Baby steps toward regional transit in Georgia

Atlanta isn’t the only part of Georgia experiencing heavy traffic this Memorial Day weekend. There’s no doubt plenty of that around the Chattahoochee Valley as well, given all the nearby destinations and opportunities for the three-day break. All across this large, physically and demographically diverse state, family trips to and from the north Georgia mountains, the Atlantic beaches, the barrier islands, the many lakes and rivers, and the countless historic and heritage sites have Georgia’s roads at their busiest.

And one of those destinations, of course, is Atlanta, which is a traffic nightmare even on its best days.

So it was perhaps an appropriate coincidence of timing that, just before the start of the travel-intensive holiday weekend that marks the unofficial beginning of summer, state House Speaker David Ralston announced the roster of a 14-member commission to study Georgia’s mass transit needs.

That panel, according to a Friday story in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, “could set the stage for a regional transit system for metro Atlanta that could for the first time receive dedicated state funding.”

It would not be altogether unreasonable for Georgians outside I-285 to reflect with at least mild apprehension on the juxtaposition of “metro Atlanta” and “state funding.” The concept of Atlanta issues becoming statewide problems is hardly new. (Think sports stadia or river water.) The Chronicle story includes a photo of a MARTA bus in downtown Atlanta, while the Atlanta Journal-Constitution version features a MARTA train alongside one of the capital’s bumper-to-bumper commuter routes.

Still, however Atlanta-centric the issue might seem, the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is, for now, the only thing remotely resembling a regional public transit system in the state.

“Transit is becoming more and more important to Georgia’s future,” Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said in announcing the formation of the House Commission on Transit Governance & Funding. “From congestion relief to economic development, a robust transit network across our state will have long-term benefits for our citizens. Situations like the recent I-85 rebuild have clearly demonstrated the importance of transit to our state and its economy." (Keep the phrase “transit network across our state” in mind.)

While the 14-member panel is, as might be expected, heavy on Atlanta-area members (who do, after all, represent roughly half the state’s population), it appears to be a reasonably diverse group made up of six House members, four local transit officials and four other Georgia residents. Two Columbusites — Rep. Calvin Smyre and Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Brian Anderson — are on the roster. Other areas of the state represented on the board include Athens, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Savannah and Lakeland/Valdosta. According to the Journal-Constitution, representatives of the state Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation Authority and MARTA will serve as “ex-officio” members of the commission.

It has been said many times, including by those directly involved in highway planning and construction, that Georgia can’t pave its way out of traffic gridlock. The House commission reportedly has given itself until the end of 2018 to figure out some alternatives, and some means of paying for them. It’s indeed in the whole state’s interest that their labors should bear fruit.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Baby steps toward regional transit in Georgia."