Atlanta Forward readers responded to recent columns about expanding transit in Georgia, featuring columns by transit union president Curtis Howard and Georgia State University economist Bruce Seaman. Here are some select comments that appeared on our blog:
Sawb: It seems we need to get away from the idea that expansion of public transit always means expansion of MARTA and traditional heavy rail. This model is beneficial in some situations, but very expensive and inflexible. We also need to realize that while approximately half of Georgia's residents live in the metro Atlanta area, only about 10 percent live in the city of Atlanta. The vast majority of residents live, work and play in the suburbs, where MARTA rail would offer little "bang for the buck." Going forward, transportation initiatives need to include state funding, but should be targeted to areas where people currently live and not where some central planner thinks they should live.
Dan: It continues to baffle me that our so-called leaders keep looking to the past to solve today's problems. Metro rail is an old concept that has proven to work well in certain areas, but not others. Atlanta's own ridership numbers bear out that it doesn't work well here. Meanwhile, in 10 years, self-driving cars will be widely available; they'll be here before ground is ever broken on a new mass transit project. Is Atlanta ready? We should be a city at the forefront of developing the physical, legal and insurance infrastructure necessary to accommodate these cars.
Thomas R. Buchanan: Dr. Seaman, thank you for your rational, cognizant addition to public discourse; alas, I fear MARTA's realistic plan to await requesting state assistance for public transportation … illustrates the persistent problem: lack of regional leadership condemning us to a continuation of Georgia's tortured history of man's inhumanity to man. There are, however, enlightened regional leaders. They just can't get elected in a red state. Gov. Barnes demonstrated regional leadership when he created and empowered GRTA, led by Dr. Catherine Ross, to begin a regional approach to transportation policy. Denied a second term by Mr. Perdue, carrying the Stars and Bars to victory, he had to sit by and watch as GRTA was emasculated and Dr. Ross returned to Georgia Tech. There's been no serious attempt at regional leadership since then.
Shamehia: "There is no way out of the traffic issue." What nonsense. That presupposes the chamber of commerce dream that businesses and individuals will flock to the metro area forever. But smart people know that when you want to get out of a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging, and firms like Caterpillar (Athens) and Kia (West Point), with the assistance of the state, are leading the way by siting their factories and thousands of workers/commuters many miles outside the Atlanta traffic quagmire.
