Thursday morning will be the launch of a local campaign of Americans for Transit called Georgians for Better Transit. They will be passing out literature to the morning rush hour commuters starting at 7 am with a press event at 8 featuring speakers from various awesome groups including the NAACP and State Representative Pat Gardner. Please join us tomorrow morning to help make this launch a huge success!

Governor Deal has proposed that GRTA operations be a regular line item in the Georgia annual budget. While the AJC is reporting this as “revolutionary,” I think that this is more of the same ‘ole same ‘ole. The state had been floating GRTA for three years now, but most importantly, this is allowing the state to continue undervaluing systems like MARTA, Savannah, and Macon which really move people who need it in favor of a system that caters to the wealthy suburbanites. The average GRTA rider has an annual salary of $75,000 and owns a car. I’m not devaluing their choice to take transit, that’s great and we should support them, but if that service were to stop because Georgia can’t afford to equally fund all transit in the state, we might get more people, and not the “typicals,” to stand up and take notice. It’s too easy for people to say that MARTA is mismanaged and look the other way, but why won’t the state bail it out like they are with GRTA?

As construction on the Beltline ramps back up following the recession, they look to make sure that the residential building remains equitable.

Around the nation:

Virginia took a cue from Georgia on its landmark transportation funding plan, writing in to the bill that the funds can not be used to fund the Norfolk light rail system, but the funds can be used for the DC Metro.

Plans to build a mass transit system in Indianapolis moves forward as the Indiana House passes a bill to allow the counties to vote on a tax increase for funding.

Chicago’s CTA looks to hire 700 customer service agents to help passengers at stations, including answering questions and helping out riders with disabilities.

Lincoln’s first entrance into politics in 1832 – push for rail access for Illinois residents.

From @railcation

The Senate Transportation Committee meets today at 4:00, which means that HB 264 will be heard today, along with HB 265. I know you’re tired of hearing about it, but this is the biggest thing going and has some huge implications, so this is all you’re going to hear about until some version of it passes. Hopefully a version we can live with.

The Senate has passed a 2013 budget, which means there will be funding for GRTA this year. The budget will now go to the House.

Three metro Atlanta airports could have their air traffic control facilities shut down with sequestration this week.

And in other news, has the US given up on building subways? MARTA was the last subway system built and few systems are expanding because it costs so stinking much. The last MARTA extension was North Springs, opening in 2000 and people are still looking for that heavy rail line out to Lithonia. DC’s Silver Line is coming in over $200 million a mile. Most people think subways cost $10,000 a mile or less, so they don’t grasp what an investment a subway is, and in a city like Atlanta, without an investment from the state and tax payers, you can kiss any more expansions good bye.

A drunk man fell onto the subway tracks in New York, loosing both legs but surviving. Along with etiquette campaigns, should agencies start wayside safety campaigns and teach riders what to do if they fall off the platform?

And in the fun news, Playboy says the suburbs are dead, Paperman won an Oscar, and Robert De Niro takes his photo shoot to the subway. But why is he eating a banana on the train? Ew.

Saturday the Virginia legislature passed a transportation funding overhaul which includes eliminating the consumer gas tax and raising the state gas tax, but in different amounts for different regions of the state (from 5 to 6 cents in NOVA, 5.5 in Central, and I haven’t seen anything yet about SWVA). The bill also includes a controversial new registration fee for hybrid, electric, and alternative fuel vehicles. Along with pulling $200 million from the general funds, this will raise $880 million a year for transportation in Virginia. (Sidenote – yesterday was their last day of session, and we have more than a month left. How did that happen?)

The expansion of the Panama Canal has the residents of the East Coast going up against their governments as they race to get the approval to open or deepen their harbors to accommodate the Panamax ships.

High speed rail would compete with the nation’s freight network.

Locally, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition responds to Melissa Carter’s anti-bike piece. And I finally got a news agency to cover Senator Fort’s transit funding bill.

There still remains the question of HB 264 violating federal laws protecting the collective bargaining rights of the union employees at MARTA, jeapordizing the $70 million in federal funding that MARTA receives, a fifth of its annual budget. An article in the AJC cites GSU professor, Phillip LaPorte, a labor arbitrator, that “the Georgia General Assembly mandating that a defined benefit pension plan be eliminated and replaced by a 401(k) plan would be viewed as violating workers’ collective bargaining rights and place MARTA in jeopardy of losing federal transit funds.”

On the flip side, Sen. Vincent Fort has submitted a bill in the senate which would amend the excise tax on rental cars to add public transit as an authorized purpose of the proceeds. I haven’t heard if this bill has much of a shot, but we can have hope.

And now for the news!

A Brooklyn woman lost her three carat engagement ring on the subway. A nice old lady found it and turned it in to lost and found.

