in desperate need of repair. I now live in burbs and wonder why I should travel downtown for anything outside of concerts and sporting events. Though we have our problems out here, the streets and businesses I frequent are relatively clean and I have encountered very few panhandlers.

I do feel safe using the system; however, there should be more police presence on the trains and around the stations. I too have parked and traveled the N/S line. Where are those officers? They must be in plain clothes because I haven’t seen any. (And yes, I make it a point to try to spot one). As for rowdy riders, that is a common occurrence. It’s more of a nuisance when I’m traveling with my children. In defense of the cops in their cars - they have to be able to respond quickly to problems that occur on the many bus routes. With that being said, they should have enough officers to cover all aspects.

MARTA and the city of Atlanta need to focus on the downtown area as a whole. It takes money to make money. Spend the funds to keep public transportation clean and safe. Clean up the city - not just Centennial Park. Give people a reason to park their cars and come downtown during non-business hours.

The concerns stated here explain why many are against MARTA in the surrounding cities. Perception is everything.

By pbj

February 9, 2007 12:28 PM | Link to this

MARTA is horrible. If they ever expect to increase ridership, they need to control the animals they allow to run over decent people that are just trying to get to work. This city is so corrupt I doubt that will ever happen.

By Hotlanta

February 9, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this

I am more afraid of Cynthia Tucker’s weave than I am of MARTA. She needs to quit. I love my MARTA. The stations are clean. I am a native Atlantan. I agree Atlanta needs to come out of the stone ages when it comes to transportation and get with it like New York and spread itself out more. I don’t like the new construction with all of the gates. Such as when I go to Lenox I got to open a gate just to walk up stairs and the platform looks like a fortress. The only problem I have with MARTA are the cellphone conversations. I don’t wanna hear about RA-RA just getting out of jail on Rice street after I have worked all day long. Other than that MARTA is the way to go for me.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 12:36 PM | Link to this

i find it so strange that everyone has suggestions about how to improve MARTA but your ELECTED offical for the state of GA have decided that MARTA should not get Federal FUNDS all because you have been told they have 300 officers doesn’t mean all of them are full time.

People are making complaints about the Breeze system. Were the ONLY transit system in the United States that was still using TOKENS it only contributes to the notion that Southern are Backwards. I find it funny that with MARTA being so UNSAFE now COBB and CLAYON counties are actually trying to get MARTA extended into their areas or rather have proposals onboard.

YOu get what you pay for. The same people that ride from the surrounding counties like Gwinett, Clayton, and Cobb they do not pay local taxes to help fun MARTA but they are the ones that have the most complaints. If you county help put into the pot them you can contribute to there being more funds of security, lightening maintance and survalliance.

You are all complaining here but how many of you go to the Townhall meetings to express your concerns. They advertize them all over the place. If you have issue Stop being Apathetic and go and make your faces seen and your voices Heard.

When there is a problem i call MARTA my cell phone was stole and I had no problem getting a MARTA police report within Hours, with in a day or two i had a replacement, so to me they are alright in my book. CLOSE MOUTHS DON’T GET FEED. Open your apathetic mouths and say something to them make the officers work if you see them. Get there badge numbers and send in a complaint. Get the drivers name and send in a complaint. Trust me they do keep those records and people are reprimanded and even terminated if they get enough complaints.

By Daily Marta Rider

February 9, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this

The woman interviewed in the article states she never sees homeless people sleeping or men selling things for a dollar? Is she sure she’s riding a MARTA traing?? I ride from College Park every morning, and there are sleeping homeless on the train every morning. Every afternoon from 5 Points there are people selling incense, candy, or perfumes. The MARTA police at the 5 Points station (the only station where I EVER see any) spend more time looking at the rear ends of the female passengers than paying attention to what’s going on. Don’t believe me? Just stand back and watch them watch the females pass by and watch where their eyes go. Pervs! Fact is, crime follows where the uneducated lacking social graces abound. You ride at your own risk. MARTA certainly isn’t there to help you.

By federico andres

February 9, 2007 12:38 PM | Link to this

There are two reasons why I don’t feel safe on MARTA:

By George Hill

February 9, 2007 12:41 PM | Link to this

As a regular patron of MARTA for nearly five years now, I must say that safety is the very least of my worries within the system. In my opinion police protection is highly adequate being that I have not witnessed a single incident of crime on MARTA property. In fact, and this just may be my unique experience, but I notice a MARTA police officer on duty every single time I ride MARTA. At the station where I board each morning, there are often a number of officers around the station entrance, not to mention one officer posted in the mobile guard stand in the parking lot. Honestly, I am amazed to read that people actually overlook their presence. MARTA has done a great job ensuring riders feel comfortable.

To the author of the editorial: You are entitled to your opinion.

To AJC.com: Shame on you for publishing such a nearsighted opinion in the most prominent location on your website. This was the very first article that I saw in the News rotator as your page loaded.

By PoliticalMan

February 9, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this

The use of statistics when discussing safety is often ridiculous. Being in a locked car is a whole lot safer than the possibility of being physically accosted regardless of stats.

Furthermore, it seems that low official crime numbers on MARTA (who knows what the real numbers are) is used to accept violent crime against a few. If and when MARTA ever conducts their security system in an effective and user friendly manner, then possibly their crime numbers may indicate something. Now, they hire losers as cops and it shows. Low crime numbers (if that is actually the case) are despite the security system, not because of it.

It is sick to think that it is okay sacrifice a few to violent crime. Post a message about those wonderful safety numbers when you are the one being raped.

By Mel

February 9, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this

My friends laugh at me because I wont ride Marta after dark. They can laugh all they want but when it comes to my saftey and the things I have see we will see who laughs last.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this

Jason you are my hero tell it like it is Buddy they don’t want to think that there are powers that be that keeps marta in the condition that it is in now. They being the suburb blue moon MARTA riders that see the conditions and automatically blame MARTA. They never think that there precious GA legislature, GA DOT and Governor have a strong hand in the matter, they keep a tight hold on the purse string.

By Sarah

February 9, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this

MARTA is a direct result of the imcompetencey that runs the agency. MARTA is wrought with friends hiring friends; an agency that has been exposed more than once for internal indulgence in spending. Think back a couple of years and recall the misuse of company cars, expense accounts, cell phones, lavish parties and personal trainers for their employees. As a female I would never ride MARTA alone unless in peak rush hour and I simply must ride the train to go somewhere, no other option available. I like having control of my environment, I have that type control in my personal vehicle. Face it, most people ride MARTA because they can’t afford a car. I didn’t go in debt to earn an MBA to ride on a smelly, nasty train as long as I can afford the comfort of my own vehicle. As for the males making comments, it’s different for women, you don’t have a clue what we go through.

