One year after TSPLOST's defeat (Atlanta, Dallas: real estate, leasing, house)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Then gas tax revenue should be turned over as well, so the local jurisdictions can have the funding mechanism to maintain them.
Amazing how the state gov't sees its economic engine, Atlanta, as the enemy and will do everything in its power to control it. Other states do not operate this way, in fact most states want to encourage its largest city/economic engine to grow and prosper.

...Exactly.

And its not just within the City of Atlanta where the state wants to have full control and/or the final say over how a major surface road that it has jurisdiction over is managed but does not want to pay for all of the road's multimodal needs in an urban environment (like on Peachtree Road through Buckhead).

But it is also outside of the City of Atlanta and throughout Metro Atlanta where the state wants control over major surface roads but does not want to fund the multimodal needs of those roads' urban environments.

Like on Buford Highway through DeKalb and Gwinnett counties which is the most-glaring example where the state does not want to pay for something as simple as sidewalks, signalized crosswalks and traffic-calming devices in an area of very-heavy pedestrian traffic and lots of pedestrian traffic accidents and pedestrian fatalities on a road where many of the pedestrian accidents and fatalities are caused by very-poor pedestrian facilities and a road built for very-high speeds through an area of an overabundance of multi-family housing filled with people with no vehicular access.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cqholt

From Sonny Purdue's office: Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue - Governor Perdue Unveils Major Transportation Investment

None of this got implemented, so where did the money go?

For all that we know, the $1.4 billion may be the money that was recently found that GDOT did not even know that it had lost.

Up until recently GDOT was in exceptionally bad shape when it came to accounting practices, if one could even call what they were doing "accounting practices".

It's not surprising that we don't know what happened to that money as for many years GDOT has literally been a "black hole" of sorts when it came to money.

GDOT funding was literally like putting billions of dollars into something and watching most of it disappear into space.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

If the state will fund express buses into mostly republican voting counties and not fund MARTA is complete BS. Clayton county needs to hold a binding vote for sales tax, that county desperately needs transit, but it does not have the density to support HRT. Now the state is moving forward funding a billion dollar road project that will do nothing to reduce congestion. We could build so much commuter rail with that money.

I actually don't think so. Extend a line southeast from the East Point station, parallel to the CSX tracks that run south through Jonesboro. Heck, they could put in a park-and-ride station near the interchange of I-75 and Jonesboro Road, and it could easily get as much traffic as the North Springs station does.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

I actually don't think so. Extend a line southeast from the East Point station, parallel to the CSX tracks that run south through Jonesboro. Heck, they could put in a park-and-ride station near the interchange of I-75 and Jonesboro Road, and it could easily get as much traffic as the North Springs station does.

Basically the old Hapeville Branch proposal.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

I actually don't think so. Extend a line southeast from the East Point station, parallel to the CSX tracks that run south through Jonesboro. Heck, they could put in a park-and-ride station near the interchange of I-75 and Jonesboro Road, and it could easily get as much traffic as the North Springs station does.

The Red Line and I-20 extensions should come first. Those residents have been paying the sales tax for awhile.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

The Red Line and I-20 extensions should come first. Those residents have been paying the sales tax for awhile.

Fair enough. But the Hapeville corridor should be treated as future considerations.

[avbanks]

Originally Posted by jsvh

As someone that was a supporter and voted for TSPLOST last year. I must admit, I am now glad it failed. I think that the projects that have moved forward are much smarter.

Not that I am all on-board with Sierra Club, but they make some good points in this article: Sierra Club: One year after TSPLOST's defeat, there has been progress | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta

But I still hope to see Atlanta drive more Beltline / Streetcar transit and the region come together to support getting commuter rail going.

After attending "Atlanta Streets Alive" it brought me to think about walk-ability and how increasingly vibrant the city has become. It also made me come to realization that cars create a barrier between interaction and walk ability. I'm not saying cars are bad, I still mostly drive my car however that is changing.

I was an advocate for passing the TSPLOST however I'm now actually glad it was defeated. The roadway projects in TSPLOST would have negated the gains made from transit and would have encouraged more car use, creating a huge barrier to walk ability and creating a vibrant city.

I can actually say I now agree with the points the Sierra Club has made... It seems TSPLOST failure will help Intown Atlanta but actually hurt the suburbs. I can admit I was wrong with my assumption that the failure of TSPLOST would doom COA but I'm just so surprised at how the city has bounced back after its defeat..

[kferq]

Add five more months and another legislative session and:

Metro Atlanta still lacks ‘Plan B’ as other cities invest in transportation | SaportaReport

There is still no plan B.

[MattCW]

Projects being dropped from the existing RTP include five separate conversions of existing HOV lanes to managed lanes on I-20 East, I-85 North, as well as I -75 North and South.

Glad to see these boondoggles being dropped. Doesn't mean they won't happen, but the chances are going down. Here's hoping we figure out our Plan B before Atlanta finalizes its descent into obsolescence.

[jsvh]

I am still glad it failed. Transportation should be paid by users. This TSPLOST would have only continued to give people discounts for moving farther away that has lead to so much sprawl in the Atlanta metro.

PPP's should be plan 'B'