ARC pushing transportation bill
The Atlanta Regional Commission is urging local officials to make a last-minute push for passage of a major transportation bill.
In an email alert sent out early Monday, officials with the regional planning group said: “We have seven legislative days left to convince our legislators that transportation is a critical issue and that we deserve a chance to vote on a regional sales tax for transportation.”
The email includes the contact information for the three House members and three senators, charged to iron out differences in each chamber’s version of the legislation.
The conferees are meeting this week.
The ARC email states: “Anyone who drives in metro Atlanta knows that traffic congestion is a problem. But many don’t realize that some $4 billion of transportation projects have been removed from the region’s long-range transportation plan due to a lack of funding, a critical problem across Georgia. That means that not only do we have traffic challenges today, but things will most assuredly get worse if nothing changes
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11 comments Add your comment
West Cobber
April 12th, 2010
1:02 pm
The reason there’s no funding is because they burn through it without considering ways to minimize the NEED for funding. I’ve said it before, but again: MARTA and systems like it are bad business deals for the taxpayers of our area!!!! This bill would effectively lock out other, more innovative solutions. I think the answer to traffic congestion is to provide a system technology that is designed to operate within a competitive fare level, retaining a revenue margin for system growth, and putting the “rapid” back in “rapid transit” to be competitive with the personal automobile! Such a design exists, we only need leaders who have the foresight to bring it to Atlanta.
A system with the technology AND the credible business plan to make this happen is the HighRoad Rapid Transit System. (www.OTG-Inc.com)
“All too often, reluctance to innovate is cowardice dressed up as prudence.” – Lady Margaret Thatcher
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April 12th, 2010
1:20 pm
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UGA grad
April 12th, 2010
5:38 pm
ARC loves taxes!!!!
MSG 71
April 13th, 2010
11:19 am
@ West Cobber, what is a solution to solve the problem? Having 19 bus lines that overlap isn’t efficient either. At some point there has to be some regional solution to Metro’s transportation problem. That solution shouldn’t only be important when gas is over $5 per gallon either.
Scott
April 13th, 2010
12:11 pm
So, the fact that the State, who gives MARTA NO funding, requires MARTA to put up with the likes of Jill Chambers every time they sneeze is good business? Public transportation returns 4X the money in the economic growth thats spent. Its a long term investment and makes great economic sense…but most people just like living in their “no taxes” tea party ignorance…and make no mistake, if you took the time online that you take generating posts to do the research, you might actually learn something constructive. You have all the information one could ever hope to have right at your keyboard…USE IT!
Earnest
April 13th, 2010
1:02 pm
@ West Cobber, thanks for sharing the link, Owen’s company looks very promising.
Do you have details about the business plan, though? One advantage to MARTA is that the tracks are already laid. I imagine building new rails everywhere would require a lot of concrete and be very expensive.
Base
April 13th, 2010
1:15 pm
ARC is the problem not the solution.What have they done for the last decade besides take your money?
West Cobber
April 13th, 2010
2:55 pm
@MSG71 – Agreed. Solution is in my post… pls check it out.
@Earnest – It’s an elevated, pre-fab system. Cost is stated as being about 1/5th the cost of MARTA to build it. Business plan calls for about $100M from GA and matching funds from private investors… GA owns it with lease-back to private operators (investors) for 30 or 40 years of operation with revenue bonds backed by GA. Numbers I’ve seen show GA gets it total investment back two-fold within 5 years through jobs created (aka new tax revenues from people with new incomes).
To me, one of the best things is that it can be done using off the shelf technology… nothing really new to create.
jm
April 13th, 2010
4:31 pm
West Cobber – you’re dreaming. No way this costs less than laying traditional MARTA rail. I can pretend I can go buy an S-class Mercedes for $15,000, until I try to actually go do it….
Quit promoting some hair brained scheme and sign up for expanding MARTA into Cobb, and getting MARTA management reformed.
Thomas
April 14th, 2010
9:32 am
@BASE – If I remember correctly, ARC GAVE money to MARTA last year (us enough). Seeing how they’re the only group looking at the entire region’s transportation woes, I’d be wise to listen to them.
Thomas
April 14th, 2010
9:36 am
@west cobber – There’s no way that’s going to happen around here, especially with MARTA owning rails and land in place for expansion. And just like @jm said, yeah it looks good on paper, but you’re starting from scratch, and your costs will be way more than quoted. Help us pay for a system that was supposed to go up to you guys why don’t you? You’ll see that MARTA ain’t that bad!
The rest of us will be voting for people with ACTUAL, feasible solutions.