Thursday, February 4, 2010
News Georgia misses out on more transit funding
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 3:15 PM
More transit dollars have been missed in Georgia.
The Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday published a list of 27 transit projects recommended for $1.8 billion in federal funding. Georgia wasn’t on it.It couldn’t be. Georgia had no proposals up for consideration, FTA spokesman Paul Griffo said.
In contrast to the high-speed rail grants last week, these recommendations would fund development of local transit projects such as new bus and streetcar lines. Those types of projects have usually been in the works for some time and require local investment to win federal funds.
According to transportation wonks we've spoken with, it's the lack of local investment — or even willingness to invest — that's been Georgia's biggest obstacle to winning much-needed federal dollars.
It's looking like Atlanta's best hope for the next round federal transit funding — which is expected to be announced on Feb. 17 — is the Peachtree Streetcar.
Comments (13)
Showing 1-13 of 13
WE ALREADY HAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT THAT GOES UP AND DOWN PEACHTREE!!! IT'S CALLED MARTA!!! The pie-in-the-sky transit dreams that Atlanta rallies for make me feel like a CRAZY PERSON!!! BUILD A PONCE STREETCAR.
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Well, we have to start somewhere with light rail in this city. Might as well be along our signature street. Besides, the Streetcar was the only transit project in Atlanta that was anywhere near "shovel ready" in time for the application deadline, which I believe was a requirement to qualify for stimulus funding. It would have been nice to see the Beltline funded first, but we'll take what we can get. On the upside, the Streetcar will fill in a lot of the large gaps between the existing stations on North-South MARTA rail line. It will be really nice to be able to go to restaruants and attractions along Peachtree without having to worry about fighting traffic or looking for parking... ...IF we get the stimulus funds, that is.
How in the world can you expect GA legislators to find time to come up with an investment plan for transportation projects when they have to protect us from the imminent threat of microchip implantation? Please, Georgia, pass comprehensive anti-implantation legislation so we can get past this long, statewide nightmare and move on to other important things. Like maybe anti-death-panel laws.
Where's the link to the 27 transit projects that were recommended? http://www.shotfromguns.wordpress.com
I have a shovel-ready project for you: A BUS LANE ON PONCE DE LEON AVENUE. The "gaps" between MARTA rail stations aren't that bad if people could figure out how to walk 3 blocks on those gigantic sidewalks that were designed for that very purpose. If that's not convenient then there's also the Peach bus that no one rides right now to get to restaurants or whatever else Peachtree is good for these days. Getting a Peachtree streetcar that no one will ride will just give the city and state another excuse to say, "Well, we tried that already and it didn't work," for the next 30 years after the streetcar's embarrassing demise. However, if the main criteria for a transit project in this city is that it will line the pockets of developers, then the Peachtree streetcar is it!
A streetcar on Ponce from midtown (North Ave station) to Decatur (or maybe even out to the Farmers Market) is an awesome idea that needs to happen. A streetcar on Peachtree is much less valuable and largely redundant of MARTA rail.
Actually some useful and effective rail for Marta would be good. But I forgot where I live. We don't allow expansion because if we did we'd lose that political football to fight over every four years.
Whomus, I had in mind the more substantial 4.5-mile gap between Buckhead station and Arts Center Station. http://bit.ly/aSsQBG As for the Peach bus, let's hope that the Streetcar would eliminate the need for it.
Have you called your state senator and state rep to complain about the lack of transit funding? If not, you are part of the problem.
Local Atlanta representatives in the state legislature are aware of the need for better transit funding. The representatives in the parts of the state outside Atlanta, who are largely anywhere from disinterested to hostile in regard to urban and statewide transit, are the ones who need to be convinced. But they represent a state population that has a well-established suspicion of anything that promotes urbanism or that involves public-funded transit. It's a battle of hearts and minds when it comes to bringing Georgians around to understanding the need for developing extensive, workable transit networks in cities and new rail travel options throughout the region. There's such a negative attitude about transit developments (versus car-only transportation) throughout the state. A significant change needs to happen in attitudes before change can happen in transit.
All that most politicians in Georgia care about is widening highways and "helping" the OTP SUV lovers. Sonny seems to have no problem spending all the money on creating extra lanes to "ease traffic". What this city really needs is better public transit that can rival that of cities such as Paris or Chicago. Not only is public transit better for the environment, it helps generate more tourism.
@ Shannon Mindboggling that ITP Rep Pat Gardner is leading the tax and pave movement. Pave baby pave! She supports an extra penny sales tax (we already pay 8c, with 1c for MARTA) to be spent by the 10-county metro area - i.e. ITP's needs ignored. On top of that she wants the penny of gas tax that now funds teachers and other state budget items to go to roads. This in the midst of the biggest budget crunch the state has seen in many decades.
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