Transit seems to be gaining traction with suburban Republicans, but in a spotty, not altogether consistent way.
We've heard state Sen. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta talk glowingly about the need for mass transit. In Sandy Springs, Mayor Rusty Paul has called it crucial. But in next-door Cobb County, Commission Chairman Tim Lee puts all references to bus rapid transit in Sanskrit to avoid riling the torch-and-pitchfork crowd.
And yet in that same county, we now have Marietta Mayor “Thunder” Steve Tumlin, a former state representative with big ambitions for the city. Namely, he wants a trolley to roam from the Marietta Square down to the new Braves stadium near the intersection of I-75 and I-285.
This initial foray into Cobb transit doesn't come with the same pricetag as, say, Atlanta's streetcar or bus rapid transit. From the Marietta Daily Journal:
Starting up the trolley system could cost about $75,000 to $120,000, Tumlin said. He suggested funding could come from the city's car rental tax and the Downtown Marietta Development Authority.
To shuttle baseball fans to SunTrust Park when it opens in 2017, Tumlin suggested using the 8.7 acres the Marietta Redevelopment Corporation owns on West Dixie and Hedges streets as a parking lot where trolley riders could leave their cars and take a trip to shop on the Square, visit a museum, or, on nights when the Braves play at home, watch a ballgame at SunTrust Park.
Tumlin said there are other properties the city could buy to realize his proposal of building a parking lot off the Square for a city trolley.
The Marietta voted 7-0 last week to investigate the idea and map out potential routes.
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