Road Block:Atlanta Transit Falls Short

Things may be at yet another standstill in Atlanta,Georgia---and no I'm not referring to our city's notoriously awful rush hour traffic. As temperatures have risen so have gas prices and many of us have set our sights on alternative transit.

According a July 7,2011 release, the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable held a Transit Decision-making Workshop. The committee hopes to pare down the list of transportation projects under consideration for funding through a regional referendum in July 2011. The workshop featured experts from Denver, Salt Lake City, Houston and Tampa, areas that have recently passed transportation funding referendums and also successfully implemented new public transit projects. 

The staff-developed list includes 217 projects, down from 446, at an estimated cost of $12.2 billion. This amount is almost exactly double the amount of the final $6.1 billion list, meaning that it will need to be cut in half again.

The 217 projects include:

• 6 aviation projects costing $28 million
• 15 bike/pedestrian projects costing $138 million
• 165 road projects costing $6.6 billion ($5.6 billion new capacity, $1 billion preservation)
• 31 transit projects costing $5.5 billion ($4.3 billion expansion, $1.1 billion maintenance and modernization, $0.1 billion other related infrastructure).

Metro Atlanta may be waiting a while for any action. Many metropolitan counties are under-served by transit and suffer from congestion as a result. Clayton County has been without bus service since 2010.

Funding for the majority of transportation projects has been drastically cut. Beltline transit was cut by more than half, weakening the already overstressed transit system. GRTA's budget for suburban Xpress buses increased, from $181 million to $200 million. Cash to relocate Atlanta's Amtrak station to 17th Street and streetscape improvements and property purchases for the proposed downtown train terminal also made the list.This list favors the concerns of the driver rather than those of the rider.

When will this city learn that MARTA is unable to function without it's support? When will this state learn that all transit woes are not in Atlanta? As a true peach... as a woman who loves her city... we have some serious problems to overcome.