Because the perfect should be the enemy of good, obviously. I'll be voting yes and allowing Atlanta to progress.

I'll be voting tea regardless of flaws you so aptly pointed out. It's embarrassing that a city this size of metro Atlanta has so few mass transit options . Why write a column that says no, when in fact u seem to support mass transit. The mor rail ubhave the more support u will get in future . ...say yes and let's get something done !

I'll be voting NO. Why should the residents of Atlanta be subjected to more taxes when we already pay a Marta Tax. The State of Georgia should be funding Marta. Atlanta is the engine of Georgia and the rest of the state needs to kick in.

I'm voting "YES". There is no alternate plan, and even if you came up with one today it would take atleast another 10 years before it was put into effect (and who knows if a "plan B" will be politically feasible over the course of next 10 years). A little progress is better than no progress. And one thing you should realize is that TSPLOST won't fix all of ATL's transportation problems and it's not mean to do that either. It would take roughly 8 to 10 times the money that TSPLOST promises to address all of ATL's transportation issues. Enough with the all or nothing mentality.

Are you kidding me? You’ll vote to give more money to the buffoons who are responsible for the mess we now have? What makes them all of a sudden have the wisdom and knowledge to be able to plan properly? Their so-called project list is not a plan – it’s a popularity contest design to sucker you in.

This piece is typical of The Sierra Club's "My way or the highway" (no pun intended) approach to matters of public policy.

The Sierra Club's position reminds me of a birthday party my child attended a few years ago, at which one of the guests pitched a colossal fit about the color of the icing on her slice of birthday cake. The petulant child stubbornly refused to eat, even as her friends explained that the cake was delicious. She cried that yellow icing is better icing than red icing, and she ran from the table and pouted in the corner. "I'm going to sit here until someone brings me cake with yellow icing!" she screamed. When the party ended, the girl was angry, hungry, and could not understand why she didn't get any cake.

The July 31 transportation referendum is not perfect, but it contains many worthy elements that merit support from The Sierra Club and others. Over half of the funds allocated for regional projects are dedicated to expanding and enhancing transit options. By funding the Beltline project, we will drive the development of dense, walkable, mixed use projects, increasing housing demand in the urban core and reducing sprawl.

I want to fix MARTA's governance structure. I want more access to transit. I also want to see our region take the important first step toward addressing our traffic crisis, and I'm not going to pitch a fit over the color of the icing on this cake.

The project list is a sprawl inducing, developer's wet dream. It's a growth-for-growth's-sake "plan" with a dash of lip service paid to the city of Atlanta and smart growth. That being said, my vote will probably simply depend on what kind of a mood I wake up in on July 31 - or maybe a coin toss.

An aside: have any SEAtliens looked at the TIA map and wonder how/why we got virtually nothing?

http://www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com/map/tia.html

Odd, the ARC plan sure looks like infill of the existing surface transportation network, rather than a "revving-up of the old sprawl machine". The user-fee collected at the gas pump simply cannot produce the sort of revenue needed to sustain the public transportation network to meet existing capacity and efficiency needs.

With all due resperct, fear-mongering about the perils of sprawl is a disingenuous smokescreen for the absence of a viable alternatives by misinformed stakeholders that should have been made many months ago. Market forces - from energy costs to real estate values - are going to do far more to steer development patterns than one more lane-mile of asphalt or concrete. Even the ARC map of regional projects under T-SPLOST looks like an overlay for improvements of our existing transportation networks and not a vision for new development prospects.

However, Atlanta and the region's relationship and attidtudes about public transit and its funding is a conversation that needs to continue being elevated and independently of the question: "Are we getting everything we want with T-SPLOST?'"

I only hope that the likes of the Sierra Club will help lead that conversation, instead of reacting in 11th hour press-releases, as it appears to now be doing.

I, for one, am willing to do my part in financing the evolution of a sustainable city and metropolitan area.

I am a 3rd generation, resident Atlanta native. I will be voting "YES" on T-SPLOST.

I have no faith that a Plan B could happen within the next decade--look at how long it took the legislature to see this problem!

