Opinion Talk

By candide

April 23, 2006 05:35 PM | Link to this

California teaches us that if you improve roads you only encourage more cars and more traffic and more smog. Georgia has failed to take the disaster which is California seriously enough.

California has become virtually unlivable — except for Mexican illegals who find it better than Jalisco or Tabasco. They can have it.

By rwh

April 23, 2006 06:38 PM | Link to this

Most state are already getting federal-funding for highways improvements. Some states have earmarked highway for improvements; but at times, the public never know which until they actually check with city planning commission to see what on the agenda. To much of already state funded taxes are in limbo because it is never used to do major highways improvements; rather, it keep piling up and on any give month, you might find some highways being improved. I would asked every state and cities to stop the mass-building of homes that run right into a two lane highway; and if more taxes would be asked of the cities; then widen and create enough lanes for the public to use instead of have mass lines of traffic waiting to turn or move forward. Taxes is not the big issues; its the upkeep and planning of the major roads that is needed, right now and not in years to come.

By Freedawg

April 23, 2006 09:18 PM | Link to this

That is exactly what we need to do, I am sure that everyone in Georgia wants to pay more taxes so Atlanta can have better roads. We all know that if you want to fix something you have to throw more money at it, just look at how our 49th ranked schools are doing. I would love to pay more taxes! Here is an idea why don’t we go down Memorial Drive a find all the men out there drinking a 40 at 10am and take their wlefare checks from them and see if we can get enough to fund these road projects. Or we can just let them starve if they won’t work and allocate the money for other necessary projects (not their homes)like this, but raising taxes just seems easier doesn’t it.

By tom

April 23, 2006 11:33 PM | Link to this

I think instead of raising taxes for highway improvement the state should spend the money on slowing people down. everyday we hear about a 18 wheeler in a accident blocking the roads for hours.. i come down 85 at the speed limit and they pass me like I’m standing still.. 200,000 lbs going 80 mph is “insane” i think the state should lower the speed limit to 55 and enforce it.. think of the gas we could save.. the people that drive the stretch from 985 to spaghetti junction have a death wish..

By tom

April 23, 2006 11:35 PM | Link to this

please slow the 18 wheelers down..

By tom

April 23, 2006 11:40 PM | Link to this

sure ..improve the roads so the 18 wheelers can go faster

By KB

April 24, 2006 08:06 AM | Link to this

I am all for the State raising taxes for transportation, and I think they should invest those revenues in CSX passenger rail service between Athens & Atlanta & Macon to start with and eventually create a statewide rail system to Chattanooga, Savannah, Augusta, Columbus and even south Georgia : ). Let’s get commuters (like me in Gwinnett) out of cars and onto trains. Less traffic on the roads means the roads will last longer and need fewer repairs, so it’s a double benefit.

By E. Lewis

April 24, 2006 09:15 AM | Link to this

I would be fine with this as long as those who create the need for road improvements are the ones who directly pay it. Those who use public transportation or bicycles to get around should not get stuck with the bill.

However, if I know politics, the new tax revenue for road improvements will not be left as it is intended. Whenever a new tax creates more money for a specific project, politicians have a way of cutting funding from other sources and diverting the funds to their pet projects.

By Jason

April 24, 2006 10:50 AM | Link to this

We already put 100% of the gas tax towards roads and it barely covers the cost of upkeep and repair of the roads we have. If we want to build more, we need to find a new funding source. I recommend that we divert all sales and property taxes to road building. We can finally pave over the whole state and be done with congestion once and for all. Sure, we’ll have to raise income taxes to cover the revenue that was diverted from sales and property taxes but it’s a small cost to pay to make Georgia the first state to be completely paved over. Imagine the money we’ll make from tourist worldwide coming to see “Georgia, The Asphalt State”.

And since those outside of metro Atlanta hate the revenues that Atlanta generates and are spent on the rest of the state (they do know that only $.65 of every tax dollar collected in the metro area is spent here while the rest goes to subsidize the other parts of the state where they get back more than a dollar for every tax dollar collected, don’t they) and hate being seen as deadbeats, they can form their own state named East Alabama.

