There have been many pivotal moments in metro Atlanta and Georgia history that defined our place as the capital of the Southeast.

In the 1950s, we were roughly equal with Birmingham in population and influence, but Atlanta embraced civil rights and showed we were a progressive city open for business.

The vision of mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson to build a world-class airport gave us a competitive economic advantage like no other. Mayor Ivan Allen's vision to recruit major sports teams made us the sports capital of the Southeast. And House Speaker Tom Murphy's vision to build the World Congress Center secured our place as a major convention destination.

These pivotal moments share a common thread: They did not happen by accident.

Through bold leadership and vision, these historic events made Atlanta and Georgia the economic engine of the Southeast. They led us to become the fastest-growing large metro area in the nation, and the third-fastest-growing state. Today we are home to the third-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies and the busiest airport in the world, and we are a magnet for the college-educated 25- to 34-year-olds that every state is competing for.

But all this prosperity could come to an end because of one thing —- transportation.

We are now home to the second-worst traffic in the nation. And even though we are one of the fastest-growing states, we invest in transportation infrastructure at the lowest rate in the entire country.

The result is gridlock —- families disconnected because they can't get to ball games and dinner on time, companies losing millions of dollars in productivity.

Metro Atlanta and all of Georgia recently faced another pivotal moment in history.

A measure before Georgia's Legislature, SR 845, would have given voters a voice in addressing their own transportation challenges. Had it passed, voters across the state would have seen a question on their November ballot asking if they wanted the right to hold local votes to raise transportation funds. Then, if regions chose to exercise that option, they would have held local elections to approve a penny sales tax to fund specific regional projects.

This would have meant roads, transit and other updates to our outdated transportation network.

And it could have addressed the shrinking resources at the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Make no mistake —- we support reforms at GDOT and a much-needed forensic audit. But neither is a substitute for funding.

For at least two years, GDOT has predicted a shortfall of $7.7 billion over the next six years alone. That's $1.3 billion a year. So the revelation last week of a $1 billion near-term shortfall shouldn't surprise anyone.

And if we're talking about shortfalls, how could a measure that might have raised $1.5 billion a year be a bad thing? In the 18 to 24 months it would have taken for funding to start coming in after the people voted, GDOT would have been reformed. Furthermore, GDOT alone would not have been making the funding decisions. Citizens in local regions would have picked the projects most important to them.

Instead, we face another year of increasing traffic congestion, less time with families, worsening air quality, continued unsafe roads and lessened economic development across Georgia.

The shame is, all it would have taken to pass this landmark legislation was leadership.

The choice is still before us. We can either seize this opportunity to reaffirm Atlanta and Georgia's place as the capital of the Southeast and a hub of global commerce. Or we can allow up-and-coming regions like Charlotte to take our place.

We applaud the hard work of Senate and House transportation committee chairmen Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) and Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain), the conferees who reached consensus on SR 845, and the many House and Senate members who demonstrated leadership and vision when they voted yes.

But we need more leaders to get involved. Log on to GetGeorgiaMoving.com to see how your elected officials voted, join the many voices speaking out on transportation, and send a message to your legislators.

Our citizens deserve the mobility and quality of life that brought many of them here in the first place. We must have a solution in the 2009 session. Our economy, our environment and our quality of life depend on it. All it takes is leadership.

> Joe Leonard is chair of AirTran Airways and of the transportation policy committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Charles Tarbutton is assistant vice president of Sandersville Railroad Co. andchair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. They are co-chairs of the Get Georgia Moving Coalition.