A map of the US, based off of Craigslist Missed Connections, labels Georgia the state of “The Car.” Go figure.

A report from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development finds that very low-income families spend as much as 55% of their earnings on transportation and that transportation has a racial dimension.

Heart attack patients are more likely to die in the years following their hospitalization if they live in an area of high pollution.

Have a good day!

In short HB264 attempts to further dictate and restrict the actions and resources of an organization that the state offers absolutely no contributions to, while further partitioning support and opposition along racial, class, and urban/suburban lines. Jacobs attempts to hide all of this behind the mask of wanting to make MARTA more fiscally efficient and sustainable. Hold on I must put on my boots beforehand as I would hate to ruin my new jeans before stepping into this massive pile of …… Forcing privatization is the bill’s keystone legislation. But before going further lets offer a bit of clarification. Privatization isn’t really privatization. It is outsourcing. But outsourcing is a dirty word in the conservative realm as it evokes feelings of this.. So privatization is a more politically safe way of saying it. Using privatization will also soften the blow and keep Captain America from choking on his freedom fries when he later learns that the centerpiece of the privatization will likley be given to a French company. Now I am not particularly opposed to outsourcing certain elements of our beloved transit system (nor have I anything against the French). Maybe it would be more efficient for some back of the house or administrative duties. That is why the agency’s new CEO is taking it so seriously and giving it the proper consideration it deserves. But forcing the agency to do so without having properly and fully evaluated the effects and long term costs is a reckless move, fully inspired by individual political gain and local party beliefs.

What I find to be even more ironic is that the party of no governmental intervention and control is attempting to establish governmental control and regulation. Particularly over an entity that they offer absolutely zero contribution to. I won’t get into the detials of how I think forcing privatization, particularly over paratransit is a terrible idea without full evaluation (just go take a ride on a Tech trolley a few times and let me know if you would be comfortable with them shuttling your wheelchair bound grandmother around town), but I will gladly point out Jacob’s contradicting and ignorant thought process behind this entire bill.

“Metro Atlanta deserves a flagship transit agency that is poised to grow and thrive. This cannot happen if MARTA’s business practices – many of which date to the 1970’s-continue to hold the agency hostage to red ink.”

Says the politician whose political support for funding and expanding the system is more reminiscent of 1960’s freeway building ideology. Flagship transit agency? I do like that idea, except it is hard to be so when every politician outside of the immediate city limits does everything they can to limit, restrict, and stop MARTA from being that flagship. And poised for expansion? Oh how we all would love that. Except when our politicians, such as Jacobs, do everything they can to limit funding. Whether it be the criticism and pummeling that TSPLOST took, or the fact that the state contributes no funding or support to the agency, while making sure that every dime they collect is tagged with some sort of regulation or restriction. The same regulations and restrictions that conservative politicians fight so terribly hard to prevent. And let’s not forget to mention that if, or shall I say when, HB264 passes the requirements of the bill will all but guarantee MARTA’s loss of federal funds. He claims they are only 1/5th, which is a softer way of saying 20%, that when placed in its context is a hell of a lot of money. So I would love an explanation as to how it can be the flagship and expand, when one of its main sources of funds is cut off while its most deserving source of funds has been absent since its inception. You can call it contradiction or you can call it pandering, either way it is ignorance.

“MARTA will not get more riders until they have more frequent service.”I have loved Jacobs’ mathematical abilities through this process (see below on paratransit costs). More frequent service = more riders. Very true. But you can’t have more frequent service with the same amount, and in this case less, funding. More funding = more frequent service = more riders = better financial standing. That isn’t a subjective equation, nor is it one based off of hypothetical scenarios, it is an absolute, proven time and time again by what seems to be every transit agency that comes to mind except one. The one that receives no state support.

“My schedule does not allow for it.” (in response to a question on how frequently Jacobs rides MARTA)

Strange. A person that does not use the system, so effectively knows absolutely nothing about it aside from his preformulated biased opinions, feels that it is his “responsibility” to provide such thoughtful, or shall I say destructive, oversight.

“MARTA’s paratransit bus service picks up and delivers the disabled and elderly. But at a cost of $50.43 per trip per rider……Estimates say the average new car payment last year was $452……it’s almost cheaper for MARTA to buy a new vehicle for each passenger and have someone drive them than to retain this service.”

I tried to take this statement seriously. I really did. But the line that had me just about fall out was “…and have someone drive them…” Great idea, because I had almost forgotten about the long list of companies and people that advertise to drive someone around for free, let alone have the capabilities to accommodate for the elderly and disabled. So no we cannot just “have” someone drive them around. “Having” someone to drive them around requires a driver. A driver that needs to be paid for the service they are providing. Or what most people in this region who are capable of assembling a full thought process like to call “MARTA’s paratransit service.” It was also amusing to see how the cost of a car was stripped down to its payment only, disregarding gas, insurance, maintenance, registration, parking, taxes, etc.