By J

February 9, 2007 12:44 PM | Link to this

My experience with MARTA over the last 2 days: I had a job interview at a building right outside of the Civic Ctr stop. I chose to do a dry run to check times and such. My wife went with me and she was scared to death. We got on the train at 7:45pm Wednesday night and all was quiet. We exited the train around 8pm and immediately I noticed a MARTA rider “pacing” me while we were walking. I knew this as I slowed and staggered my walking pace and he copied me. We got on the up escalator and he spoke. He was very chatty. At the top of the escalator, we went our different ways as he probably sensed I wasn’t in the mood for it. The place was deserted. We walked to the building where the interview was and I found the correct entrance. We turned around and it was like a scene from “Night of the Living Dead”. There was so many homeless people bee-lining it for us that I placed my wife behind me and braced myself for some type of altercation. I walked faster toward the entrance to the Civic Ctr station. A homeless man approached and asked where we were going. I said home. He asked what we were looking for. I said we found it. He asked “what”? I stopped and informed him that our conversation was over and that he should move along. He said okay and did so. I was asked for money by a different person once inside the station. This person didn’t appear homeless. The station was so empty and dim that it looked like a horror movie set. If he had shot us or something else, nobody would have known. No cops anywhere. The next day after my job interview, I took the same route. A homeless man made a bee-line for me again at the same place. I made a line for him and began to nearly run at him. He took off running the other way. All this in a suit and tie carrying a briefcase. I’m so sick of it. Half of my money already goes to cover the homeless and the baby machines. Why should I give more money to these people. Call me harsh but the homeless and the thugs are why I do not take MARTA. On the ride back to Lindburg, our car was “treated” to a MP3 phone blaring distorted rap music while 2 black males and 2 black females spoke very loudly and shouted profanities. Everyone kept looking at them. All of the passengers kept turning and glaring at them. they just got louder and louder. I was so happy to get off the train. Funny how people talk about being successful ballers or djs and they’re taking MARTA. Money apparently forgot to purchase a bag of class. Again, no cops to be seen. It was nice to put my watch and wedding band back on once at my car.
Atlanta needs to get serious. Stop paying for lazy people to live. Stop pouring money in baby makers. Start fixing our infrastructure. Start fixing the roads!!!!!!!!!!!! Law Enforecment in Atlanta needs to get it together. Ticket the speeders. Ticket punks on the train. Ticket the idots.

Soapbox is yours…

By ken

February 9, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

I am a middle class white man and i have an additional comment for the guy who said MARTA should cater to the “White Middle Class”. Would that be the same white middle class that didn’t want anything to do with them because of fear of “crime” coming? (Gwinnett,Cobb,Clayton), guess what crime came and ran rampant to these counties, and now all three of them have Bus Service that feeds into MARTA. Its also amazing to me how only Fulton and Dekalb pay for MARTA but the rest of you reap the benefits, and to the guy who says he feels unsafe for people asking for money for food, What do you think Jesus would do? And in closing i would say MARTA always cater to us (White People). Its evident in the morning when you see 8 trains headed south from North Springs to the Airport before you see 3 headed northbound, and in the evening when you see 8 trains headed northbound going to North Springs before you will see 2 going southbound. So i would say it caters very well to white people.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

Corey you make a good point. Some people that Ride MARTA want the conductors and stuff to basically hold their hands, walk them thru the fare gates… sit them on their laps and hold their hands and whip they toshies and baby talk to them every 5 minutes “ARE YOU OKASIE WAYSIE?” Sharks can smell Blood and predators can sense fear. If you ride MARTA shaking in your underwear every time a Urban youth walk by you, they will use you as their entertainment and give you a reason to be scared just for laughs, and you all play right into the helpless role like you were perfectly cast for the part.

By Elizabeth

February 9, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

I tried taking MARTA to work. But I got tired of the late trains, the severe overcrowding, and the physical harassment from vagrants. I was even stalked by a regular rider (who happened to be a “professional”) but MARTA police would not help me. I tried dodging this man on my own, gave up and returned to driving. Thank goodness he did not assault me; who would have come to my aid?

This all boils down to the legistlature’s unwillingness to spend a few dollars on the system. Check out Washington, DC, Chicago, NYC; their transit systems are much better, cleaner and safer.

By Laura

February 9, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

To Stan Lee: Thank you for saying that about Lenox Square Mall. I live in Buckhead and dislike going to Lenox because it’s ghetto and trashy on weekends. I bet it’s not long before some of the high-end stores start closing and we get 3rd rate places like the stores in North DeKalb Mall.

By Ed Jackson

February 9, 2007 12:48 PM | Link to this

AT LEAST IT NOT BAD AS NEW YORK…IF YOU TAKE THE TRAIN IN ATLANTA YOU MIGHT GET MUGGED…IF YOU TAKE THE TRAIN IN NEW YORK YOU WILL GET MUGGED…

By Polly

February 9, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this

I’m an African-American female who takes MARTA every opportunity I can, early and late, whether it be to/from work; the airport; shopping malls; and/or appointments, and feel safe. I prefer it to driving on any given day, and I’m not afraid because I refuse to be intimidated or to live my life in fear. It is my hope, however, that MARTA will take the time to review the concerns of those who do, and take the necessary steps to ease those fears. Yes, MARTA has it’s share of problems, and so do we as individuals. But, whenever we do, we take the time to take care of them and that doesn’t always happen overnight. And, as far as the police presence is concerned, it appears the underlying problem is poor management.

I also urge people to park their cars and support MARTA — what they really need is YOU! We are the ones who can institute change.

By Ted

February 9, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this

“Also, the Decatur station sure is coming along. Everytime I walk by it’s 1 redneck and 2 Mexicans picking their a$$.” Scott, that revitalization project going on at the Decatur MARTA station is an effort on behalf of the City of Decatur. MARTA has nothing to do with that.

By Grampus

February 9, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this

MARTA is never going to realize its potential as long as it is run as an entitlement program for its employees and for demographics from 35 years ago. Staff it with professionals who care. Make it responsive to the needs of today’s commuters. Fill its trains and parking lots to capacity with people who appreciate an alternative to driving as opposed to those who think it is a perk that comes with the territory, and safety will be a minor issue.

By J. White

February 9, 2007 1:06 PM | Link to this

I ride MARTA daily for the convenience, but this may end soon and not all due to a safety issue. MARTA after dark and sometimes during the day is not safe. They are more concerned with peddlers than criminals. There is a need for more “attentive police” not fare gate attendants or police huddled together nor police engaged in conversation on their cellphones (the scene at Five Points). MARTA is more concerned with ripping off the public with their new Breeze farecard “Be warned” each time you enter and exit a fare gate or bus with a Breeze card you are charged, you must tap the card to transfer. Even if you ride a bus to a station, such as H E Holmes, you pay to ride the bus and then have to use your card again to access the train. RIP OFF.

Underground Atlanta is just as bad as MARTA after 12 noon with all the kids hanging out. Where are the police? Shirley wants gambling but it is unstable and unsafe. I have seen enough violence between teens, sexual misconduct, crime just walking from my job in the evening to the Five Point station. The security guards/Ambassadors are not capable nor trained to handle the problems. Most are just like the MARTA and APD officers, inattentive. Safety is not a priority in Atlanta for it’s citizens nor visitors.

