Rail will come ‘when Georgia gets its act together’
Ray LaHood, the U.S. secretary of transportation, was asked Monday whether high-speed rail would ever come to Atlanta.
“It’ll come to Atlanta if Georgia gets its act together,” LaHood said, using words that came across more blunt in person than they do on the page.
In a later interview, LaHood revised and extended that remark, suggesting that the state has yet to get its act together in other ways as well.
“I think that’s true of transit too,” he said. “There has to be a commitment by state government that transit is important,” implying that in Georgia it isn’t.
According to LaHood, he took that same message into a 40-minute private meeting with Gov. Sonny Perdue Monday.
LaHood is a former Republican congressman, serving 14 years in the U.S. House until he was appointed by President Obama to lead the Department of Transportation. The change in administrations has come at a time when the country is already being forced to rethink both its high consumption of energy and a housing industry that was founded largely on suburban and exurban expansion.
Those changes are also having an effect on debate in Congress, which has begun to draft a new national transportation strategy. That strategy is expected to contain a much stronger commitment to transit and rail and a recognition that to maximize efficiency, transportation investments must be linked to land use.
In fact it’s striking, listening to LaHood and others debating transportation strategy at the national level, just how out of sync Georgia’s leadership has become on such issues.
While LaHood talked of the role of well-planned transportation projects in “creating neighborhoods that people want to live in and where businesses want to locate in,” our leading Republican candidate for governor talks of using transportation to destroy such neighborhoods in east Atlanta.
While Georgia transportation officials propose putting expensive tolls on existing interstate lanes, LaHood questions the fairness of asking taxpayers to pay again for infrastructure that they’ve already paid for once.
And while Georgia lawmakers balk at any step that might shift taxing and spending power from state officials to metropolitan areas, LaHood and others discuss changes that would allow federal transportation money to flow directly to metropolitan planning districts, such as the Atlanta Regional Commission, bypassing state transportation departments.
In his comments, LaHood tried hard not to criticize Georgia policy makers directly. “I’m not going to pretend to tell Georgia what to do,” he said repeatedly.
But rather than criticize the lack of planning and support for high-speed rail in Georgia, he offered examples of regions elsewhere that “get it.”
“The Northeast (high-speed rail) corridor has its act together,” LaHood said. “The Midwest corridor has its act together. The governors there have set aside their own egos and their own ambitions” to work together on bringing high-speed rail to those regions.
LaHood made no mention of the stark contrast to the Southeast, where our governors are too busy posturing to discuss resolution of the ongoing water wars, let alone high-speed rail.
However, he did note that in his travels around the country, he’s been struck by how often the pressure to change course and do things differently has been generated by the public rather than by elected leaders.
Every region, every state has to decide which approach best suits its needs, he said. Some communities will make a commitment and investment to passenger rail and high-speed rail, while others will not.
“If the people of Atlanta think it’s OK to sit in traffic for an hour and a half on the way to a doctor’s appointment, so be it,” LaHood said.
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206 comments Add your comment
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
5:11 pm
Go to Chicago, notice the choo choos that run in every direction and then make notice of the fact that the expressways are still jammed to the hilt and most people ride everywhere in taxis.
Can we please do it right the next time, stacking roads on top of roads if we have to?
The train don’t go but so far.
dbm
September 21st, 2009
5:34 pm
To I Report/You Whine: How about doing it right in the future by extablishing separation of state and transportation?
Mason Hicks
September 21st, 2009
5:42 pm
In Chicago, notice that while the highways and taxis may be full, so are the trains, Els, and subways. These trains carry hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans to their jobs and routines every day. Take those trains away from the equation, and see what you’re left with. Hundreds of thousands of ADDITIONAL cars trying to fit into highways which as you correctly state, are already “jammed to the hilt”. I guarantee that it woulbn’t be pretty. Take a look at New York or Chicago during a transit strike for an example. Daily business routine and commerce completely shuts down. That’s exacly why such strikes don’t last very long. That is also precisely where we are heading if we stay on the ‘all roads’ course that we are currently on.
