The Texas Transportation Institute estimated that, in 2000, the 75 largest metropolitan areas experienced 3.6 billion vehicle-hours of delay, resulting in 5.7 billion U.S. gallons (21.6 billion liters) in wasted fuel and $67.5 billion in lost productivity, or about 0.7% of the nation’s GDP. It also estimated that the annual cost of congestion for each driver was approximately $1,000 in very large cities and $200 in small cities. Traffic congestion is increasing in major cities and delays are becoming more frequent in smaller cities and rural areas.
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Lets take a quick review of the biggest issues facing the majority of Americans, particularly Georgians, these days:
– Economy/Jobs
– Transportation/Traffic
– Energy
– Health/Obesity
– Education
I think most people would agree with that list. I know many many Georgians do. Which is why I am totally perplexed that politician’s continue to ignore them. Transportation, especially the traffic, has been a specific thorn in the side of all Georgians.. and yet… politicians turn their nose up at it and ignore it.
Yes.. I know.. Perdue has proposed some regional tax, and I know, Karen Handel is all involved with opposing some new road project. But that is all there is.. is talk, and arguing and discussing. Nothing is getting done. Nothing is changing and with the current powers that be… I don’t think anything will ever change. Wheres the Georgia Tea Party on this issue? Even the Georgia DOT is out of money, and the ineffective Georgia Government continues to play their petty games with MARTA, and then there are the trials and tribulations of the same morons who allowed Clayton County’s C-TRAN go to ruins. Which also means that some people lost their job because they couldn’t get to work any longer.
Now, MARTA is not only looking into cutting routes and service but laying off 1,000 people because the idiots in the Gold Dome do not care about Georgians.
They went out of their way to help Georgians (potentially) lose their job because they couldn’t do the right thing.
They want people to sit in traffic and unnecessarily consume precious petroleum resources.. and everyone get fatter while we’re at it.
They have proven it over.. and over and over again.
Georgia needs a REAL transportation plan. Not new or expanded roads. But a transportation plan that makes sense. Georgia needs to converge the regional and local systems into one transit system and expand MARTA’s reach throughout Metro Atlanta and build new rail patterns that match the heaviest traffic patterns. The only way to ease traffic congestion.. is to create a system that allows people to move throughout the area more effectively. I-285 was recently identified as one of the worst in Georgia (breaking news to all of you I am sure), yet no transportation system addresses that need – including MARTA.
No one is going to use it if it doesn’t make sense. Why would someone who lives in Snellville have to travel to say 316 take the Gwinnett Express bus all the way downtown or even directly to the Doraville MARTA station .. travel south to the Lindbergh MARTA station, travel north again on another rail line.. just to get to the Perimeter Mall area. No one in their right mind would do that… thats why the current system is ineffective. Thats why MARTA ridership isn’t where it should and needs to be.
It will never happen though, because the Governor and the Gold Domer’s don’t care about you or what is really best for Georgia. They only care about their political capital.
Woody Bass III 