By Joe L

February 9, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this

Wow, people are ridiculous and so biased and sheltered when it comes to their views of MARTA. First, I have ridden public transit on regular basis in many cities and cops are no more or less present than on MARTA (where I have indeed seen officers on trains).

Do you expect to see a police officer on every street corner? Because that’s the kind of policing some of you are expecting of MARTA. And yes crimes happens on MARTA. Guess what? Crime happens EVERYWHERE! Do you not go into banks, grocery stores, streets, malls, etc.? Because crime occurs at all these locations.

Face it, many, many Atlantans have this phobic discriminatory impression that MARTA and downtown is “unsafe” so any sort of incident convinces them they are right.

By Chris

February 9, 2007 1:14 PM | Link to this

MARTA will continue to have this reputation - deserved or not - until ridership increases.

Homeless people/criminals/wackos ride mass transit in every city. Problem is, in Atlanta, they make up a larger part of the entire ridership. In other cities, there is strength in numbers.

Somewhere someone considering mixing MARTA into commute options read this article today and said “I better not”. And that helps us all how?

By MAYA

February 9, 2007 1:25 PM | Link to this

My car is also in the shop and it has been a nightmare using this new Breeze System on Marta. Each time you enter a Marta Bus or Train Station you will have to swipe a Breeze card. You know I do not like opening my wallet in a crowd of unknown people just find that damn Breeze Card. This new system sucks huge. Paris Metro sell food and drinks and their subway is nicer than Marta. Marta needs to have tracks on every freeway plain and simple.

By C

February 9, 2007 1:26 PM | Link to this

Yes, I have ridden trains/subways in other cities. I’ve ridden the Paris Metro at midnight, the London Tube in the early hours of the morning, the MTA in Boston in rush hour and New York subways on the weekends when the commuters are gone. All of those systems evoke a stronger sense of safety because their personnel seem more knowledgeable and aware of what’s happening on their system.

And yes, I have encountered crime on these systems as well. I caught a pickpocket in the Paris Metro. But I can honestly say that I never feared for my personal safety in any of those incidents. I did fear for my life when the guy on MARTA pull a gun at rush hour. (See post at 10:31 a.m.)

By the way, I’m a white female who has no problem being in the minority on a train.
Thugs come in all colors, ages and genders.

By LJ

February 9, 2007 1:28 PM | Link to this

I ride Marta twice a day and generally feel safe. What is annoying are the loud, filthy-mouth (male and female), baggy pants punks, the panhandlers and those who think they are entitled to 2 seats while others are standing. When I do see Marta officials, they are usually standing around yakking with each other and don’t have a clue as to what is going on around them.

By **Dr. Smartman**

February 9, 2007 1:30 PM | Link to this

Safe? Safe enough for a grown black male. That said, I would not want my female counterparts (or family) riding with some of the animals (no disrespect intended toward actual animals) that get on, without police surveillance.

Annoyed? Very annoyed by the urine smell that premeates most cars in the system. The NYC transit system does not have this challenge because their train cars are not floored with carpet. Not very genius MARTA - not too genius at all. It seems from my experience, the MARTA system is used almost exclusively by the underclass ([some] working class, [mostly] lower class, [a sprinkling of] no class). *Obviously, this reality results in much more *element than a middle-class person or above desires (regardless of race).

By ben

February 9, 2007 1:33 PM | Link to this

I use MARTA to ride to work all the time. I feel very safe in the mornings and pretty safe in the afternoon with all commuters. But, I agree with Cynthia that riding MARTA after dusk can be a bit scary. Most will agree nothing is going to happen to you and that riding in a car is more dangerous. But, in a car you “feel” safer and in control. Most people simply do not feel safe riding MARTA at night - especially if you are an attractive female and you have the option of not riding MARTA. It is as simple as that. What would you want to subject yourself to danger and anxiety if you don’t have to?

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 1:34 PM | Link to this

HAROLD ISNT THE CRAZY GUY ON THE MARTA. HAROLD LIVES IN COBB AND DRIVES A MASSIVE SUV EVERYWHERE.

YOU ONLY FEEL ALONE ON THE MARTA BECAUSE YOU ARE ISOLATIONIST. IF YOU COULD MAKE EVERYBODY YOUR FRIEND YOU’D NEVER BE ALONE. PEOPLE WHO USE MARTA USUALLY RIDE AT THE SAME TIME OF DAY JUST LIKE ANY COMMUTER. THAT MEANS YOU ARE ALWAYS WITH THE SAME PEOPLE. THEY DONT HAVE TO BE STRANGERS AND THEN YOU DONT HAVE TO BE ALONE.

IT ISNT SOCIETYS FAULT YOU SIT WITH YOUR CELLY IN YOUR EAR OR YOUR NOSE IN A BOOK ACTING SCARED WISHING EVERYBODY WOULD LEAVE YOU ALONE.

NOW SOMETIME MARTA IS A PROBLEM WHEN YOU COME FROM THE AIRPORT WITH YOUR LUGGAGE. THE THUGS LINE UP TO “HELP” YOU TO YOUR HOTEL. TOO BAD FOR THEM HAROLD IS NORMALLY HEADED TO HIS MASSIVE SUV WHERE HE KEEPS HIS MASSIVE CACHE OF FIREARMS. OOPS

By Joel

February 9, 2007 1:39 PM | Link to this

Cynthia,

I’m really wowed and surprised that you didn’t blame the problems with MARTA on Bush.

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 1:39 PM | Link to this

YES THE PROBLEMS ON TEH MARTA ARE PERCEIVED AS SCARIER, BUT HONESTLY THEY ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT ONE RAPE IN THE LINDBERGH PARKING LOT THAT HAPPENED A FEW YEARS AGO. THERE WERE PEOPLE KILLED, DEAD, NOT LIVING ANY MORE, ON THE INTERSTATE TODAY. AND YESTERDAY. AND THE DAY BEFORE. AND BEFORE THAT. AND NEARLY EVERY DAY. CARS AND THE SOCIETY WE HAVE BUILT AROUND THEM INSTEAD OF AROUND PEOPLE ARE THE BIGGGEST DANAGER CONFRONTING AMERICA. TERRORISTS ARE VERY DISTANT COMING IN AFTER EVEN BACKYARD POOLS OF WATER IN KILLING AMERICANS.

ARE YOU SCARED AT YOUR OFFICE JOB? NO. WHY BE SCARED ON THE MARTA GOIGN THERE? BECUASE NOT ENOUGH OF YOUR OFFICE BUDDIES RIDE IT TOO. THERE IS NO COMMUTER FEAR IN NYC OR CHICAGO WHERE EVERYBODY TAKES TEH PUBLIC TRANSIT. THE PECERPTION OF DANGER IS BECAUSE CYTHINA TUCKER AND HER FRIENDS REFUES TO RIDE BECAUSE NOBODY RIDES. WELL DUH NONE OF YOU WILL RIDE SO OF COUSRE A FEW OF YOU WHO TRY IT GET SCARED.

EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE TO RIDE THE MARTA. PARKING SHOULD BE $20 A DAY DOWNTOWN AND EVERYWHWERE ELSE. THERE SHOULD BE NO TAXES THAT PAY FOR ROADS, ONLY TOLLBOOTHS. LET THE DRIVERS RECOGNIZE HOW MUCH MONEY THEY PAY EVERY DAY ON THEIR SINGLE OCCUPANT VEHICLE COMMUTE BY HAVING THEM PAY IT EVERY DAY. THEN AND ONLY THEN MARTA WILL BE OVERBOOOKED AND PERCEIVED AS SAFE TOO

By Bettye

February 9, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this

I have been riding MARTA for years, but only at peak hours when there are a lot of riders on board. I rarely feel uncomfortable; but admit that the train needs more police presence. The school kids take over at times. Having said this, I feel more comfortable on MARTA than I do on the highway with a bunch of idiots driving like maniacs!!!

By S

February 9, 2007 1:41 PM | Link to this

If you’ve ridden Marta enough times you’d know about that 9pm situation with the North Springs line. It’s been that way since that line went into service. I think it’s on the dumb side, but that’s the way it is so we deal with it…

By None

February 9, 2007 1:48 PM | Link to this

I have had explicit racial insults hurled at me at two different MARTA stations. At the North Ave. station, I had two men approach men and say, “WHY YOU * GOTTA F WITH US?!? WHY YOU * GOTTA F WITH US!?!” and literally trying to bump me to get into a fight. Unbelievable. Another reason why people don’t ride MARTA.

By Caps

February 9, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this

HAROLD!!!

TURN OFF THE CAPS AND QUIT SCREAMING!!!!!

As you would say…CAPS IS GETTIN UPSET!

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this

PEOPLE GET KILLED ALMOST EVERY DAY ON THE ROADS AROUND HERE IN THEIR CARS OR BY PEOPLE IN CARS EVEN IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO ABUSE CARS BY COMMUTING IN THEM DAILY

BUT WE STILL TALKING ABOUT ONE RAPE WHAT HAPPENED YEARS AGO IN A PARKING LOT AT THE LINDBERGH

THOUSANDS OF DEATHS VS ONE RAPE

HAROLD IS SURE THE RAPE WAS AWFUL FOR THE ONE VICTIM, BUT THOUSANDS OF DEATHS OUTWEIGH IT

MARTA IS VASTLY SAFER THAN DRIVING

IT IS SAFER BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS

IF YOU CANNOT RECOGNIZE THIS YOU HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED BY CAR COMMERICALS

PEOPLE BELEIVE THEIR CARS SET THEM FREE BUT IN FACT CARS MAKE THEM SLAVES TO THE BANK

ALL TAXES THAT PAY FOR ROADS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED AND ALL ROADS SHOULD BE PAID FOR BY TOLLS. THAT WAY PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW MUCH THEIR ROADS AND CAR COMMMUTES ARE COSTING THEM EACH AND EVERY DAY

ONCE WE DO THAT, MARTA WILL BE CROWDED AS CAN BE. THE 1996 JULY TRAINS WILL SEEM LIKE THEY HAD LUXURIOUS PERSONAL ELBOW SPACE

MAKE CARS PAY FOR THEMSELVES

HAROLD IS TIRED OF PUBLIC TRANIT HAVING TO PAY FOR ITSLEF WHILE CARS GET ALL THE STATE FUNDS ON EARTH

IT IS ALL CROOKED AS HELL AND SHOULD BE EXPLODED AND RAIL TRACKS PUT DOWN IN ITS PLACE STARTING TODAY

WHO COULD DO IT? SONNY COULD . HE TALKS ABOUT DANGEROUS TRAFFIC BUT HAS NO REAL SOLUTION . SLOWING DOWN A TEENSY BIT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. BLOW UP THE INTERSTATES AND LAY DOWN RAIL ISNTEAD

By jt

February 9, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this

Mussolini was one of the worst facists that ever lived. He was guilty of many crimes. But he will always be remembered for getting the trains running on time. MARTA, with its two very expensive maintenance yards cannot manage to get trains running on time.

Taking MARTA when you have an appointment is like a crap shoot. You may get there on time, you may not. Trains (and I’m talking about the N/S line) are rarely running on time. I waited over 45 minutes for a Northbound train one afternoon during rush hour.

Sure the trains are filled with homeless (who use them as bedrooms and bathrooms) and surly young African American males who make inappropriate sexual remarks to black and white women, but because they travel in packs, thus inducing fear in passengers and never get reported. Sure there is little or no police presence on the trains or the platforms (they, as others have said, all seem to be riding around in cars where MARTA isn’t). Sure it sucks.

But hey, let’s defend it. It’s all we’ve got. Let’s not look to make it better. Let’s be happy with the way things are. MARTA was designed to move the denizens of the projects around the city (otherwise there would not be the Hamilton E Holmes station), so it is understandable that MARTA doesn’t have enough operating funds: they don’t want to serve paying citizens - only those who cannot pay.

By jt

February 9, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

Explain to me why I’ve never seen a white MARTA employee.

Never.

Ever.

Not in the main office, not on a train, a bus, or their police force.

Not a single white person.

Bet if it were reversed, the black folks would be screaming about inequality….

By J

February 9, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this

Cynthia, crawl out of that lilly white dream you’re living in and get a life. At the end of the day your still one of us (African American)- doesn’t matter where you reside, work, etc.- o.k.? Food for thought, take 50% of the riders on MARTA off & put them in cars on the street….That’s a nightmare you’d want to wake up from fairly quick. No, MARTA is not a perfect system, never will be; however, it sure as hell beats putting all those people in cars on the street (not to mention the air pollution problem we have), quite a bit of which is ‘imported in’ from commuters from counties outside of the metro area where emissions are NOT required!!! African Americans are on MARTA, a great deal of the emissions issue where cars are concerned comes from…caucasians who are afraid to ride MARTA. Oh, my bad,you all drive new cars don’t you, wait..do they have tailpipes? If so, I’m pretty sure they emit fumes also. Bottom line, MARTA should be thanked for the ‘crime’ rate on its system given the number of riders they transport. MARTA should have one officer on EVERY train that moves on its tracks. Police presence must be increased. Lets keep it real- an increase would not be enough to get whites on the train - their mentality is what it is (I don’t care one way or the other). MARTA works for me & I own a 2006 car.

By David

February 9, 2007 2:18 PM | Link to this

I have ridden on over a dozen subway systems in large cities around the world. MARTA feels no more unsafe than any other transit system. What MARTA has is an image problem, not a crime problem.

However, this image problem could easily be addressed by the system’s 300 police officers. There are 38 stations in the system; why are they unable to have at least one officer visible at each?

