Is There Momentum To Get a Georgia Transportation Bill Passed?
Decatur Metro | April 7, 2010 | 10:02 amLast year, transit trolls breathed a sigh of relief when the Atlanta Regional Commission stepped in and saved MARTA. But at the same time, many worried that the “bailout” wasted a LOT of momentum. Here’s how I summed it up last May…
Pissed lawmakers were giving the inside scoop on committee meetings, MARTA was calling for special sessions, we had the House Majority Leader on record saying he went to Disney World more often than he rode MARTA (and therefore couldn’t see the benefits to his Isle of Retirement (St. Simons.)
Yesterday, a piece by CL’s Thomas Wheatley brought out worries that not enough is being done to revive that sort of fervor prior to the end of Georgia’s legislative session next week. As if she was reading our calls for action, the AJC’s April Hunt comes through this morning with a recap of what’s still being done to get some form of “transportation bill” through the Georgia legislature.
A slew of action alerts from transportation advocates of different stripes have landed in e-mail accounts, exhorting people to call their legislators in favor of passing a bill. Lobbyists for the Metro Atlanta Chamber have headed to the state Capitol, concerned CEOs of big Georgia companies in tow, warning of the consequences of inaction. The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce bused in 300 business people last week to hobnob with legislators and talk about the jobs to be created by expanding transportation — or to be forgone if legislation sputters out like last year and the year before. They wore buttons that said “New Transportation Funding: Finish the Job.” Now they’ve created a “Finish the Job” logo and launched a Facebook page.
You can join the “Finish the Job” Facebook page HERE.
Hunt also quotes Rep. Jay Roberts – the chair of the House transportation committee – as saying that his office “hasn’t been inundated” with responses to get a bill passed.
Well, here’s Mr. Roberts email address: [email protected] Inundate away!
Related Posts:
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May 27, 2009 MARTA & GA Lawmakers Get Bailed Out (48)
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April 8, 2010 Georgia Politicos Tentatively Talking Transportation (0)
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February 2, 2012 Will U.S. Legislature Defund Safe Routes to School Today? (9)
Starting this summer, Yvonne Cobb, a grocery store clerk, might need to block out three hours for her daily, six-mile commute.
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What? She could ride a bike 6 miles in no time. Or walk 6 miles in far less than 3 hours. If this is Wheatley’s attempt to tug at heart strings, it’s an epic failure.
I agree, that is silly, though I don’t know she could walk >2 miles/hr. My normal walking pace is 4 mi/hr on city streets (according to hand-held GPS), and I walk relatively quickly (as I get stuck behind people in Decatur). 2 miles/hr walking isn’t that slow; according to always informative Wikipedia, average human walking speed is 3 mi/hr (2.8 – 2.95). Depending on her medical condition, she very possibly could not walk it in “far less” than 3 hrs. I don’t know if she’s a 20-something or a 60-something year-old (with arthritis) grocery store clerk…
Depending on where she lives and where she works, it may not be safe to either walk or bike between the two, if there are no sidewalks and/or her schedule dictates that she come and/or go in the dark.
Weather conditions are fierce problems some days, and many streets where I want to walk do not have sidewalks. Sometimes there is a sidewalk for a while, then it ends. Sometimes there is a sidewalk on the other side of the street, but no safe way to cross over to it. I challenge each of you to go for a 6 mile walk at whatever pace you feel comfortable with, work 8+ hours, and then walk another 6 miles back. And look at the weather day by day, and think about that kind of commuting requirement. Not everyone is agile enough to ride a bicycle, either…!
My daily bike commute is 6.5 miles each way. It is enjoyable and sure beats walking. Average 12 mph. My walking pace is 3 mph, unless my wife is leading the way.
My point is that you should consider using a bike for these distances.
My bike commute is 9 miles each way, and it takes a lot less than 3 hours. It doesn’t require a whole lot of agility to ride a bike. 4 year olds can do it. It’s not hard.
Plus, the article did not say the commute is 6 miles each way. If it isn’t, then 3 miles is not very far to walk when the alternative is a 3 hour commute.
Perhaps because I see mostly older overweight people all day, but I don’t think the majority of Atlantans automatically can ride a bike just because I can. I’m not saying we should excuse it and say pity them because they are overweight, have arthritis, have lung disease and require oxygen, etc. (And I’m not exaggerating; a number of people who come see me with wheelchairs or using oxygen do take public transportation.)
And not all employers have things set up such that people can bicycle in, have a place to change/clean up if they are expected to be in a suit and tie daily for the public. My ex-girlfriend worked on trying to convince midtown companies to provide such things, and many are very resistant. (some are very willing, but many not, just as they are for tele-work, etc.)
And being someone who prefers walking to driving, it is absurd (as mentioned above) how ridiculous Atlanta sidewalks are. Daily I encounter ending sidewalks with it starting on the other side of a 5 lane road, with no cross-walk.
Again, I’m not condemning bicycling or walking, since I love doing both–I spent 8 years walking to school, barely touching a car. I’m just saying that there are many people who depend on public transit, and for whom that really is a physical challenge and we shouldn’t assume that those people can just suck it up and get on a bicycle.
Discontinuous sidewalks (or even dirt pathways) are a constant problem for walkers. Yes, I can walk in mud, gravel, and grass — IF there is any room left to walk on the edge of the street. Sometimes vegetation, stream barriers, and other hard paraphernalia block any reasonable space left for walking.
I see LOTS of MARTA Mobility service on the road and expect to see more as the general population “ages”. Frankly, I think public transportation is being gamed by many people.
MARTA provides ADA Complementary Paratransit Service to eligible persons with disabilities who are, unable to board, ride or disembark from an accessible vehicle in MARTA’s regular bus or rail services. Service is provided with special lift-equipped vans on a curb-to-curb, shared ride basis. Certified individuals having a MARTA ADA Photo Identification Card may call the MARTA Mobility Reservation Office at (404) 848-5826, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
yes, I agree, some do game that system; I personally only am willing to complete the form for people if they really do seem to have an honest need for it. But the key is that if Marta doesn’t have money, they will have to quit providing that service (after cutting other services first, I’m sure).
I challenge any of you to put my mother on a bike and either not die laughing or run for your life. Some people are just not made for anything that takes balance.
For the old school folks:
http://capwiz.com/getgeorgiamoving/webreturn/?url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/transportation.php
http://capwiz.com/getgeorgiamoving/webreturn/?url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/Committees/transportation/gahtrans.htm