Maybe “the train don’t go but so far”, as, you say; but in New York or Chicago, (and other major cities as well), take it away, and no one is going anywhere…
Bob
September 21st, 2009
5:49 pm
It’s all republicans fault, before Sonny was elected, traffic jams were only in LA. In fact, has anyone driven in LA, Chicago or New York City ?
I have and it sucks, but LaHood singles out the south. How many more Trillions would it be to implement all the rail plans on the table ? It’s a good thing we did not build that outer perimeter or LaHood might put Sonny on double secret probation.
Public Option's A Go
September 21st, 2009
6:01 pm
Georgia has not hand it’s act together since Bookman’s first day here, and it will never have its act together. The only rail is the one to ride Sonny out on.
Public Option's A Go
September 21st, 2009
6:02 pm
Let’s get clear. If it weren’t for ACORN, Georgia would have an exemplary transportation system. It already has an exemplary legislature.
Public Option's A Go
September 21st, 2009
6:05 pm
Racism kept MARTA from going where it should have gone in North Fulton and Gwinette, and racism has kept the bozoheads in the JawJaw legislature like Jill Chambers (whose big butt is enconsed in her Black SUV at all times) crippling MARTA year after year.
Taxpayer
September 21st, 2009
6:05 pm
“If the people of Atlanta think it’s OK to sit in traffic for an hour and a half on the way to a doctor’s appointment, so be it,” LaHood said.
I guess that sums up the feelings of the majority of Georgia voters. Otherwise, you’d think that they’d vote for change instead of more of the same. LaHood probably could have gotten Perdue’s attention if he had said something about plans to run a rail line down by his “gone fishing” sign although I was thinkin’ that a line from Columbus to Atlanta might work as well so we can transport those new Kia’s to the car lots faster.
Hef
September 21st, 2009
6:06 pm
In NY regardless of taxi’s,train’s you don’t go anywhere, so to say hi-speed rail is the answer I think needs to be re-thought.
Dan White
September 21st, 2009
6:06 pm
Just lokk how successful Amtrak is. wait..
Taxpayer
September 21st, 2009
6:07 pm
Take those trains away from the equation, and see what you’re left with.
What? The future Atlanta.
Public Option's A Go
September 21st, 2009
6:09 pm
Sounds like someone told former Congressman LaHood that Georgia is largely composed of white racist hicks. He must have seen some of Jack Kingston’s recent Czar sound bytes.
The Repubozotards in Congress and the two in the Senate have done zero to advance transportation in Georgia and Issacson keeps talking about a pie in the sky scheme that will never see the light of day in his lifetime.
thebob.bob
September 21st, 2009
6:11 pm
LaHood is right. Georgia doesn’t get it. Noting the comments above suggesting that you should not build light rail because the roads are still clogged. By that argument you shouldn’t build more roads because they just fill up with more cars. It’s about moving people and having options. If gas (scarcity, higher taxes, global warming) gets expensive and there’s no alternative to cars, then what? If there are no housing options besides a sprawling, car-dependent suburbia, then what? What the rest of the country gets, and Georgia doesn’t, is that you put the people, the businesses and the economy at risk when you have no options.
Good luck sitting in traffic in an air-conditioned S.U.V. when gas is $6/gal.
Taxpayer
September 21st, 2009
6:13 pm
It’s a good thing we did not build that outer perimeter or LaHood might put Sonny on double secret probation
What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis! Just give it time.
NON-aging, underemployed Fox stooge
September 21st, 2009
6:13 pm
Hey Whiner consipirator, Bob, here’s a thought: let’s have a debate about the merits of big-city American mass transit versus Sunbelt-style sit-on-your-hands while region smothers in traffic and money is funneled to money to highway developers. That’s so fruitful. And so original. I mean, it’s obviously never been discussed before you know?
Liberal Convert
September 21st, 2009
6:14 pm
My bebes are trivialized. I mean serialized. I mean traumatized. When is obama going to come give us fema cards?