Jacobs thought process behind this proposed legislation is laced with pandering statements in an attempt to appeal to pro transit people and make people feel as if he actually gives a damn. But in all actuality it is an additional means to hinder the agency. The option of outsourcing specific functions should be on the table, there is no question about that. But forcing it is the worst possible way. Taking the KPMG audit at face value with no further exploration to understand its implications in customer service which translates to ridership is reckless and irresponsible. The new CEO has been known to create induced competition which allows existing operations to increase efficiency. He has also been on the job for a little more than 2 months. Taking away what he was hired to do is a preemptive attack without justification. It is Jacobs’ way of holding a pissing contest so that he can let it be known who holds the power. Jacobs’ motives are to advance himself personally. MARTA makes for a great political football, and in this region where the war of urban vs. suburban seems to grow stronger in each day, it allows Jacobs to let his constituents know where he stands in advance of reelection or higher political aspirations. It is nothing more or nothing less. If Jacobs and all the politicians who voted in favor of HB264 had any understanding or true care for the future of the region’s transit infrastructure it would not be attempting to pass legislation that is entirely counterintuitive to progress or completely deviates from what every other successful and important transit agency in this country has done. But I suppose it is acceptable, our politicians don’t need to pass an IQ test.

News!

Four out of five car and bike accidents are caused by the driver.

Atlanta is a city divided by class. Who would have thought?

From Transportation for America: If Congress can’t come to a deal to avoid automatic budget cuts March 1, some transportation programs will take a serious hit, while others will be protected. Here’s a rule of thumb: The more innovative and popular with local communities they are, the more likely they are to feel the blow.

The MARTA Mad Dash is March 23. I don’t know what this is, but I am excited.

Photo courtesy of Tweeter @RoBs3Rd

Melissa Carter: Cars aren’t the problem with share the road

Whenever I am stuck in traffic, I always assume a wreck is the cause. As I pass by any pile-up, I empathize with the potential victims and try to keep a calm head out of respect. But recently, I realized the nearly stand still traffic was being caused by a bicycle and my blood boiled.

I will honestly say that I do not believe in sharing the road. The weight of a car can be 4,000 pounds and a car can reach speeds well over 100 mph. In contrast, the average bicycle ways about 30 pounds and an average rider can only go about 20 mph.

But somehow we have decided that the way to coexist is to travel the same roads together in harmony. However, the burden of traveling safely together ultimately depends on the driver slowing down, swerving over, etc., in an effort not to mortally wound this soul who is inching up a hill on Roswell Road during rush hour.

Often, I see a bicyclist merge into existing traffic and block a lane while holding his or her hand out impatiently for us to slow down as if we “car people” are the problem. And if you come up on a pack of riders, it is even worse since they have no problem riding side by side and taking up an entire lane.

I’ve even been shocked while waiting for a light to turn green to see bicyclists whizzing by my window navigating between cars. Apparently they don’t have to wait for the light to actually turn green if they decide that there are no cars coming.

Once, I saw a cyclist who did decide to wait on the light actually lean on my car for support until the light turned green. I fought the urge to get out and explain that I was not his pace car and taking a break on my car so that he didn’t have to clip out at the light was not part of our deal.

This arrogance increases threefold if a cyclist is “sponsored.” Apparently, a jersey that has a logo or two on it along with the aerodynamic Tour de France helmet translates to some extra level of ownership of the asphalt. Sometimes they seem to be tempting someone to hit them.

It does not look like Atlanta will ever create enough bike paths to get cyclists off the main roads. But I do believe there is a solution that would at least make me feel like drivers and cyclists were being treated a little more fairly.

I want everyone who wants to put their bikes on the main road to get a license and a tag. That certainly isn’t a new idea. A similar effort took place last year in Oregon when a proposed ballot measure sought to create a bicycle education program for people who have not taken the Oregon driver’s test. It would also mandate more police enforcement of traffic laws for cyclists.

To pay for the new bicycle-specific testing and the enforcement, the measure would have required a fee for the endorsement test and registration via a license plate for all bicycles in Oregon.

By having license plates on the bikes, the hope is that this would lead to more responsible behavior and make it easier to hold riders accountable for their actions.

At least if I were behind a cyclist with a license plate, I would know that my extra ten minutes in traffic were the result of some effort on the part of the rider and not just a flippant disregard for all the other tax paying citizens on the road who are doing their best to dodge them.

To truly share the road, we must all share the responsibility for being in each other’s path.

