Thursday, March 14, 2013
Transit Fayette County might opt out of regional transit plan
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 12:41 PM
For quite some time, so we've heard, some members of the Fayette County Commission have wanted the suburban county to be removed from metro Atlanta's proposed bus and rail map known as Concept 3. Commissioner Steve Brown, who's made a name for himself as an anti-transit politico, has argued that the plan is too costly and unsustainable.
The Transportation Leadership Coalition, a tea party group that helped fight last summer's T-SPLOST, now sends word that county commissioners will vote tonight to formally remove the county from Concept 3.
From TLC, which doesn't want any scrubs:
"If mass transit loses money and ridership in metro Atlanta's dense urban areas, then it certainly has no place in Fayette County where the population is much less intense," said Fayette County Commission Chairman Steve Brown. "The one-size-fits-all approach to transit in the Concept 3 regional transit plan is an ultra-expensive proposal that delivers no bang for the buck."
The vote by the Fayette County Board of Commissioners will take place at their March 14 meeting. Brown expects an easy 5 - 0 vote on the issue. Brown, a leading voice on land planning and transportation issues, has demanded that top government officials tell the public how the region is going to sustain the future operations and maintenance of any expansions to current metro transit systems as outlined in Concept 3.
"During the T-SPLOST debate, I was opposed to the heavy emphasis on mass transit," Brown said. "My stance has not changed. I continue to question the relevance of being locked into a mass transit plan with heavyweight counties like Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb and I ask my colleagues throughout the metro area to do the same given that most of the perimeter counties followed Fayette County's lead and voted down the referendum by large margins."
What's a bit of a head scratcher: According to the most recent maps we've seen, there are no plans to run rail or even buses into Fayette County.
Comments (29)
Showing 1-29 of 29
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Barnes: State Rep. Tyrone Brooks 'did not break any laws' 1
"There is a difference between bad bookkeeping and trying to lock someone up for 10 to 20 years,"
-
Corner Tavern in L5P catches on fire
No word yet on cause of blaze
-
Spoleto 2013 kicks off this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina
Arts writer Andrew Alexander covers the event for "Creative Loafing"
- More »
More by Thomas Wheatley
-
An interview with a neighbor: Katrell Christie
Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party owner Katrell Christie spreads the love from Atlanta to India
-
Midtown Wish List 2
- More »
Search Fresh Loaf
People who saved…
Top Commenters
