Archive for the ‘Transportation’ Category

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

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Author Taras Grescoe writes about the great public transit systems of the world in his new book “Straphanger,” a bullet-train of a read that looks at how the timely integration of subways, buses and rail has put cities on the path to success.

Also, a former Fayette County official adopts the great railroad song “The City of New Orleans” for an anti-T-SPLOST argument: Forget about your father’s magic carpets made of steel; trains don’t pay for themselves and won’t untie Atlanta’s traffic knots, he says.

Continue reading 5/15: Transportation seeks a path »

By the AJC Editorial Board

There’s a still-foggy notion wafting around that a “Plan B” will somehow arise from somewhere if voters send the penny transportation sales tax down to defeat on July 31. That belief, in our view, is too freighted with risk to our economy and quality of life to warrant serious consideration as public debate continues over how best to begin detangling this region’s traffic mess.

Read the rest  of what the AJC Editorial Board has to say and commentaries by the director of the Georgia Chapter, Sierra Club and the campaign manager for Citizens for Transportation Mobility.

Then tell us what you think.

Continue reading 5/13: Transportation referendum »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

It’s a busy time for transportation projects in Georgia, leading up to a historic July 31 vote on a 1-cent sales tax in regions around the state. The latest venture trying to get off the ground, after decades of talk, is a passenger terminal for downtown Atlanta that would link various mobility options.

I talked with Georgia officials about those plans. Below that, a local transportation blogger writes that the T-SPLOST vote is doomed and how the project list can be improved next time.

Tell us what you think.

Continue reading 5/8: Georgia transportation projects »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

It’s a contentious point in the tug of war between MARTA and Georgia legislators: the state mandate that the transportation agency spend half of its revenue from taxes on maintenance and capital projects and half on operations.

Oversight through “the 50-50 split” is crucial, the state contends. MARTA says that it’s restrictive and hopes to see it go away. What do you think?

Continue reading 5/1: The 50-50 split »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Behind rising transportation costs, a battle is being waged over the reauthorization of the Export-Import bank, a federal agency that provides lines of credit to foreign buyers to purchase American products.

Some homegrown companies, such as Delta Air Lines, charge that it creates an uneven playing field. Others say it actually protects American workers.

Continue reading 4/24: Reauthorize Export-Import bank? »

By the AJC Editorial Board

A metro Atlanta transit governance deal is overdue. So ARC’s move to seek legal advice to allow local transit agencies to better work together offers hope.

You’d think in these times of calls for smaller government, zero-basing public agency budgets and the like that the businesslike concept of spending public transit money more effectively would be an easy sell.

Not so, as proved by the continuing travail over deciding just how to improve coordination of Atlanta’s multiple transit systems.

That situation may soon change for the better, at least somewhat. In an encouraging show of unity by local officials, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s board recently voted unanimously to seek legal advice on just what more can be done locally to push forward on working more closely on transit matters. The board’s action is a refreshing sign of unity by metro Atlanta’s leaders in acting to help reduce the congestion that affects us all, no matter where …

Continue reading 4/22: Getting on track? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

After years of speculation, the proposed MultiModal Passenger Terminal downtown, slated for the corroded canyon known as the “Gulch,” finally has some life.

Major developers are drawing up a master plan and laying the groundwork for cooperation with the freight rail companies that use existing tracks.

But advocates warn that failure to pass the July 31 referendum on a regional transportation sales tax — even though the terminal is not on the project list — could damage its chances for federal funds.

Continue reading 4/17: MultiModal Passenger Terminal »

By Tom Sabulis

We’re seeking anecdotes from readers about the daily trials and tribulations of surviving the commute in metro Atlanta. Comment on this blog or email me at tsabulis@ajc.com. We will print the best of them in Tuesday’s newspaper. Here’s my own example:

The aplomb of some MARTA bus drivers continues to impress me. One day last week, a respectable-looking woman near the back door of the  No. 12 bus caught my attention. She was alone and not talking with anyone, yet she kept laughing loud and long — delightfully, really — out of the blue.

I couldn’t tell why. She didn’t seem drunk or medicated. I couldn’t see if she had a Bluetooth or earplug for some audio device; maybe she was listening to David Sedaris or Bill Cosby? I don’t know.

I tried not to stare and went back to reading my own book. A moment later, she ferociously cleared her throat and excavated what must have been a deep and large reservoir of phlegm. And instantly went silent. At that …

Continue reading 4/13: Tales of surviving commutes »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Is it July 31 yet? The date of the metrowide referendum on the transportation special purpose local option sales tax can’t get here fast enough.

That goes for those in support of the project, which would bring $6.1 billion in traffic and transit improvements, and those opposed, who say the project list is misguided and/or inadequate.

What do you think?

Continue reading 4/10: Is it July 31 yet? »

By the AJC Editorial Board

A full-page color photo of a container ship appears immediately after Gov. Nathan Deal’s introductory letter in the Georgia Competitiveness Initiative’s final report.

That’s no surprise, given the significance of the Port of Savannah to Georgia’s economy. And with the back and forth of international trade, ports are big players for states blessed with oceanfront real estate.

Which makes the ongoing health of Savannah’s port worth fighting for as politicians and port officials nationwide seek federal funding for improvements to accommodate larger ships.

Read the rest of the AJC Editorial Board’s commentary and a sampler of opinions on the project. Then tell us what you think.

Continue reading 4/8: Fight for port funding »