Yes.

Yes, this is a no brainer. Marta should go all the way up to Windward. This should have been done 10 years ago.

Absolutely. Atlanta needs rail service to all it's major suburban areas.

Light rail or expanded bus service, perhaps.

But more heavy rail (current system) should be off the table. It's the most costly transit option possible by far, and requires massive taxpayer support. Makes no financial sense to build more of it going anywhere.

it should extend up to exit 13/14..

Rail service should of happened rather than expanding 400! I totally support the rail service

Where the rail goes , so does more crime. Check any statistic you want the crime follows the rail Marta system.

So NO. I'd rather live safe in peace than deal with home invasions and robberies.

The greater Atlanta area has one of the poorest transportation nets in the world, compared to cities in the US and the world. Very few of the surrounding towns and counties have either no or very limited Public transportation and the expressways are a nightmare, especially for more mature citizens. Any new plans for either Marta or any other rail expansion would be a great improvement. Living north of Cumming and being a senior citizen, the bus connection is not a way to get to Atlanta or even Roswell and Alpharetta because the time schedule is geared for working people, early in the morning or late in the afternoon and as a bus transport it does not help the traffic situation on GA 400.

Rail. Absolutely!! It should have been built years ago before 400 was expanded. MARTA also needs to grow in other directions as well so people can get to where they need to go. The crime argument is ridiculous. People don't run out of house carrying flat screen tv's and hop on a train with them. I travel frequently in Europe, especially France, and nothing beats the convenience and efficiency of their rail systems. I hope we can get to that level some day.

I support rail. When the MBTA (www.mbta.com) was expanded in Boston, crime did not follow. Donna above points out why. Buses make no sense as Northild White explains.

My experience in the suburbs of Chicago were that the train did not bring crime. It brought access to the city for those who would otherwise not battle the traffic. This resulted in a downtown that was busy on weekends, venues that were patronized by more than those who lived nearby, and closer identification od surbanites with the central city (we were al from Chicage). However, it also came with high subsidies, huge waste, and significant corruption. Government-run, union-staffed, "for the good of the people" services don't often provide value. Be careful what you ask for. Be knowledgable of the proposals. NEVER believe the numbers presented. This is especially true since there is no downtown train system to get people around once the suburb lines get you there. A point-to-point service will be used only by those few whose destinations are right off the lines resulting in huge subsidies from the many for the few. We CHOSE to live out here. We cannot complain that we don't have rail access. BTW: I am one of those few who WOULD board at McFarland or Windward and be dropped two blocks from my Midtown office.

North Fulton needs more light rail transportation. The Marta Rail System should have already be in every North Fulton City. This should be done ASAP...

Absolutely! Expand our public transportation options is a no brainer, but let's make this part of a State-wide effort managed by transportation pros, not political appointees and competing agencies. It's too much to expect Fulton & DeKalb to fund 1/2 the state's traffic solutions.

Before anyone else says it: adding light rail would make getting downtown easier, but for the vast majority of commuters it would not provide a viable alternative to getting to and from work daily. It just won't go to enough places. So no, it's not going to be the 'magic bullet' that solves all of Atlanta's traffic woes. Now that that's been said . . .

But that's not the point. Adding light rail to the northern suburbs will bring jobs and investment in the short-term, increase real-estate prices and home values by making the area more attractive to businesses and residents in the medium term and improve the quality of life by providing easier access to the metro-area in the long term. It is a costly investment. But it will be worth it. I can't think of any city in the world that is giving up their mass transit options because they were disappointed in the ROI.

That's the same MARTA that eliminated bus service to East Roswell and the City spent $10 million of property owner’s monies on the H. Bridge & 400 interchange so pedestrians from East Roswell could walk to the bus stop at the south bound entry to 400 - Good Luck!

I believe the fear of crime is what has crippled people from voting for rail services. But if we had a better system, traffic would not have gotten this horrible. After the 96 olympics money should have been pumped into creating an awesome rail service because the metro area grew so much after all that exposure but people then to be so close minded hence the problem of massive traffic we are facing today. I have lived in Europe and i see how Asia is so advanced with rail services and i always wonder why Americans are so far behind. Yes i vote for better rail systems n expansion city-wide

ask Dunwoody police how many times a day they go to Perimeter mall for shoplifting crimes - there is usually one or two officers at the mall at all times filling out reports or waiting for the next crime to occur

USA Today article on crime near airports and train stations.
http://travel.usatoday.com/news/story/2011/07/Study-Crime-risk-high-near-many-airports-train-stations-/49301270/1

It would be instructional to know if the CAP index is above 100 in our rail station locations. That means crime is higher than average.
http://www.capindex.com/Products/CRIMECAST-Reports.aspx

The question still remains WHO is going to pay for rail because it doesn't pay for itself. It doesn't work without heavy tax subsidies. In case you've missed the memo, our country is already in insurmountable debt.