The only station where police are regularly visible is Five Points, and the five or six officers who are there are all standing in front of one turnstile socializing with the Breeze Card representatives. Where are the supervisors who should be making sure that the police are actually patrolling? Obviously the officers could be deployed in a much more effective manner, with presence on the platforms and trains as well.

Of course the AJC is not helping this image problem by sensationalizing every incident that happens on MARTA either…

By getoveryourself

February 9, 2007 2:30 PM | Link to this

Yes…as a male I too get scared on MARTA!

…but unlike others on this board, I get scared whenver there’s a Braves game and the trains are inudated with aloof suburbanites from Cobb and Gwinnett while I make my commute. They don’t understand that it’s supposed to be one seat for every person and not the whole row. They have to announce out loud every station that they pass…even if it’s to themselves. They wonder aloud with ignorant assumptions about the communities they pass.

Gwinnetian 1: I heard Candler Park was really ghetto

Gwinnetian 2: Yeah, I’d never think of living around so many thugs.

…but what they don’t realize is that Candler Park (or many other Intown neighborhoods) is doing way better than the suburban strip-mall hellholes from whence they came!

A news flash to people…when you look and act scared…then you really stick out! This is a CITY which means that there are a lot of people from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds! That’s life!!

By Freak

February 9, 2007 2:31 PM | Link to this

Uh, HAROLD—you are a freak and are going to blow a gasket if you don’t calm down…step away from the caffine…STEP AWAY

By Ben

February 9, 2007 2:33 PM | Link to this

Ok, I’ll give you your wish: You’re paranoid!

By anyone

February 9, 2007 2:34 PM | Link to this

My husband’s friend was coming off a MARTA train when 2 men attempted to mug him. Little did the robbers know that he was in the special forces and preceeded to beat the living daylights out of these 2 men who then fled. After he called the MARTA police and waited over a half an hour for them to arrive, he wanted to file a report and asked the police if they could pull the tape from the security camera. The police instructed him that those aren’t even turned on let alone recording. As a woman there is NO way I would ride by myself after hearing that.

By Rickster

February 9, 2007 2:42 PM | Link to this

There are a couple of factors to be considered for MARTA to provide adequate protection to its ridership. There are also repercussions involved with the results of increased protection in and on MARTA trains. Let me qualify my statement(s): 1) MARTA should increase the minimum qualification requiremets for a position as one of MARTA’s Finest. What you currently have is MARTA’s best they can do with what they are paying! Incompetence by just a “hireling” only breeds criminal intent and situations in any given environment. Be it a city street, a sports venue, a college campusuniversity or simply standing on a transit rail platform. Not only do MARTA’s best they can do with what they are paying NOT avail themselves to more visible patrols, They don’t want to!! So where are they? Riding around in a patrolcar talking to their wife, husband, boy/girlfriend on a cell-phone. Or somewhere other than being a visible deterrent to crimnal opportunists. Yes, even hiding on some dead end street somewhere far away from the purpose-driven duty they’re being paid to uphold. Therefore, the task at hand for MARTA now is to increse the pay scale for their patrol-person’s. And in return, what you get is a higher standard of officers that can do their jobs, want to do the jobs and take pride in doing the jobs to best of their abilities! THIS MENTALITY DOES NOT EXIST WITH THE CURRENT CROP OF BEST THEY CAN DO WITH WHAT THEY ARE PAYING! Once an increase in pay is established, the personnel standard changes. Once that changes, mentalities and attitudes change. The end reuslt is not more protection, but better protection by who you have providing it! Only then can they be referred to as MARTA’s Finest 2) Be prepared, as a patron and probably as a tax-payer too, to subsidize the increase needed to fund this additional pay to get better qualified applicants and free-agents. As the saying goes: You get just what you pay for! Currenly, as in the case with MARTA, people get threatened, harassed, robbed, mugged, assaulted, raped or sometimes even killed with what they’re paying for!

Just a comment.

By ISIDINGO

February 9, 2007 2:47 PM | Link to this

Elizabeth, for the cities that you mentioned that are much safer and cleaner. THEY GET FEDERAL FUNDING and they don’t have there local and state government alawys having there hand in the POT telling them what they can and can’t do. That is why they are much cleaner they have a local and state government that wants to see them work not like Georgia that wants more highways and less transit. That is why Atlanta’s air is so HORRIBLE.

By Becca

February 9, 2007 2:57 PM | Link to this

I won’t ride MARTA because it smells and is gross and the people on it are usually rude and loud and you can’t understand what the operators are saying for the stops. I am a princess and I will drive to and from work or I just won’t go. Make MARTA more appealing if you want people to give up their cars. I doubt it’s safe or sanitary and most MARTA employees are rude just like most MARTA patrons.

By aa

February 9, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this

What a stupid blog..Marta is not has have as bad as the other public transit systems… but I would like to take the train without someone yelling” gloves one dollar”

By aa

February 9, 2007 3:04 PM | Link to this

What a stupid blog..Marta is not has have as bad as the other public transit systems… but I would like to take the train without someone yelling” gloves one dollar”

By Marie Harris

February 9, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this

Not only is MARTA unsafe, dirty and over priced - it really doesn’t go anywhere you need to go. In other cities you don’t have to get on a BUS AFTER you get off the train. The reason I drive is because it is faster than MARTA. After riding MARTA for months to a job downtown I started driving and paying to park because I wanted to actually get to work ON TIME but I didn’t want to have to leave home at the crack of dawn to get there. The city may have traffic woes but I can still get anywhere in town (even the airport) faster if I drive. I also don’t have to endure the rudeness of MARTA employees, I don’t have to smell it anymore, I don’t have to hear all the “My baby Daddy” conversations, and I actually get to where I want to go. After serving on jury duty this week with our “ever inefficient” Fulton County - I find that the MARTA attitude towards white commuters also extends to the courthouse. I was there to do my duty and not because I wanted to - I had to! All I encountered during the entire process including MARTA was reverse discrimination - I am tired of being penalized for being white, working and paying taxes so that I can be treated like *&^% everytime I have to endure any part of Fulton County government!

By harold

February 9, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this

CARS AND ROADS smells and is gross and the people on it are usually rude and loud and you can’t understand what the operators are saying for the stops.

IF YOU THINK CARS AND ROADS SMELL GOOD TRY RIDING A BICYCLE OR WALKING ALONG A BUSY ROAD. THE SMELL IS FAR WORST THAN ANY MARTA TRAIN WILL EVER SMELL EVEN WHEN THE OLYPMICS WERE HERE AND SWEATY FOREIGNERS LIKE THE FRENCH RODE IT

By Oprah Weaver

February 9, 2007 3:16 PM | Link to this

IT IS SO ORDERED All the things said in this passage are clear and should be paid attention to, without an exegete interpreting I had the most irrefragable evidence of the absolute truth and soundness of the principle upon which my invention was based * Mighty Migthy Mighty Apothesis Cynthia Tucker you are not because you are a epigone.You want the Diva prediliction. After you arrive on Marta Ms Thing presuppose your weave was still intact say no more just please release your pretentiousness and get yourself a Breeze Card girl. Hocus Pocus because god doesn’t like ugly so here me clearly Get off your high horse*

By Marie Harris

February 9, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this

To Rickster - Pay them MORE??? Are you kidding - they don’t do the job they were hired to do as it is - and you think they should get more money. There is no work ethic at MARTA - the drivers allow the trains to leave whenever…..so they can sit and chat to each other across the tracks….there is no sense of urgency whatsoever - most people who have jobs also have a specific time they need to be there - not…WHENEVER!

