If the citizens of Clayton County are not given the opportunity to vote on a binding referendum to restore public transportation in this November’s general election, when will we have another opportunity?
You may remember the protracted fight to bring MARTA to Clayton after we successfully passed legislation to do so in 2010. Businesses are leaving the county, and new businesses want a mobile workforce. Citizens are losing their jobs. Students have cut their educations short.
The question I am asked most often is, when are the buses coming back? We voted on it already, so what happened? Then I try to explain that only the Clayton County Commission can implement the legislation by putting a binding referendum on the ballot. The commission must vote on this by July 1.
Transportation is perhaps one of the biggest issues facing Clayton citizens. The loss of public transportation caused a lot of economic hardships for families and businesses alike. However, I am excited about the passage of House Bill 1009. This bill is modeled on the legislation I passed in 2010 and was overwhelmingly supported by voters. Over 69 percent voted in favor of bringing MARTA to Clayton.
This is about more than transportation; it is about respecting the expressed will of residents.
HB 1009 could bring more than $49 million per year (indefinitely) for the sole use of Clayton public transportation. This legislation is a win-win for the county because, according to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, approximately 65 percent of these funds would be generated by people traveling through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Clayton will benefit without bearing the brunt of the tax.
We are four years beyond the vote to bring MARTA back with another opportunity for transportation justice. HB 1009 passed both chambers of the Legislature. Now, it is up to the County Commission. I urge the commission to support representation on the matter of taxation.
A one-cent MARTA sales tax will improve quality of life, economic development and job creation for Claytony — all of which we desperately need. It is time for Clayton to achieve economic and transportation parity with our neighbors in DeKalb and Fulton counties.
This legislation is about more than buses. We have the opportunity to go beyond where we were with C-Tran. If this is placed on the ballot and voters support it, we have the potential to bring in MARTA, rapid transit and commuter rail service from the airport all the way down to Lovejoy.
It also allows the county to look at implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which according to the National BRT Institute is “an innovative, high-capacity, lower-cost public transit solution that can significantly improve urban mobility. This permanent, integrated system uses buses or specialized vehicles on roadways or dedicated lanes to quickly and efficiently transport passengers to their destinations.”
I am optimistic. I look forward to the Clayton commission picking up the mantle by placing a binding referendum on the November ballot to bring MARTA to Clayton County.
We at Citizens for Progressive Transit will continue our grassroots advocacy to bring public transit back. We will do it through the Friends of Clayton Transit, Sierra Club, Citizens for Progressive Transit and a broad-based coalition of local leaders, ministers and transportation/community organizations.
Voters must continue to be heard. We must attend the feasibility study hearings being conducted by the Board of Commissioners. We must be heard at the County Commission meetings. Finally, we must go to the polls and vote.
Twice now, our Clayton County legislative delegation has successfully passed legislation that enables the County Commission to act. There is but a small window.
Commissioners must act by the July 1 regular meeting if this is to be on the ballot. Act they must. If not now, when? Transit matters.
Former state Rep. Roberta Abdul-Salaam is founder of Friends of Clayton Transit and served as vice president of Citizens for Progressive Transit.
