Transit votes fail in Cobb and Gwinnett and I’m weary

Voters in Cobb and Gwinnett Counties both rejected chances to boost funding for transit in this election. What the fudge, people?

The hope was that voters would be more likely to support these measure than previous ones because this time they weren’t about joining MARTA.

Seems like they might as well have made them MARTA votes after all.

The transit-tax referendums would have supported new bus lines and rapid transit systems. Only 38% of votes in Cobb supported theirs; though it was at least closer in Gwinnett, with 47% in support of theirs.

And in case you needed another reminder that “shared identity doesn’t necessarily equal shared goals” — Cobb and Gwinnett both voted blue in this election. They just didn’t feel like going all the way and supporting transit.

So the struggle bus continues to struggle, and of course it’s the most vulnerable among us who suffer when transit options are weak. I had hoped things were changing for the better with support for transit ridership in the core counties. Maybe they are in a very slow way, but slow acknowledgement of the needs for sustainable, equitable mobility isn’t good enough in 2024.

What action can we take? For now, support the *heck* (pardon my language) out of proposals to add affordable housing near existing transit lines, especially ones with good pedestrian infrastructure. Market-rate housing is needed in these spots too and we shouldn’t block those, but obviously affordable units are the biggest need. Dense up.

And support the ever-loving *shizzle* out of any proposal to improve existing transit conditions so that riding buses (and trains) is an obviously awesome option.

What else?