Transportation is more than a dollars-and-cents proposition. It’s more than a statistic on a graph. It is mobility — this fifth freedom — a social concept for which the benefits cannot be measured with numbers. They must be personally evaluated, by people.
The greater the growth and prosperity of a city, the greater the deprivation imposed upon those who are without satisfactory means of transportation. As a community expands geographically and culturally, the more absolute is the imprisonment of those who lack mobility.
Yes, I’m addressing the benefits of mass transit — safe, clean and dependable rail and bus service; appropriate roadways with efficient turn lanes; synchronized traffic lights and adequate signage; the benefits of connectivity — and the related transportation tax referendum scheduled for July.
My first paragraph is quoted from a speech I made in 1971 as mayor of Atlanta, in Pittsburgh, to the International Conference on Urban Transportation. It was about our planned referendum on MARTA, for mobility needed 40 years ago.
Our “region” then consisted of five counties with slightly more than 800,000 registered motor vehicles. We have grown to a region of 10 counties with 3,205,461 vehicles. Congestion is back. What we espoused then holds true again today and needs public support.
But when asked to vote yourself a tax, it’s reasonable to wonder, “What do I get in return?”
It is important that we see the big picture. The region’s image affects decisions of individuals and businesses when considering relocation. If regional rankings are favorable, you can count on positive impact on the parts within. The Buckhead Coalition, which represents only a very small segment of the region, has endorsed the referendum. This community is the center of the 10-county area and finds itself in charge of safe and comfortable mobility for those traveling through, as well as for those residing within.
With $50 million committed for roadway and transit improvements on Piedmont and Roswell roads, from Lindbergh MARTA station to the Sandy Springs city limits, one of Buckhead’s most congested arteries will be greatly improved. Add to that $1.7 million earmarked for Peachtree Road, plus $525,375 for work on Northside Drive in Buckhead, and the quality of life for many drivers will greatly benefit.
Perhaps the greatest impact on the economic health of Buckhead is the little-talked-about Clifton Corridor Transit (MARTA rail service between Buckhead’s Lindbergh Station and Emory University/the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), at a total funding commitment of $700 million.
The east/west corridor traversing these major population and job centers in Atlanta and DeKalb County is presently one of the least efficient connectors in the region. Rail transportation between these two destinations is expected to generate dynamic and dense patronage, predicted to reach 2.6 million annual ridership within a couple of years of completion. The overall economic impact of Emory University on Atlanta is more than $5.1 billion a year. This particular improvement should pay us back the penny sales tax many times over.
This is a prime example of two influential communities that can be expected to meld with a long-missing handshake.
These facts are rather impressive but, as I said 40 years ago, “Transportation is more than a dollars-and-cents proposition. ... It is mobility — this fifth freedom.”
Sam Massell, former mayor of Atlanta, is president of the Buckhead Coalition.
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