Yes, Marta should go all the way up to Windward. This should have been done 10 years ago.

Transit systems extend crime? Yeah right. Someone is going to stick up a pedestrian and jump on a train to make a quick getaway. Please. Of course Marta should extend up 400 to e0windward Parkway. I ride Marta to the airport and back from Sandy Springs every week. It is safe, quick, inexpensive so much less dangerous than driving n 285,with all the texting and cellphone drivers.

It's too bad that most comments are about mass transit and crime. That is debatable.

What is not debatable is the high cost of mass transit. Taxpayers subsidize more than 70% of the cost of every MARTA ride. If MARTA fares are $2.50, the taxpayers have to pay another $5.00 toward each ride. In addition the cost to extend MARTA heavy rail to Windward is estimated at $3 to 4 billion. Light rail would cost half as much, but that is still pricey. MARTA or any mass transit will consume about 2/3 of out total transportation spending, but only about 5% of total trips could use MARTA.

Mass transit only accounts for 5-10% of trips in urban cities. To use mass transit, it has to go where you want to go during the time you want to go. This is tough with the low density single family homes in North Fulton. The North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan said we would have to increase housing densities by 10x near MARTA rail lines and 3x near bus routes. Currently the apartments near Holcomb Bridge and GA 400 are one of the only areas dense enough to justify a bus route.

The question for all the rail and bus supporters is will they pay at least $300 more per family annually in taxes to subsidize North Fulton MARTA, even if they don't use it? Also are they willing to allow 3x to 10x higher housing densities (similar to Midtown Atlanta) to generate enough riders? If yes, are you a regular MARTA rider, or do you want 'other people' to ride it so you can drive?

Of course it's important to talk about how we will pay for anything we want our government to do. But you can make the case for austerity about any non-essential government service at any time regardless of economic prosperity or difficulty. What's more important is finding a way to make Roswell and North Fulton the kind of place we want to live in both now and in the future. For those of us who support light rail, that's a part of it. Moreover, not proactively seeking solutions to our unsustainable car-culture is only shifting the burden to our children and grandchildren to clean up the mess that we failed to addres.

So the real question is: do we want to pay now for the mass transit systems the region needs? Or do we want to pay for it later when property values decrease because no one wants live here, jobs disappear because the region is seen as backwards and government revenue is even lower because the working population has moved on to areas with better futures?

Either way, we're going to pay for this decision.

No. I don't want the crime to move out further. There is enough issues near Northpoint Mall I moved out to Forsyth cty, because of the schools and less crime, if we make it easier for crimminals to get out here,they will. "If you build it, they will come" I don't travel to Atlanta for work, but I understand the traffic issues. If the rail system is built, then more buses will come and then this will make it easier for everyone to move out here. Atlanta has enough issues, we don't need it or want it out here. Also we have a very good school system out here, look at Atlanta, Dekalb and Gwinnett, we really don't want to do that to our children, do we?

I am against it, but understand for traffic, so maybe if there is a very limited system. Runs only at rush hours or for major events downtown. But not all the time. I really don't think we need to invite crime out here. People like living out in Forsyth because of the schools and less crime, if we make it easier for everyone to move out here, what will that do to our house values and neighborhoods?
I like what John said about moving out here. "We chose to move out here, knowing there was no bus or rail systems, so if that is a problem, then why did you move out here?"

Stop MARTA (if they plan to extend it) at Windward Pkwy. The MARTA board is such a fouled up mess (like the DeKalb School Board) someone needs to "guide" them in their day-to-day operations so they will actually pay attention to what the public wants. If MARTA ever gets a foothold in Forsyth Co. we are doomed! I for one would vote against any Forsyth tax dollars to be spend for MARTA in any fashion, shape or form.

It is interesting to read these concerns about crime coming to our neighborhoods if Marta is expanded. What about the current crimes? How are they getting up here? In their cars! Where do these thugs come from? Surrounding cities/towns and even from our own town! This is a society of criticism, lets turn it around and make it a society of solutions. We complain about the traffic so lets make the rail happen. As we all know, expanding 400 only brought more traffic. I've been living in Alpharetta 20+ years and I remember that bringing Marta buses was a huge deal with the hike in crime being the talk as it is now. Yes there's been an increase but where exactly, downtown, which suburbs are crime targets? Maybe the police departments in Alpharetta, Milton and John's Creek can provide that information. I love living in Alpharetta and know that crime happens everywhere.

Myrna, Crime is an issue whether it is actual crime or the perception of crime. Even the perception of crime will alter people's behavior (cause them to move out further, cause them to not shop near the area, cause them to not use the services) so it is a relevant issue.

