Governor Race 2010: The dumbest proposal EVER (Atlanta, Decatur: condo, school, to live)

[portyhead24]

It's kinda funny to me, and not haha funny, to think there are politicans out there with that same mindset of the 1970's when gas was cheap and plenty. It's time for a little more forward thinking.

[RoslynHolcomb]

For some odd reason it seems to be commonplace in many states. I remember the same dogfights back when I lived in Alabama. Actually, the state seemed to hate all three of the largest cities, Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile. Mobile and Huntsville essentially just started doing their own thing, at least to the degree that they could with their archaic constitution (don't get me started), Birmingham is still very hamstrung by Montgomery and for that matter Jefferson county and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Originally Posted by nyte3k

Anyone know the reason of the anti-Atlanta attitude around Georgia? I guess I could assume that they feel everything circulates around Atlanta, but at the same time...Georgia is only as strong as Atlanta.

If Atlanta were to fall, it would be just another state around this region (alabama, mississippi, tennessee, etc)

[Brillemeister]

Originally Posted by JPD

Probably less than one.

The figure that's being thrown around is 15 billion, not million. There are all sorts of things that could be done with that much money that would be more beneficial than a new interstate.

Whoops, typo.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by portyhead24

It's kinda funny to me, and not haha funny, to think there are politicans out there with that same mindset of the 1970's when gas was cheap and plenty. It's time for a little more forward thinking.

Gasoline in this country is still cheap and plenty (except in Atlanta when hurricanes hit certain areas of the coast and people go into panic mode ).

I think that's (still) a major problem when it comes to forward thinking.

[tdatl]

this is the guy I like:
A Republican voice of moral recklessness | Political Insider

especially like this quote:
“Certain groups desire the ability to avoid competition. That’s probably the most straight-up way to say it. And they tend to come to government for that.”

"Let the free market decide," has become almost a mantra for conservatives, but a lot of them sure do spend an inordinate amount of time trying to limit competition for their favored industries, so it's nice to see someone call them out on it...

I agree, Oxendine is awful and I don't think he has legs. It's a pretty safe bet the Republican primary winner is our next governor, so the race should heat up early.

[straightfromatown]

Some of these proposals sounds ridiculous, and I don't support any project that forces people out of their homes, but we may need more roads.

I know everyone on on here loves to go on and on about how great rail is and how we should extend MARTA, but there are still many good reasons to build more roads.

-Gas is still cheap. Not as cheap as it has been in the past, but still pretty cheap, especially with some of the more efficient vehicles. Driving several people somewhere is often much cheaper than paying several MARTA fees.

-These sound like longer distance proposals. I might ride MARTA for short distances, but I want my car when I'm going far. I can carry luggage and all sorts of stuff with me in my car that is difficult or impossible to take on a train. Plus when I reach my destination, I will have my car! That provides a lot of freedom and I'd prefer having my car over renting one or trying to figure out local transit options once I arrive.

-Some of these plans go out of state. Even if people in Georgia like rail, we need to attract people from other states to come spend their money in Georgia. If they have to pay to ride a train in they may not be as willing to visit.

-Safety and convenience. I can deal with trains and MARTA when I'm alone or with friends. But with family I try to avoid public transit. It is all too often that we get pushed and shoved around on MARTA when it's crowded or have to deal with some fool from College Park who has to play Franchize Boyz songs on his cell phone for everyone to hear. Most of the parents I know prefer having their kids in an environment like a car where they can limit their kids exposure to those types of things.

Oh and it's eminent domain, not imminent domain.

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

Well any fiscal or constitution conservative should be up in arms about this proposal. First, it would require upwards of 15 billion or and second there will be imminent domain issues, you know republicans are all for property rights and ownership. However, this idea is going no where fast. The amount of money and infill in these neighborhoods is high, also the city of Decatur, Oakhurst would virtually be isolated.

Yeah, until they get paid off by the old money types to shut up.

[City Fanatic]

The proposed interstate down the western flank of the state is a bad idea. U.S. 27 already serves this purpose, and it's not as if one is in bumper-to-bumper traffic on this road, nor is there a small town every five miles along this stretch. It would be a waste of taxpayer dollars, and it would siphon money away from the Atlanta area. While it may be an economic boon for the western part of the state, on a cost-benefit analysis, I don't think it is for the best.

The parallel downtown connector was proposed back in the 50s and 60s. In fact, I-675 was the southern part of this parallel downtown connector, along with Ga 400 to the north. Community activism destroyed the plan. If you look at Georgia 400 and I-675, they are almost at the same longitude, as they were supposed to be the same interstate. However, I think that building this interstate would destroy several historic neighborhoods, and it would put a damper on revitilization of intown communities.

The northern arc isn't a bad idea. It is troublesome for people and or truckers wishing to travel from the northwest side of town to the northeast side of town, having to spend an hour to an hour and a half in bumper to bumper traffic to drive thirty to thirty five miles, say from Woodstock to Duluth, or Canton to Buford. The only alternative is to drive down to 285, staying on 285 to either 85 or 75 and driving back up, and this takes just as much time, or more, depending on the traffic. A northern arc from just north of Cartersville to just north of Canton, to around Buford would serve travel interests well. However, I don't like the idea of displacing residents or cutting down more forests, which are in abundance once you get north of Cartersville, Canton, Cumming, and Buford, as these areas are at the far northern areas of the suburban fringe.

[City Fanatic]

Originally Posted by nyte3k

I can't believe we're still talking about building interstates in metro Atlanta. The only major transportation i support is high speed rail to connect some of these areas, the Beltline, and expanding Marta to become a real subway system.

If some of these interstate projects were to pass, i think i'll probably just give up with this city.

For its size, metro Atlanta is underserved in the freeway category.

[City Fanatic]

Originally Posted by nyxmike

It's not the city, it's the state of Georgia and some of the suburban counties around Atlanta who refuse to support transit. The city of Atlanta can only do so much without the support of the region and the state...

Can you blame people for not supporting transit?

People enjoy their own personal travel. Public transit doesn't offer the individual the personal freedom that they desire. You have to wait for a train or bus, and the route you take may not be the one you desire. It takes longer, too. I suppose a bullet train would be faster, or perhaps a commuter rail train would be faster for those individuals living in the suburbs commuting downtown, whereby they'd be able to avoid a lot of traffic, but most travel isn't to downtown these days, and the routes and timing is very inflexible for the average person.

People also don't want to be a victim of crime. People have heard of the numerous attacks on commuters in trains and buses, and they don't want to be a statistic. While it is improbable that such will happen, the threat is greater than in their cars, and the sense of fear is real.