By msteven

February 9, 2007 3:19 PM | Link to this

Sorry but many of you may not agree with me and thats your choice. but Marta and Atl police are the pits. Many and I do mean many are discourteous slops. Not around when you need one. Lazy, shiftless, and ego maniacs power hungry with that badge. Some are just as crooked and heck some I would rather take my chances with a Thug! I ride marta 5days a week. i have a car but its less stress to drive to a station, park and be done with it. I am a native New Yorker. Trains or people do not scare me. But i do take issue during rush hour when some young idoit(only the young folks) sit on the steps as people are trying to come down and catch a train. How stupid is that. its a set of steps not a place to sit! And there are no cops around to enforce this. Marta Police are useless!

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 3:27 PM | Link to this

DANG THAT Oprah Weaver SOUND A LITTLE CRAZY

By Jeffrey Nelson

February 9, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this

I have used Marta since 1989 to commute to and from work and have seen a decline in the presence of UNIFORMED officers aboard the trains, I no longer feel safe using MARTA afterhours because of this.Also, many of the stations are dark due to a lack of lighting,and many stations seem deserted by attendants during those hours as well. Often when the attendants are present, they seem preoccupied talking on cell phone or to other attendants.

By Bill

February 9, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this

Marta has police? Are they the the same officers that watch the people eat and drink on the trains as well as say nothing to the homeless selling items? It is easy to feel safe if you ride every day and learn to buddy up with a few people….but Marta Police must work under cover as far as I can tell…

By Rickster

February 9, 2007 3:44 PM | Link to this

To Marie-Harris, please read my entire post prior to commenting. If you do this, I promise you will not be portrayed as someone with less than a complete set of intellectual eveidences - unless of course, you’re a U(sic)ga grad student!.

By Michael

February 9, 2007 3:46 PM | Link to this

Ms. Tucker:

It is rare that I agree with you on anything, but, I agree that MARTA is unsafe, especially for a female after dark. I have ridden MARTA only twice, and I refuse to ride it again. I found the actions and language of the “young hooligans” on the train to be disrespectful, vulgar, obnoxious, and definitely not the type I would want any lady to be exposed to. I wonder if this behavior is representative of the way Atlanta raises its’ youth?

By Hairy

February 9, 2007 3:55 PM | Link to this

I don’t particularlly feel threatened, but I’m a man. I would certain welcome more visability from law enforcement. Why can’t the cops walk the trains like the others that go through the door they are not supposed to go through. A cop on every other train and walking every other station would be a lot more visable.

By HAROLD

February 9, 2007 3:57 PM | Link to this

HAROLD SAID, “THAT Oprah Weaver SOUND A LITTLE CRAZY.”

By jm

February 9, 2007 4:09 PM | Link to this

before my office moved, I rode the train daily. While I never felt threatened, I did feel uncomfortable on several occasions. The primary causes of my discomfort: 1) constant panhandling on the trains, in the stations and just outside the stations 2) people using the train as a $1.75 a day flophouse.

By AtlJane

February 9, 2007 4:21 PM | Link to this

I am a twenty-something female who rides MARTA occasionally. I have never felt physically threatened on MARTA grounds day or night. Though a stronger police may help some people feel safer, I think the real issue is how safe you feel in an urban environment with a diverse population.

If you are not comfortable around people with lower income levels than you (including no income levels), if you are not used to being asked to give someone money on occasion and if you are not familiar riding a train with a little city dirt and grime on the seats and floor, then you may not be comfortable riding MARTA.

The better question is whether you are the type of person who can adjust and learn to make MARTA work for you even if it is initially outside your comfort zone.

Yes, the system needs to be improved. But MARTA needs more stops more than it needs more cops.

By james cawston

February 9, 2007 4:22 PM | Link to this

MY WIFE AND I USED MARTA RECENTLY AND I WAS DISGUSTED WITH THE ARROGANCE OF SOME SEATED RIDERS WHO WOULD USE TWO SEATS BY LYING THEIR LEGS OR PLACING BUNDLES OR PACKAGES WHILE OTHER PASSENGERS HAVE TO STAND UP,.I HAVE USED OTHER RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEMS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY AND HAVE NOT SEEN THIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE. THE RAILS CARS ARE FILTHY AND LOOK AS IF THEY HAVE’NT BEEN CLEAN IN YEARS.

By MartaHater

February 9, 2007 4:27 PM | Link to this

I’m a man and I refuse to let my wife or mother-in-law ride the train alone. There are no visible police officers on the trains, I’ve seen nurmerous fights at the stations over the years, and an increasing amount of gang activity. Every time I’m on that train I feel like I’m about two seconds away from stomping some little teenage thug’s face in the ground for trying to rob me. I don’t care what statistics Marta pulled out their A!*, there is a thug element that exists on Marta that is not being addressed by Marta officials. I live in Gwinnett County and although it would be very convenient to have a mass transit system to connect me to Atlanta and Alpharetta, I don’t won’t these thugs coming into my neighborhood. And before some righteous negro responds to my post to say I’m racist, news flash, I’m black too. I just call it like I see it. A thug is a thug and that is what is on Marta.

By Barney Strickland

February 9, 2007 4:28 PM | Link to this

My hottie, blonde girlfriend got tired of having her * grabbed by nasty brothers on the train so she gave up on mass transit. It’s slow, it stinks, and with all the sta-sof-fro jeri curl grease on everything…….. it reminds me of ….. ALL OF SOUTH FULTON. Time to police and clean up our system. Finding a cop is like “find waldo”. Marta is hell.

By Mel

February 9, 2007 4:42 PM | Link to this

I no longer live in Atlanta, but rode the train to and from work daily for 3-1/2 years. I also traveled frequently for work, and took the train from the airport, often at odd times (10 pm or later). While I encountered my share of annoying people, I never really felt unsafe. A lot of people seem to feel “unsafe” when anyone interacts with them in any fashion. A person asking me for money does not make me feel unsafe, nor does a person cursing or talking loudly. Bad smells also do not make me feel unsafe—that’s just weird. If you naturally feel this way, maybe the city is not the place for you. This is urban living, and you have to take it or leave it (I’ll take it, thank you).

I do agree with Chris that patrons should support each other more. Even beefed up policing couldn’t put an officer on every train car. The one time I felt pretty uncomfortable, several young men (probably 10 to 15 years old) began talking to me in a very lewd manner (and I’m not easily shocked), while running their fingers through my hair, rubbing my shoulders, etc. This was at 5:30 pm and the train was packed. I noticed that every person was looking in the opposite direction nervously. A little help here? Even a supportive glance would have been appreciated. That day, I wasn’t blaming anyone except the fellow Atlantans sitting around me. By the way, I am a 5’3” 120-lb white female.

