T-SPLOST is a Disaster

The Atlanta Regional Commission's economic
analysis of TIA impacts is incredibly weak. Again,
this poorly constructed plan, with no financial
accountability and no cost-benefit analysis,
represents an immense RISK to the future economy
of metropolitan Atlanta, not an improvement.

The overwhelming cost of expanding, maintaining
and operating an already flawed transit system
will steal critical funding away from our future
economy. Instead of having critical funds to
upgrade vital infrastructure to encourage future
productivity, we will be saddled with the
exorbitant costs of a regional transit system that
is unable to justify its existence.

Notice the careful phrase, "... these projects
would allow residents to save $9.2 billion by
2040." Yes, the MARTA bus system WOULD ALLOW me
to never drive my car in Fulton County, but nearly
98 percent of commuters chose NOT to use that mode
of transportation.

It goes on, "... these projects can be built
cheaper, can improve transportation more quickly
and have a positive economic impact sooner." Turn
the logic around and we can save $3.5 billion and
future billions of annual operations and
maintenance funding for a mode of transportation
that a fraction of our commuters use if we do not
built the unjustifiable transit projects. And
where is the positive impact of bleeding the
region of billions of dollars annually through a
permanent regional sales tax (the only way to
generate the funding needed) when a majority of
the commuters are still stuck in traffic? Rep. Ed
Seltzer was absolutely correct say the TIA
referendum comes no where close to its primary
objective of relieving traffic congestion.

"ARC predicts that it will grow to more than eight
million by 2040." Seriously? Growth is at a
standstill pace and traffic volume has dropped
each year for the last five years.

The saddest part is the regional and state leaders
refuse to tell the voting public how we will
sustain the exorbitant future costs associated
with current and expanded transit. They are no
better than Nancy Pelosi saying, "vote for the
bill to know what is in it."

Steve Brown
Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Post 4