T-SPLOST is a temporary sales tax that will expire in 10 years. Some ultra-expensive projects are only partially funded. Two examples:
Project TIA-GW-031 for the I-85N corridor states that the $95 million project only pays for studies and reviews: no construction, facility, or capital equipment purchases in 10 years of funding. The project construction is planned for the year 2040.
Project TIA-CL-002 for Atlanta to Griffin rail states the $20 million project pays for planning, preliminary engineering, and rail readiness activities. The project construction is planned for the year 2040 T-SPLOST pays for project an operating cost. There is no identified source for on-going operation (and possible completion as referenced above) for the projects identified after 10 years.
There is no Plan B. 1. The Transportation Investment Act, which authorized the T-SPLOST, provides that if the voters in any region vote down the T-SPLOST, that region can put together a better projects list and bring it back to the voters in 2 years. That’s Plan B.

2. Georgia law (Code 32-5-30 Congressional District Balancing) calls for equal distribution of all state and federal tax dollars to be distributed equally across all Georgia congressional districts. The Georgia Legislature can change the law so that the funds are used where they are needed to alleviate traffic congestion and make necessary improvements across the state. That’s Plan B+Rail & transit takes cars off the road.
3. The proposed rail projects are not designed to alleviate traffic congestion. Example: GRTA concluded that light rail in Cobb County would more than double commute time and would therefore be unsuccessful in alleviating traffic congestion. GRTA’s newest study underway for the same Cobb County projects adds more stops at select locations not to alleviate traffic but to develop certain privately owned parcels of land.
4. MARTA’s 2010 financial report (p. 71) demonstrates that although the population across Atlanta’s 10 counties increased 20% since 2000, ridership declined as follows: Rail: -6% Bus: -17%
5. The 2010 Atlanta Regional Commuter Survey reflects that teleworking is on the rise with 27% of respondents stating that they telework on a regular basis - up 7% from 2007. Rail & transit reduce emissions.

Per Passenger Mile BTU Pounds CO2
Bus – metro Atlanta 5,800 1.02
Bus – GRTA region 3,370 0.54
Bus – Buckhead 13,419 2.37
Paratransit 17,848 2.88
Rail 1,697 0.23
Auto 3,514 0.55
At first glance, this info appears to show that rail is lower in energy consumption and emissions. However, these facts are only true at full occupancy. The average transit bus in Georgia fills only 22% of its seats; counting standing room they operate an average of about one-sixth full. The Atlanta rail system fills an average of 39% of its seats; counting its ample standing-room capacity it operates only about one-eighth full. Additionally, these figures do not include the energy costs required to build it.

LOSS OF “HOME RULE”
Home rule is just local self-government. The State Constitution of Georgia advocates
home rule. The core principle is that local authorities or populations seek a measure of
freedom from the state legislature.
This new era of regional governance and taxation will end the autonomy local counties
have possessed to control their own destinies.
If we develop a Regional Transit Authority and approve the 2012 TIA referendum,
problems created by another county will become your county’s financial burden.
IMPORTANT QUOTES
“Passed by the Legislature to relieve traffic congestion in metro Atlanta, the
heavily Atlanta Regional Commission-influenced project list allocates more than
50 percent of the region’s $6.14 Billion to fund transit projects that by objective
accounts will do little to relieve traffic congestion.”
Representative Ed Setzler, AJC, January 23, 2012
Rep Setzler voted in favor of TIA in 2010
“Proponents are campaigning hard. Unfortunately, the plan barely translates into
improved regional mobility. Operating in an if-you-build-it-they-will-come fugue,
regional leaders allocate more than half the expected funds to expensive transit
projects, most of which would not offer congestion relief within 10 years, if ever.”
Benita Dodd, Vice President, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

In summary, I'm voting NO for this fiasco of yet another tax your policticians want to use to sponsor a failed program known as MARTA, and to line the ultra deep pockets of those who continually use our tax dollars to STUDY our regional traffic problems without ever implementing any construction!

Anonymous
7:48 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

Maybe a part of the reason it's such a mess is because Georgia is 49th out of 50 states in transportation funding per capita.

?? Maybe it's not how much we spend, but what we spend it on!!

