Atlanta Transit Expansion Comes Closer as Region Prepares for Tax Referendum (Commerce: incomes, quality of life)

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by Cameron H

It doesn't connect to the airport. There's a planned extension, but it's been stuck in the planning phase for a while.

It is also a political issue. Lots of taxi drivers would lose a lot of money with this line extension. The Las Vegas Monorail has been a pretty big failure so far. It just runs up and down the strip, which is okay if you are trying to get from one casino to another, but it is expensive for this and if in a group, it makes more sense to get a taxi. An extension to the airport could add to the viability of the system, but as I said, there are some factors working against it.

[arjay57]

The business community and the politicians -- from both parties for a change -- are bringing in the big guns to push for the transportation referendum.

'Dream Team' to push transportation tax - Atlanta Business Chronicle

[arjay57]

The Fulton County Taxpayers Association has come out strongly against the referendum. Some of their positions:

http://fctf.org/media/sept2011spec.pdf

The Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation strongly opposes this regional sales tax, in its present form, for the following reasons:

1. The Need For A Regional Transit Authority: While the Transportation Investment Act created a Regional Transportation Roundtable, it did not create a much-needed Regional Transit Authority of highly qualified transportation planners and engineers that would identify the projects needed and would operate the total transportation system. A political roundtable is not a professional approach to the problem.

2. The Use Of The Regional Sales Tax For City Roads: Funding of $658 million for the Atlanta Beltline should not be funded from the regional sales tax. This is not a regional project, but a City Tax Allocation District. The Taxpayers Foundation is strongly opposed to using regional sales tax for any City Tax Allocation District.

3. The Use of $500 million For Deferred Maintenance of MARTA: Since 1972, the residents of Fulton and DeKalb Counties have been paying a one penny sales tax for MARTA which carries only 5% of the metro region’s commuters. Now, it is proposed that $500 million of the regional sales tax will go toward deferred maintenance of MARTA. The Taxpayers Foundation feels that the use of $500 million of the regional sales tax is questionable: during the last ten years, the regional population rose 20%, while the public’s use of MARTA’s buses dropped 17% and the public’s use of MARTA’s rail dropped 6%. MARTA lost $508 million last year and has $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance. MARTA should be under a professional Regional Transit Authority. Why is the MARTA ridership declining and what could be done to increase the ridership and decrease the use of automobiles?

4. Additional Funding: The Taxpayers Foundation feels that the proposed one penny regional sales tax will not cover the total cost of overcoming traffic gridlock in the region. An additional funding that should be considered is a “Vehicle Mile Travelled Tax”, a road-user tax based on the annual mileage of cars and trucks.

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The Fulton County Taxpayers Association has come out strongly against the referendum. Some of their positions:

Well, credit to them for having actual reasons for their opposition and some alternate ideas to propose for consideration.

But I can't shake the feeling that this doesn't amount to more of the same ole same ole anti-Atlanta crap. There are *plenty* of projects on the list that will have regional benefits even if they're located within the confines of one particular county. To pick on the Beltline for this reason seems remarkably unfair, as the same criticism could be leveled on a number of other proposals.

I don't disagree with their first point about the need for a regional authority. Why didn't that happen, again?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by K-SawDude

Well, credit to them for having actual reasons for their opposition and some alternate ideas to propose for consideration.

This part of their arugment makes sense:

The 11-county Atlanta region desperately needs to implement a professional Transportation Plan to relieve the traffic gridlock and eliminate car-central sprawl. However, the choice of the projects must be decided upon by professional planners and engineers, not by a political roundtable, and the funding must be sufficient to cover the region’s roads and bridges, buses and rails.The Taxpayers Foundation supports a one penny regional sales tax to fund regional transportation improvements provided neighboring metropolitan Atlanta counties join Fulton and DeKalb Counties in forming a Regional Transit Authority and funding a Regional Transit System.

[PKCorey]

Isn't that the reason for ARC?

the public’s use of MARTA’s buses dropped 17% and the public’s use of MARTA’s rail dropped 6%

If you reduce services and raise fares, what do you expect?

[mike7586]

It's frustrating that the region aka suburbs do not see the benefit of having a healthier city of Atlanta. The Beltline is part of that goal in making the city a better place to live and work. The whole anti-Atlanta thing is annoying, and I don't care how "nice" it is who wants to live in a suburb of a crappy city anyways? (Not saying Atlanta is crappy now but it seems like they could care less what happens to it in the long run).

[arjay57]

...during the last ten years, the regional population rose 20%, while the public’s use of MARTA’s buses dropped 17% and the public’s use of MARTA’s rail dropped 6%.

Has anyone fact checked this. During the last 10 years gas prices have increased 250% and congestion has gotten worse. Plus we've had the back to the city movement, and more talk about transit than I can ever remember.

With all that going on, how could transit use have dropped? It seems like it would be going through the roof.

[StAubin]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Has anyone fact checked this. During the last 10 years gas prices have increased 250% and congestion has gotten worse. Plus we've had the back to the city movement, and more talk about transit than I can ever remember.

With all that going on, how could transit use have dropped? It seems like it would be going through the roof.

According to Marta's website its correct. But it is higher than the forcasted ridership.

I think because of the reseccesion people are just making less trips overall.

With gas prices and expansion projects I expect ridership to increase in the next few years.

Personall i have been useing it more than ever.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Has anyone fact checked this. During the last 10 years gas prices have increased 250% and congestion has gotten worse. Plus we've had the back to the city movement, and more talk about transit than I can ever remember.

With all that going on, how could transit use have dropped? It seems like it would be going through the roof.

I'd like to see their numbers since I don't really believe that. Looking at the ridership reports for the last year there has been a year over year increase in ridership despite the cuts.

Just from my own experience, I find that MARTA has more usage today than it did in the 90s and early 00s since I've ridden MARTA just about every day (averaged out ) since 1986.