As with the 2012 T-SPLOST, current legislative efforts on transportation are collapsing due to a significant lack of trust from taxpayers statewide.
In 2012, T-SPLOST proved the $7 billion would do little for traffic congestion relief, so it was rebranded as a jobs creator. This time around, government tells us we have a maintenance crisis that was largely absent in the 2012 T-SPLOST commercials.
Special interests from business sectors like real estate and construction say following their whims is the morally right way, difficult to swallow after the “too big to fail” bailouts, trillion dollar stimulus packages and questionable spending that pummeled our economy.
A transportation study committee member told critics to keep their mouths shut and an Atlanta business leader pushing the $98 million Atlanta Streetcar boondoggle said, “To those who doubt the value of this project, well frankly, we didn’t build it for you,” but they used our taxpayer dollars, $48 million federal and at least $6 million regional, to pay for it.
The new promise of a “revenue neutral” billion dollar increase in transportation spending is false on many levels. Conservative Rep. David Stoner pulled his name from HB 170 saying it is a “$500 million tax increase.” Moreover, it’s the state playing a political funding shell game.
Go ahead, convert the sale tax on fuel to excise tax without harming local governments and public schools, add a fee for electric vehicles and use all state tax on motor fuel, including the “fourth penny,” for roads and bridges. Clean up the state budget and find additional funding for road maintenance.
The State Legislature needs to work to eliminate the Federal role in gasoline tax collection since the interstate highway system was officially completed in 1992. Federal transportation dollars come with significant financial strings attached, escalating the cost of road projects. We need to collect it all in-state and forego the extra costs of federal regulations.
Use modern toll road technology on the mega-projects like I-285 North.
Incentivize cloud telecommuting. Make state employees utilize transit by restricting parking.
Be pragmatic on mass transit. Affluent riders on buses with Wi-Fi have got to pay more than $5 to $7 round-trip on Xpress Bus. Why are taxpayers in Vidalia, Blue Ridge and Albany paying for corporate employees in Atlanta to go to work? MARTA fares are too low.
Expanding rail transit has no basis. We cannot afford to maintain what we have and we are not remotely close to the population densities required. For perspective, everyone in New York City and their transit system would fit inside Gwinnett County with enough square miles leftover to also fit the population of Washington D.C. and their transit system.
Metro Atlanta is too large and the population too spread out to justify rail expansion.
Most of all, build trust with the constituents, be accountable and be inclusive with planning.
