This just in from the City of Decatur’s Linda Harris…

*Media Advisory*

Who: Mayor Bill Floyd and the Mayors of 9 cities in DeKalb including Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, and Stone Mountain.

What: Press Conference on the steps of the State Capitol Building Washington Street side

When: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 11 a.m.

Why: A joint announcement related to support of the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 or HB 277 – the bill that calls for 12 regional roundtables to craft a transportation project list and then ask voters to support a 1-cent sales tax to fund the projects.

Expect this to similar to the Fulton County mayor’s announcement back in September.

From an AJC article about long-rusted political wheels trying to move forward to eliminate the “piecemeal” nature of Georgia’s transportation system.  (Of course a “system” implies that parts are working in support of each other.  Hmm…how about we call it “Georgia’s transportation anarchy” instead?

A poll released by the Livable Communities Coalition on Wednesday showed that the referendum would probably pass — barely. Polling 400 people who vote in minor elections in the ten-county Atlanta region, it found suburbanites outside the five-county Atlanta area opposed it 55 percent to 40 percent. Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett were neutral on it, but Fulton and DeKalb supported it 63 percent to 32 percent. Whites opposed it 53 percent to 45 percent, and African-Americans supported it 79 percent to 15 percent. Republicans opposed it 66 percent to 31 percent, where Democrats supported it 79 percent to 18 percent. Some of the more solid supporters: those with commutes longer than 30 minutes.

Apparently ‘burbanites they like their long commutes just fine, thank you very much.

But seriously, this poll seems to foretell that if metro-Atlantans want the transportation referendum to have a good chance of passing, it will need to include tangible projects for the suburban counties, as well as inner-city, rail-soaked goodness.  This may not thrill some ITPers hoping to see all their projects tackled at once, but based on the makeup of our transportation district, it looks like it’ll be necessary.

Photo courtesy of WriterChad