Mark,

In my opinion, the Emory/CDC area has a heavy bus network of Cliff/Emory and MARTA buses. I can't speak to the MARTA buses there, but the Cliff/Emory buses are smaller and seem to operate more efficiently, as I usually see a "decent" capacity of riders on those buses. That area seems densely populated with both businesses and residences. It seems like a VERY expensive project to try and "force" a light rail network in that area. I think money would be better spent making the existing bus framework more efficient. This plan only seems to address those who live work in that area. A plan to get people from wherever they are commuting from INTO that Emory/CDC area would be of greater benefit to the region as a whole, IMO. I'm opposed to the Beltline for similar reasons. I think it will be more of a tourist attraction than do anything to alleviate rush-hour traffic congestion. The tracks should've been incorporated into the existing rail network of CSX. Likewise, there should already be a train connecting Stone Mountain to downtown. The streetcar project is also a waste of money. And I have a real problem with asking Fulton and Dekalb residents to pay an additional 1%. If MARTA is expanded to additional counties under this proposal, those counties should be paying 2%.

I'm voting NO! No commuter trains means no go. I think everyone should have to take a trip up to the Northeast or Chicago to see how successful transit works. Take a train from Tarrytown NY to NYC for work to see how civilized the whole process is... Unfortunately, the short sighted will probably win again.

One thing I neglected to mention, I'm an environmental scientist with over 20 years experience working on linear transportation policy and programs, including with the USDOT in Washington DC.

One thing that's abundantly clear: Georgia and much of the metreo area thrive in spite-of, not because of our nearsighted leadership. Whether by happenstance or by default, these are the folks you have chosen to run the show. This upcoming TSplost vote was enacted by your elected leaders, many of whom slithered out of office before the ballots could even be cast.

Let's face the cold truth, there is no "Plan B". So either go back to the bucolic, affordable, and uncongested north, or do as Pericles wisely hints and try enjoying the red icing in spite of appearances, because it's all the cake you and I should expect will be served for a very long time.

(P.S. please don't go with the default refrain: "I didn't vote for so-and-so." Maybe you didn't at the ballot box, but what you did or did not do in communicating with your elected officials and the voting public is coming home to roost.)

We need to do something and there is no "Plan B." This is the start to finally implement a true regional transit system under one provider. This will help with major road projects as well. Lets face it the sprawl is already there and transit is only going to be so efficient in the outer counties. Most of the rail is going to be one line straight into Atlanta with feeder buses to the stations and to large office parks and major roads. Even with one transit provider and support; that's because we can't just rebuild an entire counties and make it urban. So road project are going to have to be support. Once in the city more rail can be built to make sure people have a means of getting around. More frequent and direct bus service can be provided so people feel comfortable leaving their cars at home.

The truth is we need both transit and roads and also think as a region when it comes to both. If Cobb needs something Clayton should be there to help because if there is job growth in Cobb there is job grown for the entire region. If a major road needs to be fixed in Fayette we all need to pitch in because the truck that can't get where it needs affect all of us. If rail is needed in Dekalb the region needs to support it because it promotes growth in that area which will bring growth for the region and provide an alternative to get there.

ONE TRANSIT SYSTEM AND ONE REGION THINKING! Until then Atlanta is going to live off the boom of the 90s and not the future!

@bryan: Please stop blaming one party or another for yet another failed government subsidized (aka taxpayer subsidized) program. Your purley partisan comments distract from the facts. MARTA’s 2010 financial report demonstrates that although the population across Atlanta’s 10 counties increased 20% since 2000, ridership declined as follows: Rail: -6% Bus: -17%. Ridership is decreasing - period. MARTA's FY 2011 operating loss was $506m + their $180m estimated annual deferred maintenance = $686m. MARTA's annual losses are increasing - period. TSPLOST specifically states (as part of the original TIA) that no funds from the TIA/TSPLOST shall be used for MARTA maintenance. As well, the projects listed on the original TIA have no guarantee that the projects will actuall by built until more studies (aka our wasted tax dollars) are completed. Please see this fact page before we all start throwing our money to the engineering firms that will be the only beneficiary of this tax (and I'm a civil engineer who could benefit from this deal): http://traffictruth.net/TrafficTruth_TSPLOST_Fact_Sheet_22April12.pdf

With 3 million more residents expected to reside in GA by 2040 the selected list of 157 priority transportation projects is indeed needed.