The bigger issue is what Tom Miller pointed out in his first comment above. To support rail services requires a 10-fold increase in density near rail (like you see around Dunwoody and Northpoint stations) and a 3-fold increase near bus lines. There are always tradeoffs? Are Alpharettans prepared to support the increased density for the service? That is the question.

Also, it is quite possible that the increased number of apartments is what brings in the crime. Once a complex has about 10 years on it and changes management hands, things deteriorate.

Read the police blotter in your local paper and check out where there is increased levels of crime. A high percentage is in the dense living areas.

Increased crime is certainly a legitimate cause of concern, but I'm more concerned about what will happen to the quality of our public schools. The metric I would be watching is the percentage of subsidized lunches in our schools. Extend Marta, then watch that figure increase, then watch your quality of life in Alpharetta decrease.

MARTA already struggles with the funding of its existing service primarily through the one percent sales tax. Extending hard rail north of North Springs to Windward Parkway would be an extreme waste of resources. MARTA appeals to those who have no transportation or who want to park their cars and commute weekdays to their jobs in downtown Atlanta.

Cities like New York and Chicago that have intense populations located near rail lines. There are no intense population centers within a one-mile radius of Georgia 400 at Haynes Bridge, Mansell Road, Old Milton Parkway, and Windward Parkway. Even if there was, there is limited bus service at three of the four intersections leading to Georgia 400. It would be an extremely costly mess.

Those who want to use MARTA already can drive to park and ride lots at Windward Parkway and Mansell Road. I assume those who want to use the service do already, but it is a small percentage of the population.

Coming from the DC area I watched the Metro Rail grow from a make work project in the 60's to a much used system that grew to the suburbs. Once it moved out to the burbs, it's ridership exploded. And around each station an economic boom was created. Land prices will never be lower than they are now to build the stations. And take it all the way to the Outlet mall in Dawsonville. In fact, light train should expand south to Macon and north to Canton and to Gainesville..Enough with the Hot Lanes!

NO - to rail expansion.

Before allowing it up to Alpharetta, I'd have to see some studies and charts on Sandy Springs and the perimeter areas for how burglaries, rapes, auto theft, etc. were affected in the years after the rail started serviced the area. In general, I'd vote no to rail up here because while I'd use it constantly for pleasure or work, I do fear the area would be affected by more crime, more issues, instead of remaining the quaint & secure "off the grid" retreat we all love.

Maybe at North Point Mall (Encore Pkwy) there'd be enough traffic, but other spots aren't dense enough. I live in downtown Alpharetta and would ride into ATL from Encore, but only occasionally as I work in another suburb. I'd be much more in favor of light rail than heavy rail; and I'd be less queasy if it were some entity other than MARTA.

the fact of the matter is transit does not increase crime. what, do you think some fool from intown is going to take MARTA up to windward and steal your HDTV? how do you think he's going to fit through the toll gate with that?

but we all know this has nothing to do with crime. why don't y'all just come out and say it? "crime", "thugs", "making it easier for people to move out here"— don't sugarcoat it. we all know what you are talking about and we deserve the truth. you're talking about black people. of course, you can't put it like that because it's not "politically correct". but even then, somehow you think that even though the whole world says that racism is wrong, you still justify it in your own mind as being correct, because you're not talking about "all black people", just "some black people". but i guaran-damn-tee you that i could drive you through a high-income professional black neighbourhood like cascade and you people would start talking about "crime". you people are sick. you have a sickness. and you are too weak to overcome the lies that your fathers and grandfathers told you, that somehow a man is different because of the colour of his skin.

you continue to spread these lies to your children and you're infecting the world with your hatred and evil, and i am damn sick of it. it's been 50 years since the civil rights act was passed and you people are still hung up on this issue. get over it. it's 2013, and guess what? people are different. deal with it!

^ i rest my case.

Why doesn't Marta go to Gwinnett instead of adding toll lanes?

Patton,
Thank you. I was making a statement because of what Daniel Bryant said.

Remember this?
Georgia T-Splost Voter Education

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCUqJ1uSvvM
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGqM5v53JE
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8SUyLRBgJ8
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmz1FdCOuAs
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voHClwwOqPs

The end of #3 & beginning of #4 shows how poorly MARTA is managed, and how much it operates in the RED. Anyone wanting to increase their taxes to extend MARTA should have their head examined. Watch and learn something.

People, why are you so foolish to think thugs will take MARTA to your homes and steal your big screen TVs and escape back to the ghetto on MARTA?

They're just going to steal your big screen TVs and then they will steal your cars and DRIVE back to the ghetto in style!

Every 36,000 jobs in public transportation generates roughly $3.6 billion in business sales and generate nearly $500 million in federal, state, and local tax revenues. Ga needs to wake up and smell the money.