By sick of you

February 9, 2007 5:30 PM | Link to this

“Cynthia, crawl out of that lilly white dream you’re living in and get a life.”

J, you %*@&ing RACIST.

By john batchelor

February 9, 2007 5:43 PM | Link to this

i take MARTA esp the train extensively because i live in Sandy Springs at the north end of the line. generally i feel safe on MARTA alone i haven’t had any experiences that i alone couldnt handle. i think MARTA trains need to run 24 hours a day of course with poss added police presence at each station. overall i give MARTA a grade B for security and safety at the train stations in particular.

By fk

February 9, 2007 6:03 PM | Link to this

I am not a commuter to ATL, so I rarely have occasion to ride MARTA. However, on the coldest night in December, I was going to meet my husband at CNN Center for a concert at Philips. He works downtown. Just my luck, there was a bad wreck on I-285 and traffic was backed up for hours. My husband insisted that I take the train from North Springs. And, I did. To say I was apprehensive would be an understatement.

I was alone, and it was dark. I worried that no one else would be riding the train. Not true.

Naturally, while waiting at the platform, the drunk guy without the coat wanted to talk to me. He was not asking for money, he simply started paryting too soon and left his coat elsewhere.

The train ride was a pleasant surprise. And, I made into Atlanta faster than I would have if I had to drive. 400 was nothing but red tail lights as lanes on 285 were closed, so I imagined that 85 was a similar nightmare.

I would ride MARTA again.

By B.J. Walker

February 9, 2007 6:09 PM | Link to this

MARTA is among the safest of public transit systems that I’ve ever ridden. As a retired professional, I rode MARTA for several years and never feared for my safety or that of others. Each of us should assume some responsibility for our safety and use common sense. Atlanta will forever experience traffic woes if we don’t rid ourselves of these stereotype of MARTA riders.

By TL

February 9, 2007 6:09 PM | Link to this

I have riden MARTA daily to work and on most weekends since 1996. While crime and feeling safe can be an issue, it is not the only thing the system needs improvement on for public perception to be improved. MARTA officials continue to ignore the systems shortfalls and are too quick to defend themselves for doing their job, good, bad, or otherwise rather than take any steps towards improving the overall system. Equipment failures, cleanliness issues, safety, crime, panhadling, soliciting, homelessness, and all the other issues the public and media criticize still exist with little effort to fix anything. I, too, have listened to and read the statements about undercover police on trains, but not once in nearly 11 years have I ever seen an undercover police person do anything about the flagrant disobeying of the no tolerance rules while on the train let alone the sometimes loud and threatening arguments I have witnessed. I rarely, and I mean rarely ever see a uniformed patrolman on the train itself, but I have noticed them in the parking decks on patrol in their cars. Bottom line is that MARTA officials should be far less motivated to defend themselves and much quicker to find ways to improve the system’s overall operation. All of us have personal accountability for the things we do, right or wrong, so we should expect the same accountability for those providing a public service. Why compare how good or bad MARTA is to other systems? Why not strive to make it “better” than all the rest?

By Ryan

February 9, 2007 6:11 PM | Link to this

Last time I rode Marta there was a very angry looking man of middle eastern descent on the train.

He just had this very angry look on his face.

As soon as I saw the look on his face I thought about making a break for the door. I swore I was gonna die. Never again will I ride Marta.

By Grandma of 3

February 9, 2007 7:06 PM | Link to this

I used to ride MARTA between the College Park and Buckhead Stations for 4-1/2 years. Back in the pre-9-11 days, it was actually a pleasant experience, for their police were present on just about every train I rode. They MADE both the unruly kids and adults mind and there was actually NO panhandling or eating! They also assisted me once at the College Park station, when my car was discovered leaking fuel from the gas tank. Their quick action more than likely averted a disaster, and the responding officers couldn’t have been nicer to me. Then, 9-11 hit…and they seemed to all but have disappeared afterwards. Things went downhill, and between the almost constant breakdowns, delays and increase in unruly, disruptive and noisy passengers, I stopped riding MARTA back in 2005. It just wasn’t worth the hassle, anymore.

By Echo

February 9, 2007 8:31 PM | Link to this

I lived in New York City for 12 years before moving here and have been seriously underwhelmed by the ridiculous lack of security at MARTA. Most recently I was riding in the middle of the day from Northside Hospital to Georgia State. As soon as I parked and walked toward the station, I was followed and hassled. I was with a friend, so I maintained calm and looked for a MARTA police officer. None were to be found. Interesting, post 9/11 that here we are in a major U.S. city, yet the cameras are inoperable, police are no where to be found, call buttons don’t work and emergency phones rely on outdated technology. Anybody else notice that no MARTA video of Brian Nichols showed up? That’s kind of odd, isn’t it when MARTA claims to have such a wonderful police and video surveillance presence? Instead of spending so much money on fancy lawyers to defend its reprehensible lack of security and so much money to install security in its own headquarters to protect missing pencils and sandwiches (MARTA officials’ testimony that came out in the case in question), MARTA should try spending some of that $ to protect its ridership and the safety of our city.

By Val

February 9, 2007 8:33 PM | Link to this

I have never danger om Marta. I think it’s the vibe you put. I work downtown and leave work atfer 9 pm and have never felt my life was in danger. I am very caution of my surroundings and know I can be robbed leaving the Kroger or Walmart or even leaving the mall.

By Marty

February 9, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this

Does MARTA stand for Mobile Assault & Robbery Transit Authority? They certainly have the reputation down pat (just not the records or documention of such.)

By sam

February 9, 2007 9:33 PM | Link to this

I have been on some of the great subway systems in the world, including the London Underground; the Paris metro; the Mass Transit railway in Hong Kong; the CityRail in Sydney; as well as New York City’s subway; the Chicago El; and the BART subway in San Francisco. The police are no more present on systems than they are on Marta.

By Sally

February 9, 2007 11:35 PM | Link to this

A traffic fatality occurs in Georgia every 5.7 hours. A traffic injury every 4 minutes; a property damage crash every 2.2 minutes. And a crash every 1.6 minutes.

People in cars are a lot less in control than they think. Did you know that an occupant of a passenger car who gets hit in a right-angle crash (such as a red light runner) by someone driving an SUV or pick up truck is 18 times more likely to die than the person who hit him? Or that research shows that people who talk on cell phones (even hands-free) while driving are comparable to drunk drivers?