The T-SPLOST failing to pass will not mean Atlanta is one-and-done for transit. If anything, a more competent board, and/or greater citizen input will be the result. Plans are already in the works for the Multi-Modal passenger terminal, so there will eventually be transit, but how it is FAIRLY and EQUITABLY paid for needs to be ironed out first.

"Most middle and upperclass folks do not ride buses, but they will ride a light rail or train."

They will ride buses if rising gas prices mean they will no longer be middle and upperclass.

@franklin59
Again you are using facts that talk about the 10 county region when MARTA serves 2 counties. Those are distorted facts that conservatives try to use to get money away from projects that can benefit the area to build your 20 lane highways. MARTA is losing money but why? Maybe because the tax is a SALES TAX. So if people don't spend, money isn't generated. I don't know about you but I know I've been limiting my spending. The projects that are on the list are ready and have been studied and the ones that are being studied again are because the people of those areas don't want to invest in transit. Not like other areas that are investing in their infrustructure. L.A. has a new light rail line, Miami and D.C. are expanding their heavy rail system, heck even N.Y.C. is expanding their subway system! All while Atlanta has to fight with people like you that don't want to invest in nothing but want to complain about everything. And please keep your biased fact page because it look like another conservative tea party scam to mis-inform people to vote no and then leave us in the same place.

The fact is that there is no plan B. This is the first time since the inception of MARTA that the area has worked as ONE region on something. You see what has happened with that. A metro service that only serves 2 counties. I guess it's ok to make the same mistakes TWICE in a lifetime huh?

@ Mark

I completely agree. It's time to put up or shut up. Either we are going to be a world class area with great transit or be a great city but fall behind other areas willing to invest in transit and other forms of infrustructure besides JUST roads!

@ Bryan: "All while Atlanta has to fight with people like you that don't want to invest in nothing but want to complain about everything." My only complaints in this discussion? First, your political ignorance is gleaming, so I'll complain about that fact! As an engineer, I prefer stating fact rather than making suposition and generalizations about other people's character. Second, I will always complain about the government taking my hard earned tax dollars and throwing them away on failed programs. On the other hand, I am quite proud when my tax dollars acheive something positive that helps this community. Facts: Counties served by LA Metro: ONE-Los Angleles County. Counties serviced by Miami rail: ONE-Dade County. D.C. transit systems are composed of 7 individual commuter systems all independtly run separate and apart from one another. As for the NY City transit system; well, if you add up the tolls to travel around that area, you've broken the bank in one day; especially if you have to cross a bridge or tunnel at $13/trip, so your practically forced to use the transit system. However, their transit system serves all of the people! I've been driving the streets & highways in this city for over 50 years, and I've seen the urban sprawl that is Atlanta. I was never in favor of any rail service from MARTA's inception since it was not approved by all of the 6 metro counties. Native Atlantan's knew from inception that MARTA would never survive without full participation.

In summary, TSPLOST will not provide MARTA with the funding to reach the entire metro area for any new "light-rail" or "heavy-rail" systems. These funds will go towards the ever increasing debt-pit that is MARTA's growing maintenance budget.

I am voting no (even though I am an ardent supporter of mass transit) because this does not address the root cause of our transportation issues which is urban sprawl. Also, we continue to lack funding for the maintenance of our existing infrastructure and this will only add more projects to a maintenance list that is not funded. And finally, when you watch the ads supporting the tax they discuss the problem but does not provide any specifics on how these improvements will improve transportation such as reduced commute times, less congestion, etc. I would probably guess that the numbers they have (I was involved in transportation planning in Texas) shows that once these projects are complete congestion and commute times will either be the same or increased because we have not dealt with the root of the problem, which is the urban sprawl which a select group of land speculators, developers, road contractors and lobbyists like. The world is changing and the old, ineffective ways of doing things can actually make us less competitive because of the added debt burden for infrastructure that does not make us more productive.

Right on, Darrell.

There is a traffic/congestion "problem", most notably during the morning and evening rush hours (making money time)...