Daedalus
September 21st, 2009
6:18 pm
Last week the AJC published an op-ed piece by Lee Biola of Citizens for Progressive Transit where he told our neighbors ‘up north’just where they could stick their innovative transit funding laws.
The funny thing was he wasn’t talking about Chicago or New York. He was talking about North Carolina and Tennessee. Tennessee for crying out loud!!! I don’t think you can still link to the AJC op-ed piece, but the CPT website does have a summary of the North Carolina and Tennessee transit funding laws — see http://www.cfpt.org/ .
The reality is that the GOP controls the executive and legislative branches of government in Georgia and that means we will never have any progress on transit, or even allow counties to band together to tax themselves to build transit, roads, sidewalks or anything (except boat ramps).
You see the state legislature wants to control the tax revenues from metro Atlanta so they can spend them in Hahira, Rome, Valdosta, etc., etc. Antwhere but metro Atlanta. Besides, the Georgia GOP doesn’t do infrastructure. I cannot find a single major transportation project started by Sonny Perdue in meto Atlanta. That includes roads. All the big projects (the 316 interchange, etc.) were started before Governor “Pray for Rain and Build Us Some Boat Ramps Yee Haw” turned the Governor’s Mansion into the place where all good ideas go to die.
And before anyone brings it up, turning HOV lanes into Lexus Lanes is not exactly an innovative congestion relief project and will have a minimal impact on congestion. Even though those lanes are already built, GDOT hasn’t been able to pull that off and they’ve been talking about it for 8 years now. The HOV lane to Lexus Lane project is about as lame as Sonny’s “let’s synchronize traffic lights” solution to metro Atlanta’s traffic during his first election campaign.
Only problem is that there aren’t traffic lights on the interstate.
D’oh!
Hef
September 21st, 2009
6:18 pm
thebob.bob-Was’nt the same type of logic used with the expansion’s of marta over the last 20 years? Not sayin I enjoy readin war & peace on my way back & forth to work everyday,but will fast transit help much when majority of people live within 15 miles of work?
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
6:18 pm
Houston, in fact, is one of a handful of cities that has been able to slow its congestion growth by concentrating on more roads, the study found.
“Areas that build more roads (on pace with) their traffic growth have less increase in congestion, or slow the increase in congestion,” said Tim Lomax, co-author of the study. “That says building more roads does make a difference.”
Um, duh.
NON-aging, underemployed Fox stooge
September 21st, 2009
6:21 pm
Hey Whiner conspirator, why don’t you try shutting your Fox-stooge trap and listen to Daedalus. He’s right on target. Right. On.
NON-aging, underemployed Fox stooge
September 21st, 2009
6:23 pm
By the way, I just typed “he” for Daedalus, but it could just as well be a she for all I know …
Taxpayer
September 21st, 2009
6:30 pm
Here in Georgia, we start out with a little one-lane horse and buggy gravel road and build subdivisions up and down its length. Then, everything that is done to that one-lane road reduces congestion. Duhhhhh.
Jay
September 21st, 2009
6:31 pm
Reporter, would that be the same Houston that just broke ground on two new light-rail lines expected to create 25,000 jobs, the same Houston where ridership on existing light-rail lines already exceeds projections for 2020?
The Houston that is at the epicenter of the U.S. petroleum industry, yet is building transit rapidly and efficiently?
THAT Houston?
Daedalus
September 21st, 2009
6:36 pm
Phoenix light rail line exceeds ridership expectations:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/us/20rail.html?_r=1
Even the King City of Sprawl has built a light rail line. I like the quote from the representative from the conservative Goldwater Institute when asked about her group’s prediction that the rail line would be a flop: “We don’t dwell” on that.
Course not. That would mean admitting you were wrong. Of course, they do think that the light rail should not be subsidized. You know, like highways and roads aren’t subsidized. Except they are. Oops. Wrong again.
Paul
September 21st, 2009
6:44 pm
[[Ray LaHood, the U.S. secretary of transportation, was asked Monday whether high-speed rail would ever come to Atlanta.