Dear Melissa –

Stay in your lane, lady! You do a lot of good things with charity, but you need to stick with what you know. For starters, a cyclist gets the lane. The whole lane, whether they are riding in a pack or not, that’s for their safety. And the percentage of “sponsored” cyclists, like your friend and former coworker Jeff Dauler who recently took up competing in triathlons, is just a tiny portion of riders out on the road. The vast majority rely on their bikes as their primary form of transportation for school or work, and a lot of them are the LGBT youth that you help with your own charity work, people who can’t afford cars, let alone burdening them with licensing.

Do you know why the burden of safety falls on the driver, Melissa? Because, just like you pointed out, the car you’re in weighs 4,000 pounds and is traveling at high speeds. Drivers are hurtling a death machine down the road that, by Georgia law, must be shared with bikes, which are restricted from the sidewalk, even though we all know the metro area isn’t known for its sidewalks. And requiring cyclists to take a class and get licensed is the equivalent of having people who live in high crime areas get licensed in case they get shot and letting gun owners get off for accidentally discharging their gun.

Why do you think the ballot measure in Oregon failed, a state with a whole heck of a lot of cyclists?

Because it’s a stupid idea.

It’s this sort of nonsense that prevents us from moving forward. Riding a bike on the road can be nerve-wracking because of people like you, Melissa, who think they are entitled to the roads that we all pay for with our tax dollars, even the folks on bikes. I challenge you to get on a bike and try it some time. Ride down Roswell Road, take one of the cycling classes for women at ABC, and donate to the groups that work to elevate the cause of cycling and make it easier for people to get involved and get around by bicycle.

Now for the news!

Glynn County can’t afford the planned bike path on St. Simons island.

Gov. Deal is opposed to repealing the TSPLOST penalty for regions that did not pass the one cent sales tax last July.

Traffic deaths are up 5% nationwide, including cyclist and pedestrian fatalities. I guess we should start requires pedestrians to get licenses to walk, too?

The suburbs are experiencing a greater increase in poverty than the inner core of Atlanta.

The Georgia Tea Party is supporting HB 153 which allows for split-penny SPLOSTs. Are they hypocrites, or have they just learned to be practical?

A Marietta woman is dead after being hit by three cars trying to cross North Marietta Parkway Saturday night. Two of the drivers remain unidentified. Good news, though, as the original driver who struck her wasn’t hurt, the MDJ reports. Does that outrage anyone else?

Atlanta prepares for the future as it builds its first modern streetcar. Except now the Atlanta Streetcar is slated to begin laying tracks next month, instead of this week, as earlier reported via their Facebook page.

Chattanooga is out pacing us on being a livable city. Did you know, they even have a bike share now, as does Charlotte? Our city’s leadership is justified in worrying that we are falling behind our sister cities.

Those HOT Lanes are apparently working out so well, they are going to extend them out to Hall County.

And in the cute news:

Bunnies have joined the war against cars.

A cat causes a destructive derailment.

Let’s talk about private services for a bit. Sometimes, they can be successful. But most of the time, they are driven by the bottom dollar, which can come at the price of customer service and safety. The Cato Institute has actually linked to my blog posts about the Buford Highway jitneys, saying how successful those are, but I even have in those posts about duck taped doors and faulty air conditioning. And as many of those are owner-operated, there’s no guarantee the drivers aren’t working fifteen hours a day.

Last week a private bus device, Top Class Bus Company, was shut down by the Feds for “blatantly disregarding” safety regulations, including drivers working well beyond regulation and some critical vehicle safety issues. Safety concerns always come up in talks about privatization, and that’s why we need to ensure that HB 264 includes a provision to allows MARTA and its employees to bid on service and an out clause if they don’t get any acceptable bids or if service levels are bad. Don’t forget that MARTA had contracted out its paratransit services in the late 80s and ended up bringing those services back in house because service had gotten so bad.

In other privatization news, Sen. Vincent Fort responds to HB 264. The AP has also picked up the racial implications of HB 264.

Want more transit newsiness? Well, you’re in luck!

New bus wraps on Cobb County buses violate the board approved advertising policy, but they didn’t write the policy into the contract with the advertising agency.

The Atlantic Cities thinks we need a geometry lesson.

The AJC reports that the: Economy better, but we still drive less. Not that we would choose to drive less, or anything.

The question of who would pay for the utility and road work on a new stadium is still unanswered. My guess, the tax payers are footing that bill.

And, on a good note, YPT Atlanta will be hosting TOD – Transit Oriented Drinks – tomorrow, Tuesday 19th, at 6:00 pm at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur.

Thanks for stopping by! (is this not the lamest way to end a post? I feel so anticlimactic.)