By LaVonne Otwell

April 24, 2006 11:11 AM | Link to this

Absolutely not! We already designate 100% of outrageous gas taxes to roads and it has gotten us nothing but more gridlock. Roads in this state are not for moving people, they are “developers roads”. As soon as a new or “improved” road is built, they swoop in and put up more strip malls (which by and large soon become unoccupied and eyesores) thereby causing more traffic and more gridlock. The time for talking is over. Cobb County, for instance, has been talking for 50 years. It’s time to start laying rail track on I-75 N and I-20 W and getting people out of cars. The EW Connector was supposed to move people, but it is already near capacity in development and is rapidly become just another parking lot. Also, there was no provision for bike trails along this highway and the few people who dare to ride along it are in mortal danger from the SUVs and trucks. I am a rare native of this area and have lived in longer than I care to admit. When I was growing up, I could hop on a bus or train and be downtown in 30 minutes. There were even streetcars in Smyrna which would get people to Five Points in record time. Try that today! We have moved backwards in the transportaion area and it’s time to get back on track. New York City built it’s entire subway system in 4 years 100 years ago and it still serves the public invaluably. So stop the talking and studying and get busy putting our tax dollars to work to provide public transportion for the benefit of us all.

By SUZAN

April 24, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this

This state is a sad backward, redneck, good oldboy haven for politicians. I was born here and here I have grown into an adult. This city was once considered a beautiful, modern city with and eye for the future. The future is here and here’s what we have. Gridlock, stripmalls, Mini Mansions, high state taxes, high gas taxes, bad roads, bad mass transit, no public service, and sorry excuse for those that manage these areas. I am so sad to see what has happened to this city. I was once proud to call Atlanta my home. Now I am trying to find a way out of this crime infested, gridlocked mess. I know this, I will not be voting republican in the next elections. The only happy Atlantan’s are builders, DOT good old boys and crooked back room politicions

By Pompano

April 24, 2006 01:43 PM | Link to this

Editorials like the one published by Lee Biola are hilarious & underscore the cluelessness many have regarding Atlanta’s traffic with their calls for “bike paths” & such.

I live on P’tree Ind & I can state that no one uses the bike paths for Transportation. People may ride for enjoyment (likely driving a car to get to a friend’s house so that they can ride together) but none of the people utilizing the bike paths are running errands, going to work, etc. This is not a solution that reduces car traffic - just one that sounds noble put forth by all the tree-huggers yet wastes taxpayer money.

Our high-way & road system needs to be continually improved & expanded - it is a major component of our growth in Atlanta. Let those that want to pay for public transit do so - if it was really as popular as you’d like to think then funding would be easy. For us drivers - let’s lay some asphalt.

By Pompano

April 24, 2006 01:51 PM | Link to this

Hey Suzan…

“I know this, I will not be voting republican in the next elections. The only happy Atlantan’s are builders, DOT good old boys and crooked back room politicions”

For someone that claims to have lived here all your life, you seem to have forgotten about 100 years of rule by the Democrats that created all the things you mention. It also sounds like you need to get out a little more - check out the taxes & road systems of other states/cities & you’ll find that Atlanta rates very well. In fact, we have one of the lowest gas taxes in the nation as well as one of the few workable rail transit systems in the country.

By Van

April 24, 2006 05:44 PM | Link to this

candide, I see you haven’t changed.

When I was growing up in Torrance, Ca. The main route to downtown was the Harbor Freeway. It was small and very crowded. The freeways were added to handle the number of cars on the road, the plan was to provide routes from where the public was to where they needed to go.

This is something Atlanta has not addressed, The city still believes everyone works downtown.

Anyway, the interstates are federal with small state matching. The state has to fund the state routes, like 316.

By SUZAN

April 25, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this

Again I say that the Good Ole Boy system is locked and loaded in Georgia. Yes Pampano I have been to New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC and many other cities in this country. Their systems are far superior to ours and benifit the public. We have a population explosion going on here and it is growing at the rate of 350,000 new families a year in the state of Georgia(see AVCB stats). If we do not address the nonstop building without planning, and if we do not address the real issues of transportation in this state we are in big trouble in the next few years. We in Atlanta seem to think that no one else exist in this state but us. The Good Ole Boys that run the show here may change parties but the players are the same. The corruption is the same and the lack of interest in our state for the care of the water, green space and basic needs of communities is non existant.

I have see the town grow up and now I am watching in turn into an over crowded, over paved, trash hill. I know I am one of the many who feel the same way. The crime is at an all time high, traffic is out of control, clean water is going away, trees are being cut at record numbers, taxes are spent on secret deals of land, highways, schools and more subdivisions of mini mansion that will further stretch our resources and no one is minding the fire.