“It’ll come to Atlanta if Georgia gets its act together,” LaHood said]]
So I guess the simple answer is ‘No’?
piggyback on Jay’s 6:31: well do I remember when Tom DeLay pulled approved funding for Houston transit, noting he wasn’t aware of any data showing strong support by the people for such projects. It sticks in my mind as I was amazed this was the only time I heard DeLay speak of making a decision based upon data…. when it was something he didn’t want.
Then again, we had a few articles about where DeLay got a bunch of campaign contributions from. It wasn’t rail. But road construction and cement companies and others…
Taxpayer
Answered downstairs. What I think your question might be. As it’s so elusive to get you to clearly state a question. Let alone answer one. But I tried asking again. Went from multiple choice to two possibilities (three if you answer ‘maybe’).
See? I’m an optimist! I think it’s possible you may answer a direct question!!!
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
6:46 pm
Sounds like Houston is fixin to find out the hard way, don’t it?
Hey, at least they won’t be stuck on the expressways watching the empty train roll by.
jconservative
September 21st, 2009
6:48 pm
We will not get hi speed rail in Georgia because rail lines bring “those” people out to where “we” people live.
Hef
September 21st, 2009
6:50 pm
Just wonderin,are’nt the majority of folks that use mass transit here in the ATL without any other modes of transportation?
GayGrayGeek
September 21st, 2009
6:54 pm
Jay, you silly goose. After all this time, and you want Andy to acknowledge DEMONSTRABLE FACTS as well as VERIFIABLE TRUTHS?
Silly. Just silly. Haven’t you figured out, by now, that there is no breeze moving the windmills of his mind?
Jay
September 21st, 2009
6:57 pm
I doubt it, Hef. Otherwise the parking lot at my local MARTA station wouldn’t be full to overflowing every morning.
Normal
September 21st, 2009
6:58 pm
I consider trains “the other white meat” in transportation, and I would like to see a national railway system complete with coast to coast high speed non stop monorail systems and electric train coast to coast for vacationers or business people where time isn’t an issue. Trains like the “Nancy Hanks” were wonderful in their day and should be brought back. A good running train system would be a great benefit for this country in jobs, taxes, etc. And besides, if you haven’t done it, there is nothing like making love in your private sleeper, going clickity, clak, clickity clak…just sayin’
Jay
September 21st, 2009
6:59 pm
Well, Reporter, every evening as I head home on MARTA I glance out the window at I-85-75 and marvel at the long, unbroken line of brake lights moving very slowly.
Ten minutes later, I’m home cracking open a beer. And those people on the Interstate might have hit 14th Street by then.
Hef
September 21st, 2009
7:01 pm
Jay-According to Washington Post (I could’nt find anything at AJC.com) the percentage is 45% of transit riders do not have any other mode of transportation. My guess of MAJORITY was incorrect.
Paul
September 21st, 2009
7:02 pm
Another Texas comparison: DFW-Ft Worth metro area local gov’ts cooperate on mass transit. Local authorities told state reps the people were willing to fund tax increases to pay for it. State legislature wouldn’t allow it. Said from their vantage, people didn’t want more taxes so they wouldn’t let them vote.
Democracy at its finest.
I’m voting for Anybody But the Incumbent next time around.
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
7:05 pm
GayGrayFreak- It’s a DEMONSTRABLE FACT as well as VERIFIABLE TRUTH that only 5% of the population uses rail as a form of transportation.
Wanna guess what percentage use automobiles, fruitcake?
Which is why bookman advocates for the choo choo, he hates prosperity because it harms the planet, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Paul
September 21st, 2009
7:05 pm
Correction: one mass transit line did get approved and funded.
Local city added three new convention centers to the two already there.
Locals won’t work for convention center wages, so they need a transit line to bring in people who will work for those wages.
This is wrong on so many levels -
Taxpayer
September 21st, 2009
7:05 pm
See? I’m an optimist! I think it’s possible you may answer a direct question!!!
I can relate to that.
