In regional news sources, blogs, etc there has been a continually growing concern and push for transit. We are seeing more in Fayette as well.
Why is that?
Going back to the TSPLOST vote of 2012, many thought that vote put it all to bed. But it did not.
All the laws, groups, etc behind it back then are still here and working today. Plan 2010, Plan 2040, Concept 3, and ARC efforts are alive and well as are private and other concerns.
Plan 2010, the legal basis for the TSPLOST vote, is still in effect. The plan states if the 2012 vote failed that in three years it could be tried again. Now it is 2015, three years later, and the momentum is growing.
The work toward that second effort began immediately after the 2012 vote. While the approach has changed, the goals have not. All the state laws are still in place to move forward.
In fact, they have added Plan 2015, which is the basis for the recent gas tax increase and the tax on electric vehicles. It also allows for a dedicated regional sales tax.
So, there are very good reasons why the concerns are showing themselves yet again. The threats have never disappeared.
The efforts are still there to increase Fayette’s population by a factor of three. Still there to move Fayette to high density population centers. Still there to add regional commuter buses, rail and transit agencies.
Think not? Well, the GRTA vans are already here and Clayton is adding back its transit up to our borders, making expansion just a next step.
Have no doubt there are elected in Fayette who support transit and the efforts of the ARC here.
While it sounds almost surreal, as 2012 showed, it is all too real. The goals of Fayette do not mesh with the goals of Atlanta and the ARC.
Don Haddix
Peachtree City, Ga.
