Transit patchwork under fire

Commutes don’t stop at county lines, but in the metro Atlanta government patchwork, buses and trains often do. As the region’s population has grown and its job centers spread out, commuters have bucked up, gritted their teeth and gotten used to transferring.

But advocates hope change is on the horizon, starting with Wednesday’s brief sit-down of high-ranking legislators and transit officials. A new funding law passed this spring created the panel, with a mandate to propose legislation on governing mass transit. Its first report is due out at the end of this year.

"If it increases the service and keeps it affordable, yeah, it sounds like a good idea," said Ed Roberts, a CPA who lives in Brookhaven and takes MARTA to the North Avenue station, near where he works.

No one knows now how sweeping -- or meek -- the committee’s final proposals will be. Much of that will depend on what the new governor thinks after the November election.

But unlike many past efforts on mass transit, this one has the juice to do big things if desired, with top Republican legislators leading it and a possible deep pocket in the offing to fund projects, in the form of a referendum.

The 10-county Atlanta region is gearing up to place a referendum for transportation funding before voters in 2012, and mass transit advocates want buses and trains to have a shot at a serious chunk of the money. Citizens will vote on a list of projects, as well as a 1 percent sales tax to fund them.

The state Department of Transportation also held a “transit day” event Wednesday to get officials started thinking about drawing up the project list.

Rep. Edward Lindsey, the House majority whip, represents Sandy Springs and Buckhead and serves on the legislative transit committee. He said he has an open mind as to how far to go. “Except for one thing,” he said. “The status quo is not acceptable.”

He told the panel Wednesday that he remembers passing the Atlanta population sign at just over 1 million about the time the MARTA Act was signed decades ago, but now it is over 5 million. “The needs of metropolitan Atlanta have vastly changed since that day,” he told them.

Metro Atlanta’s piecemeal transit systems create remarkable challenges in an industry designed to connect, not dissect. Routes are generally planned within the jurisdiction. Buses that cross county borders can do so only after a treaty is signed between them. Some agencies legally cannot use their own money to plan routes that extend beyond their borders. Scott called it “nuts.”

James Fountain, who takes MARTA and Gwinnett County Transit when he visits his girlfriend, said he has trouble coordinating transfers. Of the separate systems, he said, "It's terrible. It seems like they can't come to agreement or accord on one single fare."

Getting the voters on board won’t be a cinch. 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.

The coalition released those results at a “transit day” held at the state DOT after the committee meeting.

Cobb County DOT Director Faye DiMassimo and Gwinnett County Chairman Charles Bannister said they weren’t surprised by the results, and that the right project list would be key to changing minds. Rep. Donna Sheldon, who represents part of Gwinnett County, noted that Gwinnett has grown dramatically in the past decade and that many of her constituents commute to jobs elsewhere. She chairs the transit committee and also chairs the House Republican Caucus.

“[The State Department of Transportation] focuses on roads and bridges,” said Sheldon. “Transit has never really been a focus in the state.”

Some of the most cautious were the ones who support transit the most.

“Talk is cheap,” said Steve Vogel, president of the Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers. “There’s a lot of names behind this, a lot of people who are moving their lips. It remains to be seen what actually comes of it. The issue around Atlanta is we’re so parochial about everything, and transportation’s another example of that.”