Hef
September 21st, 2009
7:06 pm
Gettin ready to leave office in Roswell for my 40 min ride home to ATL just west of Hartsfield,usually a smooth non-stop ride. Doubtfull tonite cause of weather. Drive Safe All
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
7:07 pm
Hey, I know, let’s build an expressway that runs parallel to the downtown connector.
Like bookman says, sounds like we need it.
Chad Harris
September 21st, 2009
7:16 pm
My experience as an MD has allowed me to become quite an expert regarding high speed rail.
I’ll pontificate as soon as I finish watching The Cosby Show. You know, Mr. Huxtable was an MD also.
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
7:16 pm
I rode the Metra or whatever the hell it’s called in DC during the family’s occasional pilgrimage to the capital of the once greatest nation on Earth, just a short jump to the other side of the Mall, and I remember how nice it was to be sized up by the local thuggery and the welcoming stares they gave us for invading their space.
Wasn’t a cop in sight.
DoggoneGA
September 21st, 2009
7:18 pm
“I remember how nice it was to be sized up by the local thuggery”
Did you shoot one of them for reaching into his back pocket for a cigarette?
RW-(the original)
September 21st, 2009
7:19 pm
Birthers and light rails when there’s a two hour season premiere of Heroes tonight?
Geez….
Paul
September 21st, 2009
7:23 pm
RW-(the original)
That’s one of the things I like about you – you keep your priorities straight!
I think Bosch left some time ago to plant himself in front of the tube so he wouldn’t miss anything.
Kinda hope they do a recap.
Jay
September 21st, 2009
7:24 pm
Perhaps the “local thuggery” were wondering where the cops are when you need them.
GayGrayGeek
September 21st, 2009
7:24 pm
Normal @ 6:58 – You randy goose, you. “Choo-choo, woo-woo”, indeed!
BTW, I forgot to say “Hi back, and thankee!” downstairs to your nice greeting to me the other day. I can’t say as I’m permanently back – since I’ve been unemployed Mr. GayNotSoGrayGeek is keeping my days busy with HouseSpouse Chores, but when I need a break from errands, etc., I’m more than happy to stur up the, um, well, you know, around here. LOL
Road Scholar
September 21st, 2009
7:26 pm
Houston’s managed lanes (HOV or toll) are already over capacity and more lanes are needed w/o more transit investment. Their present system has some bus stations intregated into the HOV system.
Now remember Texas has their own oil (as does Alaska) so their dependance on autos and oil revenues are linked. They already have a light rail line from a University/hospital district to a downtown entertainment area. I’ve ridden it and it was ok. Decent patronage at dinner time during the week.
But they are running out of undeveloped property next to their road coridors. Which brings me to Whiners contention to Double deck our highways. How do you build them with traffic below? No! Where do you then send the traffic? How does this work at the interchanges, esp when the present highway goes below the cross street?
When our and the world’s economy comes back, esp the Chinese, the price of gas/oil will skyrocket. How do you move around then? Transit better be in place. Not only to address cheaper movement of people, but also reduced stress! In focus groups, the No 1 reason behind financial was stress reduction. Those who said this read (imagine!), listened to music, talked , slept,…All transit users agreed the best bi-product was stress reduction.
Midori
September 21st, 2009
7:26 pm
Glenn Beck: Obama Better For Country Than McCain Would Have Been
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/21/katiecouric/main5328053.shtml
I Report/ Vast White Wing Conspirator (-: You Whine )-:
September 21st, 2009
7:29 pm
duhgone- Believe me, at the time I was wishing that I had my favorite cannon with me so that I could show it to them and we could have a polite and jovial discussion about ballistic coefficiencies.
I hate those who prey on others, sorry, I know how much you find them to be adorable.
Northern Songs LTD
September 21st, 2009
7:29 pm
i’d be happy to take marta to work, except it takes me longer to get to a marta station than it takes me to get to work. oh, and there’s no marta near where i work. damn. what’s an enviro-lib-whacko (did i get that right?) to do??