The front-page headline in the March 15 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution declared “Metro Atlanta now 6th-largest region.” The story spoke of how the Atlanta region — with a population of 6.3 million people — had surpassed both Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia to become the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the country.
The photo the AJC used to accompany the article was one of massive gridlock along Atlanta’s interstate. Cars, cars, cars and more cars stuck in traffic alongside trucks depicted what it means for metro Atlanta to be the sixth most populous city in the country.
Here is the kicker. Our population growth isn’t stopping.
The Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the Atlanta region’s population will hit nearly 8 million people by 2050 — an increase of more than 1.8 million people.
So, how will all these people get around our region? Cars, cars, cars and more cars.
Why? Because we are not investing in a regional rail transit system that would provide true alternatives to traveling by car. Instead, the 2024 Metropolitan Transportation Plan passed by the Atlanta Regional Commission board, now chaired by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in February envisions the region spending $168 billion on transportation with future transit investment almost solely dedicated to “bus rapid transit” (BRT).
The one exception? BeltLine rail. It is ludicrous to me that people are trying to kill the one light rail project that’s moving forward. More than 30 percent of the light rail proposal has already been designed, and a contract for the rest of the final architectural and engineering design was approved by MARTA with the city’s blessing in July. The corridor is available. And the funding for construction is there.
Instead of fighting BeltLine rail, people should be demanding more rail transit in our region. Projects originally envisioned to be…
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