Road to traffic relief not paved with these pennies
By JIM WOOTEN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
April 1, 2008
Fifteen miles, State Capitol to CobbCounty.
A state trooper at the wheel.
Game time, 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson, en route to his son’s baseball game, agreed with his driver to depart the Capitol at 3:45. “And we did.”
“I missed the first pitch,” said Richardson. “One hour and 30 minutes to get to CobbCounty.
“How much money is it costing us in lost productivity?” Richardson asked. “What is it costing us right now to sit still in traffic?”
He was arguing before the Georgia House of Representatives, successfully as it turned out, for passage of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow voters on a regional basis to tax themselves another penny. A House-Senate conference committee is now attempting to resolve differences between their two versions.
Traffic congestion is killing metro Atlanta. “It’s time to lead and do something” to buy congestion relief, said Richardson.
Whether the sales tax is the solution, or even a meaningful part of it, is an unanswered question.
Desirably, the state would have a statewide plan, and a regional approach would be consistent with it. For metro Atlanta and perhaps for other areas as well, congestion relief would be top priority. Solutions would be consistent with a state plan and would be chosen on the basis of the most relief for the dollar.
Absent that, we have a proposed amendment that has significant flaws.
A regional commission, which may or may not have any transportation planning expertise, “shall determine the amount of the tax to be levied, the maximum period of time the tax shall be levied, and the maximum cost of such projects for transportation purposes.”
There’s no time limit on the tax. It can be 10 years or 50. After a regional government determines which projects it wants to fund —- and those can be “public transit, rails, airports, buses, seaports, and all accompanying infrastructure and services necessary to provide access to those transportation facilities” —- county commissions have 45 days to opt in or out. If they do nothing for 45 days, they’re automatically recorded as having opted in. If they vote no, they have 15 days to reconsider.
Once they opt in, a tax referendum will be held. So a referendum in CobbCounty could be rejected overwhelmingly by local voters, but if approved with sufficient margins in other counties, it would be applied —- 10 years, 50 years to Cobb residents as well.
The tax, once collected, becomes dedicated —- meaning that the General Assembly and the state have no real role to play in how it is spent. The General Assembly passes it along, ultimately, to the regional governments to spend. It is, in that sense, a dedicated fund of the sort that the General Assembly should never agree to create. All taxes collected, whether they are called taxes, fees or add-ons, should go into the state’s general fund to be spent based on priorities —- and whether specific expenditures are consistent with state goals.
Congestion relief for metro Atlanta, without question, should be the state’s top priority.
What is likely to happen with this particular penny, if added for “public transit, rails, airports, buses, seaports, and all accompanying infrastructure and services necessary to provide access” is that actual traffic congestion relief, measured and delivered, will compete for the same money available now.
The penny, therefore, is likely to become the funding source for “alternatives,” whether or not they provide actual congestion relief. Suddenly everything on some interest group’s wish list has a funding source.
That may be a policy choice the state wishes to make, but it should at least be constrained by a statewide transportation plan that keeps taxpayers from being forced to fund white elephant projects, like the commuter rail line from Atlanta to Lovejoy.
Certainly an argument can be made for more money for congestion relief. But the Legislature’s “do something” command should, in metro Atlanta at least, buy actual relief from traffic congestion misery.
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Comments
By AJC Management
April 1, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
The bureaucracy will take that penny and shut down some road in the middle of rush hour, causing We The People to sit idling for hours, so that they can fiddle with the lane markers or some other silly thing.
Why not save our money and just teach the dullards how to drive?
For instance, the merge to 75N at 285W, it is two lanes, speed limit 55 MPH, but yet these dimwits approach it at 25 MPH, or even at a complete stop, anytime of the day and night, and cause back ups that stretch for miles up 285.
How much would a big flashing sign that said 55 MPH or maybe even Maintain The Speed Limit cost?
Pennies?
But the DOT just ignores the real problem areas and instead gives us the most beautiful shoulders of the road in the freaking world, I guess so we have something to admire as we sit parked on the expressways.
By jbmlaw
April 1, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
Good morning all. So we are to have a tax, then decide how to spend it.
‘It’s a pun!’ the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, ‘Let the jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.
‘No, no!’ said the Queen. ‘Sentence first - verdict afterwards.’
‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said Alice loudly. ‘The idea of having the sentence first!’
‘Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple.
‘I won’t!’ said Alice.
‘Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.
‘Who cares for you?’ said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) ‘You’re nothing but a pack of cards!’
At this the whole pack rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little scream, half of fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister, who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face.
‘Wake up, Alice dear!’ said her sister; ‘Why, what a long sleep you’ve had!’
‘Oh, I’ve had such a curious dream!’ said Alice…
By Curious Observer
April 1, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
Why is it that Wooten and other Republicans insist upon local control as a general principle, yet argue that distribution of the proceeds of a local tax and decisions about priorities be made by the state? I assume the principle applies in every case except in those for which they want a pet project. In those cases, they want the state to make the decisions.
By Coincidently Oxbow
April 1, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
The truth is that there’s no solution to traffic. If we start there, then we realize that nothing has changed in two hundred years. Metropolitan areas in 1850 weren’t scattered like now, but it still took an hour to go anywhere cause you walked or rode a horse.
The time we spend traveling hasn’t changed. We simply go further, but, because we are insecure, we have painted the landscape with the same scenery so it doesn’t matter if we go one mile, or a thousand, we still see the exact same strip malls, restaurants and gas stations.
Now we want to do the same thing to china, europe, australia, and the moon.
Let’s not. Traffic solution: Cant you people just sit there?
By BadOleBoys
April 1, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
These are the actions of the Republicans that we elected. Now it is our turn to take action. Vote against the Georgia Incumbent Republicans. Write your state elected officials and hope that they recognize you as one of their constituency. Aren’t these idiots given district maps or something so they know. Maybe I’ll tell you more about my experiences later. Anyway, they have sure given me all the reasons I need not to vote for any of them. Absolute idiots. Maroons.
By Redneck Convert
April 1, 2008 8:49 AM | Link to this
Well, I don’t want no one from another county telling me I have to pay a tax. And I danged sure don’t want my tax money going to fix traffic in Atlanta. I want it used up here in north ForsythCounty to put a extra lane on GA 400 and maybe put in a driveway from there to my trailer park.
Tax, tax, tax. That’s all the politicans can think of. I don’t care how long it takes this Richardson or Wooten to get from Atlanta to CobbCounty. If they want a shorter drive time they should just move. I didn’t tell them to move to CobbCounty and it ain’t my job to make things easy for them. And next we’ll be hearing from the nut cases that want us to put in a train that stops at their front door and whisks them right where they want to go. And the ones that want us to put in bike paths to everywhere. It just don’t stop.
Well, I see this AJC Management is on here today so I’ll be signing off the rest of the day before he starts putting in squiggly marks and books. I thought we was rid of him after the weekend, but no, he’s got to get on here whining about why people don’t round ramps at 100 mph so he can get where he’s going faster. One like him just about rammed into my beer truck yesterday a.m. People like that don’t know you can’t put the pedal to the metal in a sharp curve in a beer truck. This ain’t the blasted Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Have a good day everybody.
By AJC Management
April 1, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this
{{{{By Redneck Convert April 1, 2008 8:49 AM Well, I see this AJC Management is on here today so I’ll be signing off the rest of the day before he starts putting in squiggly marks and books. I thought we was rid of him after the weekend, but no, he’s got to get on here whining about why people don’t round ramps at 100 mph so he can get where he’s going faster. One like him just about rammed into my beer truck yesterday a.m. People like that don’t know you can’t put the pedal to the metal in a sharp curve in a beer truck. This ain’t the blasted Atlanta Motor Speedway.}}}}
RC: That curve I talked about at 8:03 was engineered so that cars could safely travel at 55 MPH.
I guess the engineers didn’t calculate the speed that your brain travels at.
25 in a 55.
Duh.
By AH
April 1, 2008 8:59 AM | Link to this
So if we are going to be voting on every aspect of government then what do we need the politicians for? I really wish these government bodies would do there job if they feel there is a need to raise taxes then do it don’t try and fob those hard chooses off to the general public which wouldn’t be able to understand these complicated issues. We elect people to handle these types of issues and yet then want to turn it around and have us deal with them?
By ron
April 1, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this
For every dollar spent another penny will be extracted by government and spent in some fashion as yet unknown.Seems like a pretty good deal to me.They may buy a bus.They may fix a seaport,but they probably will add extra lanes to the incoming traffic.This would be an appropriate government solution.