By ACC-SEC-MEAC-SWAC-CIAA-SIAC Promoter

April 25, 2006 11:30 AM | Link to this

If people in Metro Atlanta want better roads and public transit then the people in Metro Atlanta should pay for it. Create a special taxing district out of the various 20-plus or so counties that make up the Metro Atlanta area for which the revenues from that special tax would go to fund road improvements (and possibly mass transit improvements) of all sizes in Metro Atlanta only since there is a perception in the rest of the state that Atlanta and North Georgia gets special attention at the expense of the rest of the state. A belief which is partly true.

Also, price the fares on all new and existing mass transit lines (bus, trolley, train, etc.) so that any needed improvements can pay for itself. Use the revenues from the special taxing district around Metro Atlanta only as a short-term start-up revenue for mass transit improvements and after the fares kick in and are able to pay for the transit lines, continue to use the revenues from the special taxing district to fund much-needed road improvements and upkeep in the Atlanta area over the long-term.

Good roads and mass transit won’t pay for itself. High-quality roads have to be paid for either with higher taxes or (gasp!) tolls. Extensive high-quality mass transit has to be started with taxes or bonds and continually maintained with taxes or with fares that are high enough to make any mass transit system pay for itself.

The #1 rule of a capitalistic society is NO FREE LUNCH-you gotta pay to play or you don’t play at all. It may sound cold, but it’s true. The public is out of their minds if they think that they can get shiny new road improvements and hassle-free, gridlock-free commutes without paying tolls and/or higher taxes.

Shame on politicians of both parties for not being straight and not leveling with the people by making them think that these services can be delivered at no additional cost to the public or even by cutting taxes. Those are promises that have been made by Atlanta-area politicians, Georgia politicians and national politicians for years and look where it has gotten us- near absolute automobile gridlock with few, if any, other options than to move away to someplace else with less of it.

If we want to make traffic and commuting more manageable, we are going to have to be willing to pay some tolls, higher taxes and higher fares on mass transit so at least we’ll have other options to get around on days when 50-60 miles or more of the interstate system is gridlocked because of accidents or weather and when the price of gas is peaking at all-time highs. Transportation planning also needs to be approached realistically in a more well-rounded way with an emphasis on diversification with improvements to roads, mass transit, rideshare and bicycling programs, not just all road improvements or all transit improvements so people have more options and aren’t just stuck in their cars during periods of mass gridlock and sky-high gas prices or money is wasted on transit lines that the vast majority of the public cares to or can ride.

With Georgia being one of the fastest-growing states in the union and Atlanta being one of the fastest-growing metro areas on the planet, truth from political leaders and foresight from politicians and the public about what our transportation needs are is key for Atlanta’s continued success. Without truth, foresight and good leadership, we just get more gridlock and pollution and less choice, but only much, much worse because of the overcrowding.

By BPJ

April 25, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this

Obviously we need a balanced transportation system, with a substantial rail component in metro Atlanta (which is a pretty large area containing about half the state’s population). But the editorial was wrong to state that the Georgia Constitution limits all gas taxes to roads. Actually the “motor fuel tax” (measured in pennies per gallon) is limited to roads. However the “sales tax on gasoline” (measured as a percentage of sales) is NOT so limited. The state constitution limits only the motor fuel tax. Also, 25% of the receipts from the sales tax on gasoline go into GENERAL REVENUE. Put that money (or at least metro Atlanta’s fair share of it) into transit, and you’ve got a good start. As for the motor fuel tax, which is limited to roads, it should be indexed to inflation. Think about it: if you set up a tax calculated in terms of cents per gallon, and you let more than 3 decades go by without changing the number of cents per gallon, then you have less actual spending power to use for roads. A few people may say that’s a good thing, but I disagree. Roads need to be maintained, turning lanes need to be added, and, yes, occasionally new roads will be needed, especially outside metro Atlanta.

By Dan

April 25, 2006 03:49 PM | Link to this

People often mention the public systems in Ny bos dc chicago or many european systems. But despite the huge increases in population the population density of atlanta is less than a tenth of all of the “shining” examples. So it isn’t a matter of planning (although that is horrible) or diverting tax dollars (also horrible, when are they closing the 400 toll as promised) or investing private dollars (if there was a market someone would build it), strange as it may seem there simply aren’t enough people here to support a comprehenisve system like many of the other big cities have.

By ba-donk-a-donk

April 27, 2006 11:29 PM | Link to this

Commuter tax. Time for cobb, gwinnett and those other locusts to start paying for all the roadway they consume. I live in the city and hardly ever use my car (midtown resident). Yet, my ad valorem is probably 3 times more than what people in cobb, etc. pay. They probably get in their car to pick up the mail.