By s

February 10, 2007 12:08 AM | Link to this

The way I see it is if you work any where near downtown, MARTA’s the name of the game. Now else where? You have to be wise and know when to choose to ride or not. It’s not like the NYC transit, but if you play around with it, you can get it to work for you at times. I wouldn’t say give up your car just yet. That’ll leave you stranded in this town. I can’t use the system to get to work-it doesn’t go there-yet when I’m not working I’ll ride it all day just so I don’t have to drive all the time. Then again I’m from NYC and can appreciate a transit system even in it’s most limited form…

By Grow up and get a taser

February 10, 2007 12:23 AM | Link to this

Am I the only one who realizes that marta is public transportation. Around 3.1 million trips are taken on marta every week and only two people get beaten up and or robbed. Seriously how safe do you need it? People would say they felt unsafe on marta even if they had a security escort because ding-ding-ding its public transportation. Its not a rental car, its not a cab, its not a personal car or limo. It is public transportation. I have heard people say “I would not let my daughter ride marta”. No Duh!, you would have to be an idiot to let you daughter ride around on public transport in a large city. How about you just man up and stop acting so scared, buy a taser, or some mace. It is so amazing that millions of women every day ride public transport in NYC, Philly, and Chicago but you mention public transport in Atlanta and its like hitting someone in the face with a brick. When it comes to public transportation you are only as scared as you let yourself feel.

By Tom

February 10, 2007 10:35 PM | Link to this

I agree with how you feel on Marta. Depedning on my work schedule I have to ride Marta at nights (at the moment this is only one night each week now). The rest of the time I have to ride in the day time. Nevertheless, I just don’t feel that safe on Marta period!! I hardly ever see Marta police officers and I see a need for them every day. Between the bums (street beggers), drunks and plane old criminal elements that often ride Marta, the trains themselves are in terrible shape. Have the time the trains don’t work properly, the conducters are rude and show little (if any) respect for the riders and its just a poor excuse for public transportation in such a big city.
What Marta needs, what we need, is some kind of competition (another bus line to choose from would be nice). No, Marta is not safe!

By Ryley Sell

February 11, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law’s car lost it’s transmission, so she decided that it would be a good idea to take Marta to work at Hartsfield- Jackson, from outside the perimeter. At the time she was working during the day, so she felt like she would be okay. Then, her schedule changed and she was getting off late at night. Marta became a very scary experience for her. Two weeks ago, she was riding Marta, and a crazy looking man sat and stared at her the entire ride back to the station where she gets off. She said it really unnerved her. When she arrived at her destination, he got off and followed her. Fortunately, her husband was waiting there to pick her up…otherwise she is not sure what she would have done. She said there were no security or police officers to be seen. There wasn’t even a Marta employee. The only person she saw was the parking garage attendant, so she asked her if there was an officer she could tell about the man who followed her. The attendant told her there was no one there that late. My sister-in-law asked her what then would she have been able to do if she had actually parked her car there and had to walk to her car with the man following her. The attendant told her that they could see what is happening in the garage because of cameras, but that was all she could offer her.

How can this be possible? And do you not think that the people that perpetrate crimes on Marta trains and at Marta stations know that there are no officers posted to keep them from doing their bad deeds? Marta just got sued for millions of dollars for a crime that happened 5 years ago…seems to me they still do not have the message. I will NEVER ride a Marta train…EVER.

By GregAtlanta

February 13, 2007 11:35 PM | Link to this

I rode MARTA for years, and it was incredibly rare that I ever saw a uniformed officer on the train. I once wrote to them about that and got the same generic, “we have undercover officers on the trains” stuff that most get when asking where security is. I don’t buy it, unless that is, their undercover guys are teens, homeless people, or Japanese tourists. What I did see however, were groups of officers socializing with each other at Five Points, Lindberg, etc.

I never had any serious issues when I was a daily rider, but I rarely had to ride it at night. When I did ride at night, I always made sure I was riding in the front car, near the front where the operator sits, and I didn’t have problems. Today I always tell people to try to avoid night riding but if you have to, to do the same.

It’s incredibly simple - MARTA needs to have a uniformed officer on EACH train, and they simply need to walk from the back car to the front, and back again.. back and forth, and every so often switch with another officer. Boring for them? Yes. Safer for riders? YES. DUH.

By Phil R.

February 14, 2007 9:23 AM | Link to this

Riding MARTA can be an experience. Since the price of gas has drastically risen in the past two yrs I’ve taken MARTA from N.Spngs to dwntwn two to three times a week. Mornings and afternoons don’t concern me. The lack of quality communication (on the train) from MARTA to riders, the poor cleanliness of the stations and inconsistent schedules concerns me. I feel fairly safe during the day rides. I have noticed a decrease in police presence. Maybe cutbacks are affecting every business.

By NoMarta

February 14, 2007 9:43 AM | Link to this

I gave up riding Marta long ago. Dirty trains filled with punks and bums, rude, incompetent employees, dirty, dangerous stations—-trains are always late or don’t run on certain tracks after 9PM for some reason—-the whole system is a joke and a waste of money. Maybe the state can take it over and make it work. But, I have little hope—-it’s just another typical mediocre atlanta boondoggle. It’s the worst “mass transit” system in the country.

By Keny Riley

February 14, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

The feelings in Atlanta about Marta/Public Trasportation are not about safety -it’s about their comfort level. Im sure if you surveyed 10 of the fearful and those who parish at the thought of giving up their SUV to ride a bus - you would see that these feelings stem from them being uncomfortable around the “people” who ride Marta, not the system itself. And Im sure these same “people” make them just as uncomfortable outside of the public transit setting and they avoid association at all cost.

I live in the city, but I work exactly 15 miles outside the perimeter and I wish I had some other way to get to work, other than an hour and a half cummute.

Get over yourselves! You’re no more at danger riding Marta to a Braves or Thrasher game then you are riding it to work.

By MMoon

February 14, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

I think Georgia and its elected officials are doing a great disservice to this state when it comes to planning for the projected population inreases in the future. It is completely ridiculous to me that these elected officials believe that the answer to the traffic problems is to widen the roads. It’s also amazing to me that there are county officials that are rejecting the idea of express bus lines because they feel the citizens of their county don’t approve of it. GA needs to take its head out of the sand and realize that the only way they can alleviate the traffic nightmares is through expanding and investing in mass transit. Each of the surrounding counties should have rail lines that connect to ATL and there should be a rail line parrallel to the 85 —- that will bring people into the city where they can connect to Marta. I live in Long ISland NY and own a home in Chateau Elan in Barrow county and if I had to drive to downtown ATL every day fro work —— I would be spending 4 - 5 hrs a days in traffic. That’s a complete waste of time —- I would rather park my card at the train station and read or listen to music on the train for 30 mins. You guys should think twice about who you keep electing.

By Katie

February 14, 2007 10:55 AM | Link to this

It is about time we get with the program and have a major, statewide, reliable public transportation system. Traffic is only going to get worse. Gas prices are only going to go through the roof. We could even privatize it so that the state does not have to run it. That should make the republicans happy. Work with some of the businesses around here and lets pull our heads out of our butts. Have it parallel 85, 75 and 20 all across the states.

Every other country in Europe and in Japan have huge commuter rail systems that are efficient. Why in the world can’t we get it together? Sheesh!