By Redneck Convert
April 1, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this
I guess the engineers didn’t calculate the speed that your brain travels at.
Well, I got enough brain to know what would happen if my beer truck overturned on account of going too fast. This bunch of drunks on this blog would be down on all fours on the pavement, lapping up the beer while it run in rivers and blocking traffic for miles. They start talking about Miller Time at 2 p.m. on Friday. So there.
By Coincidently Oxbow
April 1, 2008 9:11 AM | Link to this
The problem with another penny is that it adds up to very near 50% taxes on our income when you add in everything. Gas tax. Car tax. Property tax. Sales Tax. Federal. Social Security. Fica. State. Local. and now this penny may be the straw that the camel used to snort cocaine.
Well I wont stand for it. Give No quarter to the Penny tax. No quarter for the penny tax.
No quarter 4 the penny tax!!
By Will
April 1, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
Mr. Wooten:
Next time you talk to them, please ask the republican radio and television entertainers why they are more than willing to continue to support the noble effort for freedom and democracy in Iraq even if it costs more than one trillion American dollars and the lives of thousands of American patriots but do not seem to think any gesture relating to the Chinese Olympics regarding freedom for Tibet is worthwhile.
Also (although I understand you are less likely to run into these folks), how about asking the United States Speaker of the House why she thinks the US should support some sort of effort to bring attention to the enslavement of the citizens of Tibet but does not support efforts to bring attention to the enslavement of Iragi citizens.
If I didn’t know any better I would think the republican radio and television entertainers and the democrat Speaker of the House are just playing partisan politics, even if it results in the loss of precious human life.
By BadOleBoys
April 1, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
Where has this guy Richardson had his head stuck all these years. He is just now realizing that Atlanta has traffic — lots of traffic. Or, did he just now realize that he is going to need something to brag about come election time. The only thing these Georgia Incumbents should be bragging about is not running for office again. They can brag that they cannot do any more damage then. I look forward to seeing these elected officials reaping what they sow. Are they even smart enough to make the connection?
By ron
April 1, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
Wasn’t Newton’s first law of gravity,”Never overturn a beer truck”?
By Ford Prefect
April 1, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
Bypasses are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a point directly in between, are often given to wonder what’s so great about point A that so many people from point B are so keen to get there and what’s so great about point B that so many people from point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be.
By Road Scholar
April 1, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this
Since the present gasoline tax is not indexed to inflation, since vehicles have become more energy efficient (and there are more of them!), and since construction costs have increased since the last gas tax increase (40% in the past 2 years),more revenue is required to even keep up with today’s poor level of service, let alone “cure” congestion. This would include transit and rail solutions.
The intent of the regional tax bill is to give counties, which presently have the ability to have residents vote on county/city initiatives, to band together to address regional solutions. Typically, the list of projects to be completed over a set period (usually 7 years) would be set by state, regional and local planners (yes there are people who do a good job of proposing projects of need), and the list would be apart of the vote. No vague or “out of the blue” projects would be permitted as apart of the expediture of these tax dollars. The projects would be required to be completed during the tax duration.
Where has Richardson been? Just because he cannot get to his son’s baseball game is his realization that this is a growing problem over the past years?
We need true leadership from our elected officials who are not afraid of being re-elected due to “no Government” mentality. All persons benefit. The same lack of leadership permeates the Federal government program.
Instead of a check, why not begin a public works program that would provide better paying jobs, a future carrer, new technology investments, sales of materials, etc. This approach would cause expendatures throughout the communty while providing investment in the economy. Didn’t they do this during the depression and other market downturns to provide people new skills, jobs, and revenue to pay there bills and buy homes they could afford?
By Coincidently Oxbow
April 1, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Sadr in Basra made a salient point about the perenial US occupation: We are needed and we must stay.
Sadr in Basra is a reminder of the history of the Middle East’s reaction to the west: the trade routes can never be fully secured, and we must give Sadr a taste of any action, or it’s war.
Sadr in Basra is why Bush Sr. knew better than to topple Saddam. He had the Shia in check, brother.
Not one word from the Kurds. Does that make anyone nervous? Oh, what’s dead ahead in Iraq. You dont want to know.