Easy to go wrong on MARTA expansion

Much has been written recently regarding the Johns Creek City Council’s non-binding resolution to oppose a tax increase that supports the expansion of MARTA into north Fulton County. Unfortunately, most of the discussion leaped to the same that heavy rail, which is a centuries-old transit solution, remains the right transit solution for our collective future. Anyone opposed to this thinking must be either backwards, elitist, or simply out-of-touch with reality.

To be clear, the city council and the residents of Johns Creek are in favor of mass transit. We can benefit just as much as any of our neighbors. However, we firmly believe that the option be rooted in a well-thought-out solution that is in line with where the future of mass transit is heading, rather than where it has been.

Given the congestion nightmare facing thousands of motorists each day, I understand that finding a solution to this frustration can be a very emotional issue. I learned this firsthand when I served on the Regional Transit Committee at the Atlanta Regional Commission. I found it difficult for many people to have an open and frank conversation about mass transit. Most everyone wants to immediately jump on trains as the solution, without having the discussion about what is the right transit option.

Everyone wants to talk about rail, but what they don’t want to embrace is the level of density it takes where people live to take them to a dense area where they work. The problem with rail in Atlanta is that we have many work centers that are spread out, and we do not have a rail system that connects them. According to a Brookings Institute study, only 3.6 percent of jobs in metro Atlanta are readily available by mass transit: Even if you have success moving commuters from the suburbs via heavy rail, they still can’t readily reach their respective work centers. Extending rail north will not significantly impact this problem.

Our opposition to the added tax, or SPLOST, stems from the fact that Johns Creek and unincorporated Fulton County has been paying a SPLOST for MARTA since its inception. Never in the history of our city has there been any direct service to the residents of Johns Creek. I find it difficult to suggest that the $1.6 billion cost to extend rail further up Georgia 400, with the potential for negligible impact on traffic congestion, is a worthwhile investment.

Every dollar that is taken away from road projects is a dollar that is unreachable for us. We have no availability for SPLOST dollars in North Fulton. Many other counties fund their major road construction projects with SPLOST money.

Also influencing our decision is the fact that the majority of the traffic in our city is not ours, and that will not change with a MARTA extension. More than 53 percent of our traffic both originates and ends outside our borders. This trend will continue to grow as the population around us continues to grow. Johns Creek will remain a pass-through community for those either looking to drive to a MARTA station or for those who choose to drive directly to work.

Regardless of whether heavy rail is extended, there remains a critical need for us to make the same road improvements that we currently have planned. I also believe that improving our road networks will be beneficial to any final mass transit solution.

Johns Creek has a history of aggressively seeking out the latest technologies and innovation to sustain our high quality of life. We are not afraid to embrace ideas that have not fully taken hold. We were the first city in Georgia to implement the flashing yellow turn light; the first to partner with the world’s largest crowd-sourced traffic app WAZE; we are continually expanding and improving our Intelligent Transportation System (ITS); we are expanding the use of roundabouts to improve safety; and we are exploring the ThrU-turn to improve traffic flow at intersections.

We are not afraid to challenge the status quo and we are taking this same approach with mass transit. Metro Atlanta is a prime candidate to implement the future of mass transit now. Autonomous or driverless cars are here and will become mainstream; ridesharing will become more commonplace; and businesses such as Lyft, Uber and Megabus will grow in popularity among millennials and other demographics. Managed lanes, managed arterials, and High Occupancy Toll lanes each contribute to reducing congestion and improving traffic flow.

Studies specific to metro Atlanta, such as one from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation (www.georgiapolicy.org/issues/transportation/), outline innovative recommendations that should be considered. We are watching many of these technologies and innovative approaches to mass transit take hold around the country. Many communities and the federal government are taking notice. We should not be afraid to have this conversation and use what is currently available to ensure that we are on the leading edge of the future of mass transit.