Gwinnett residents have declined MARTA's advances for the last 18 years.

On Tuesday, we'll likely turn MARTA away again.

Rising fuel prices seem to form the primary argument to bring MARTA to Gwinnett. The environmental aspect scores points, too.

But there are a few reasons that MARTA won't sway us this time, either.

> We like our cars and our roads. We like our cars so much that even with gas at $4 per gallon, MARTA won't be enough to get us out of them. We like our roads so much that we name them after the people who build them or in memory of people we admire.

> We won't necessarily save money with MARTA. It costs $1.75 to make a one-way trip on MARTA. How far away you work from home could determine how cost-effective MARTA is.

I live in Norcross and work 10 minutes from home. If a station was built near Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85, I would have to drive to the station. I don't think it would be worth a drive and a $1.75 ticket each way, or a monthly pass. If you work downtown, it might be worth the costs. Maybe.

> We like control of who rides with us. Most of us have seen the infamous YouTube video of "Soulja Girl" berating an elderly MARTA passenger who was minding her own business. The girl decided to give the older lady an impromptu performance that involved shouting profanities in her face.

Perform a simple search on YouTube for "crazy public transportation" and you will find many videos of various unfortunate passengers across the country. Who knows when you'll find yourself riding along with someone who forgot to take their meds that day, or just got laid off and decides to take it out on fellow passengers. What if someone prefers not to wear clothes, as seen in a classic "Seinfeld" episode?

I'm not saying MARTA isn't the right thing to do. It would make sense for one of the largest counties in the state to have some mode of public transportation. I just don't think people are going to be that gung-ho to ride it. For that reason, MARTA won't get a positive response on Tuesday.

Personally, I prefer to be in control of who gets naked in my immediate vicinity.

> Jeff Cape lives in Norcross and is a commercial real estate agent.