And the lack of mobility, navigating the city for leisure, convenience, tourism, etc. (spending money time).

I don't see how this proposal addresses either, effectively enough.

If the region was serious about impacting quality of life as it relates to getting from point A to point B, they would release the handcuffs on MARTA, extend the line from Doraville well into Duluth/Suwanee, bring the "brain train" from Athens to Georgia Tech/State, and adopt the Lovejoy-Atlanta-Chattanooga train. Put the "roads" money into improving sidewalk egress for pedestrian use. And work with developers or city planners to spread out the residential and commercial centers across the region. Hard to avoid congestion when everybody is trying to get to the same place, at the same time.

I am a Conyers resident who used to live in East DeKalb county. I am against the T-SPLOST for many reasons.

1. No rail lines to be built anywhere south, east, or west of Metro Atlanta: How can supporters of this plan call this "fair" when many areas south of the region are being left out? I find it absolutely absurd that funding for rails lines cannot be equally distributed in all regions in Metro Atlanta. Part of the reason why we have so much traffic in Atlanta is that developers are creating more jobs north of Atlanta. There is no balance of job creation in the metro area.

2. The state will waste taxpayers money. Residents in DeKalb and Fulton counties are both paying a penny sales tax that is still being collected over a period of 30 years. Since the collection of this tax, MARTA has not extended rail service to residents and business in South and East DeKalb county. In fact, transit services have been reduced and fare prices have increased. A recent investigation by WSB-TV showed that previous executives from MARTA have misappropriated funding!

3. Once the state collects the money for T-SPLOST, they can grant more funding toward certain regions and take away more funds from others. Just because a project is "approved" doesn't mean that the state has to stay committed to it.

4. More funding would go toward roadways instead of mass transit. Are you kidding me?

Say no to the T-SPLOST!!!

I'm voting yes, simply because the political cartoons aimed at poking fun of SRTA and GDOT that are used for this piece are derogatory.

With 3 million more residents expected to reside in GA by 2040, this referendum is needed and is in fact long-overdue.

William, you keep claiming there will be an additional 3 million more residents in GA. Please will you allow us the source from which you get this information?
Also, some of you folks here keep claiming that urban sprawl is a good thing for Atlanta. As a fourth generation native of Atlanta, I remember when Atlanta was a clean, peaceful city with very little crime and very neighborly. Now, with 6 million people in the metropolitan Atlanta area, this place has turned into one of the worst thug infested, crime ridden cities of this nation. Atlanta has been 160% above the nation's average for violent crime for the last 10 years. Do you folks want to return this town to a "charming" city, or are you looking to be the next New York? No thanks! Vote No!

Look at census projections from various sources to find your 3 million....thats a conservative answer.

The question is ---can you say yes to anything franklin? Can you compromise? will you just keep screaming no, no, no to all projects and improvements or will you offer solutions. What are your solutions to congestions, decreased quality of life, and Atlanta's transporation problem? Please put them on the table for us? enlighten us insted of just saying no to everything that involves a tax. THe referrendum is not perfect, but its a big injection into the economic engine of Atlanta-Metro. Used to be a time where you could get conservatives (fiscal) and democrats to agree on infrastructure projects--of course for very different reasons. However, the common ground based on the economics is that investment in infrastructure is helpful to the economy--and captialism. However today t appears such logical sound economic arguments are lost upon the ears of many tea partiers and the "always no" republicans of today.

OK, so here is what no one realizes. This is NOT, I said NOT a 1 penny increase. This is a 14% tax increase in Georgia. It is a cleverly marketed plan to fool the fools into buying this piece of junk legislation. It's a $20 BILLION, yes BILLION, dollar tax increase. For what???? To widen a bride in North Atlanta and paint a Marta Station?? C'mon folks, please take off the blinders, take some time to do the math and you'll see that we are being suckered. Vote NO until they come up with a real solution and not just a band-aid. For $20 BILLION, we could change this city into a world class destination and instead Atlanta is content to settle on mediocrity. The missed opportunities for this city are unreal... Please use your head and vote NO!!!!

No more increase in the sales tax. Until the Fair Tax is in place. Then we'll see where things stand.