AJC poll show majority of Metro Atlanta residents willing to pay a transportation tax (Doraville: how much, neighborhood)

[tonygeorgia]

Ga 400

[waronxmas]

This would have been more useful 6 months ago...

[MattCW]

Maybe this time they can vote on it during a real election instead of some wishy-washy middle of the year nonsense where the only people at the polls are the ones rabidly on one side or the other.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Maybe this time they can vote on it during a real election instead of some wishy-washy middle of the year nonsense where the only people at the polls are the ones rabidly on one side or the other.

Yep. No doubt the results would have been a bit different had it been in November. For the most part, only partisans came out for the July vote on the T-Splost.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I thought we voted on just that and it was shot down.

Yes, but the plan was pretty crappy and as noted above the vote occurred during a very partisan election. I would be willing to bet actual cash money if there was an true solution presented, was not called TSPLOST, was not solely an expansion of MARTA, and the vote was during the general election, the vote would be very close.

I never took the demise of the TSPLOST as a rejection of a regional transportation tax. It was a rejection of that terrible plan.
On second thought, I also would not consider the proposal of another voluntary regional tax to be political suicide.

Here's your timeline. Maybe advance dates below by four year to separate this from the TSPLOST.
Now-2015: Have some sort of group commissioned by the ARC come up with a cohesive transportation solution.
2016 elections: each county votes on whether or not they want to join the regional coalition.
Every two to four years after: Counties can elect to join said coalition.

It is incorrect to consider the rejection of the TSPLOST a wholesale rejection of a transportation tax. That plan was a giant load of crap. This poll proves exactly that.

[ATLTJL]

I'm just glad a poll validated what I have been saying since the beginning: most suburbanites aren't scared of scary black people riding MARTA to come rob them. They just want a rail system that will work and be efficient.

To me the biggest flaw of the T-SPLOST was that it did very little to expand rail. I think it would have had a better chance of passing if it expanded MARTA to Cobb and Gwinnett counties, even if that made it a 2 cent tax.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Adric

If we were to put in place a 2nd northern bypass arc, I would like to also see the Georgia regional commission put in place certain growth boundaries to prevent the additional northern sprawl it would encourage.

Whoa. The northern arc, with the condition that growth boundaries be put into place?

o_O

I shall have to think this over.

[MathmanMathman]

It would help with more specifics. Where exactly will the rail lines go and how much will it cost and how much sales tax is needed? I'm sure everyone wants heavy rail to integrate with the present system but costs are in the neighborhood of $200 million per mile. Or about $40,000 a foot. An LRT might cut the cost in half but it's still expensive.

I don't understand why rail costs so much. Is it because all the work is exclusively done by Union workers?

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Whoa. The northern arc, with the condition that growth boundaries be put into place?

o_O

I shall have to think this over.

What counties in the affected areas would agree to that?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I don't understand why rail costs so much. Is it because all the work is exclusively done by Union workers?

Tech grads.