The Atlanta City Council will take up proposed legislation approved by its public safety committee on Oct. 27 that would not allow those arrested for street racing to bond out of jail without first going before a judge. City officials hope that a stay in jail while waiting to appear before a judge will act as a deterrent along with fines starting at $1,000. The city’s chief municipal judge has already issued a temporary oder requiring offenders to appear before a judge while the city decides no whether to make it permanent policy. The city council will meet Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement that it was “happy to hear that the courts have reopened and that legislation is being worked on by the Atlanta City Council to help us in this endeavor. We will continue to focus resources on those who choose to disobey the law and make our city unsafe.” APD encouraged residents to continue calling 911 when they witness street racing in their neighborhoods and recently switched tactics to have officers regularly patrolling where street racing occurs.
MARTA is partnering with Uber for a one-year pilot program to provide customers with more options when normal MARTA service is disrupted. MARTAConnect will offer on-demand app-based rides for customers during specific planned and unplanned rail service disruptions that require supplemental bus transportation. “MARTA is proud to launch this program on Election Day, recognizing that we serve 20 percent fewer polling locations across our jurisdictions while we are still in Essential Bus Service due to COVID-19. MARTAConnect2Vote will help ensure that customers trying to reach the 99 polling places on suspended bus routes can vote,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “Moving forward, MARTAConnect will be a great resource for riders to keep them moving when we undergo state of good repair work on the system or when unforeseen service issues arise.” Customers unable to get to their polling precinct due to a suspended bus route can access a link to a two-trip $16 voucher ($8 per trip) that can be downloaded to their Uber app and used to subsidize their trip to and from the polls. The voucher works only for the 99 voting precincts not covered by the Essential Service Plan, and the customer is responsible for any amount over $8 per trip. The voucher is valid from 5 a.m. until midnight on Nov. 3 and the eligible precincts have been geo-fenced to ensure vouchers are used for their intended purpose. Visit www.itsmarta.com/MARTAConnect for a list of eligible polling places and information on other transportation options if your precinct is not listed. After Election Day, MARTAConnect will be available to customers impacted by planned or unplanned service disruptions on the rail system that require supplemental bus transportation.
Georgia State University Library’s Women and Gender Collections will host a virtual LGBTQIA+ celebration called Out in the Archives: Atlanta’s Pride on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. Speakers will include Lynn Barfield, Operations Manager for the Atlanta Pride Committee, and Taylor Alxndr, Executive Director of Southern Fried Queer Pride. To watch or for more information, visit this link.
The post News Briefs: Jail time for street racing; MARTAConnect launches Nov. 3; Out in the Archives at GSU appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.