Any discussion of metro Atlanta transportation solutions requires that we first define the problem, secure agreement on problem definition, and then develop solutions.
For example, is the problem traffic congestion? Or is it that cars are destroying the planet? Is the problem that people have a need to move more conveniently and quickly in all directions throughout the metro area? Or is it that we need to try to live in a more confined area and use public rail to get around?
Attempts to deal with an unclear definition of the problem in metro Atlanta during the past 30 years have produced poor results. Trying to get so many political subdivisions to agree on a course of action also contributed to poor outcomes.
For example:
1. MARTA – Putting expensive heavy rail in spread-out metro Atlanta doesn't serve most of the people, and the fares collected don't come close to covering expenses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 3.3 percent of metro Atlantans use a MARTA train or bus. MARTA ridership has been declining for several years. Adding more heavy-rail hardware like this will only magnify the problem and do little to reduce traffic congestion.
2. GRTA – The idea here was to create a regional authority that would decide which transportation projects should or should not be implemented in the metro area. This agency has a poor track record and has done nothing to move us forward. It seems to have no real authority at all.
3. The failed regional T-SPLOST of 2012 — A perfect example of how not to do something. This project had fragmented problem definition and proposed solutions that had little to do with fixing real problems.
If the problem is not properly defined and then managed through one source, the progress made in the transportation area in the next 30 years will look a lot like the last 30 years.
The “one roof” that can properly handle a comprehensive transportation project is the Georgia Department of Transportation. Since half the state’s population lives within the economic engine called metro Atlanta, heavy GDOT support for the region’s transportation needs is justified. Its staff is qualified to do the work in an unbiased manner and in places where it will do the most good. It just needs funding.
How do we find funding? Georgia is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, but it is near the bottom in per capita spending on transportation. Many states probably spend double the amount per capita on transportation that we do. One way to get more transportation funding is to increase motor fuel taxes for transportation use and/or direct more of the existing fuel tax money (including the excise tax portion) to transportation use.
Regional attempts to deal with metro Atlanta’s transportation problems have failed. Projects that have done little or nothing to relieve congestion are common. The numerous political subdivisions and agencies in the region exacerbate the difficulties of managing a solution.
DOT’s charge can be clarified to handle all aspects of solving transportation problems and relieving congestion throughout the state. This would include running a comprehensive bus system where needed, building and running toll lanes where needed, and perhaps introducing some light rail in select areas. Expensive heavy rail does little to relieve congestion in spread-out metro Atlanta and would not be necessary for GDOT’S goals and budgets.
Bringing per capita transportation spending in line with other states would help solve the funding issue. The assortment of transportation agencies in metro Atlanta would no longer be needed. However, MARTA would remain a separate agency to run the heavy rail system, and its budget would be separate from DOT’s.
The DOT’s updated charge would allow it to plan and execute projects where needed for the good of the entire state. There would be no new transportation agency. Solutions under DOT management would simply become new projects. The first big undertaking could be called, “The Congestion Relief Project – Phase 1.”
Joel Smith, a retired marketing executive, lives in Stockbridge.
