Local

governments shouldn't worry about losing local control to

Gov. Roy Barnes' new transportation super agency, Fayette

icon Joel Cowan told The Citizen Friday.

"You

won't see micro-management. Local governments have home

rule. They should not fear us," Cowan said after

taking the helm of the new Georgia Regional

Transportation Authority.

Forty years

ago, Cowan looked at a patch of pines and Georgia red

clay and decided to create a master-planned community.

The result of his vision is Peachtree City, which has

drawn national attention for its unique blend of

residences, industry and retail business, all working in

harmony.

Cowan has

followed a number of business and political pursuits over

the years, including involvement in developing Phipps

Plaza, business dealings in China and managing the

political campaign and gubernatorial office of Joe Frank

Harris.

Late last

week, he started work as chairman of GRTA, which may be

his toughest assignment to date.

GRTA (or

Greta, as it's called) was established by this year's

General Assembly as an agency to deal with metropolitan

Atlanta's transportation and dirty air problems.

The

authority was the brainchild of the governor, who gave it

sufficient muscle to implement its programs and also

provided a funding mechanism of $2 billion in bonds to

get the programs moving.

Last

Wednesday, the agency had its first meeting. In an

interview from his home on the shore of Lake Peachtree,

Cowan told The Citizen Friday that the meeting went

extremely well.

"We're

rapidly getting to know each other," Cowan said of

the board's 15 members.

The first

item on the authority's agenda will be reviewing the

Atlanta Regional Commission's far-reaching transportation

plans and evaluating how well ARC's plans fit into the

regional scheme.

The Atlanta

region has been cut off from federal highway funds until

a plan is implemented to reduce automobile emissions and

clean up the region's dirty air.

Cowan said

the authority will try to focus on making sure all future

transportation plans fit into an overall plan, instead of

doing piecemeal solutions, which is the characterization

he gave many of the efforts in the past few years.

As for what

Fayette and Coweta commuters can expect to see in the

next few years, Cowan said the authority's first task may

be increased high occupancy vehicle lanes in Cobb and

Gwinnett counties. Eventually, those lanes could spread

to Interstate 85 south to Coweta County.

Eventually,

Cowan sees bus lanes being added to Atlanta's freeways

and said he hopes the person riding by himself to work

may decide to leave his car at home.

"If

you're looking at cars in the HOV lanes and buses in the

bus lane passing you by, you might decide it's better to

do something than sitting in traffic all day," he

said.

Solving

Atlanta's transportation woes is an educational process,

Cowan said, adding that he believes future entrepreneurs

will want to create bus routes to alleviate many of the

traffic problems.

The future

for Fayette County commuters lies in protecting the

county's main arterial roads, such as Ga. Highway 85, Ga.

Highway 74 and Ga. Highway 314, he added.

"Tyrone

should be complimented for protecting Hwy. 74, but

they've got to stick it out," Cowan said.

If a person

has had a bad day at work and then has to drive down Hwy.

85 in Riverdale, the stress level is going to increase

and Fayette's leaders should work to stop that from

happening in the county, he advised.

For many

years, transportation planners have pointed to commuter

rail as an option for getting people off the roads. Cowan

agrees with the concept, but said the density in

population has to be there for it to be successful.

A proposed

Atlanta to Senoia line was dubbed one of the most

feasible lines, but Cowan said the Senoia rail line will

probably come as a result of lines being built to either

Macon or Columbus, with Senoia tying into one of those

lines.

While

leaders around the country are looking to see if GRTA can

be successful in such a car-happy state, Cowan said the

agency actually should have been started eight or nine

years ago to prevent the problems the region is now

facing because of its dirty air.

If the

agency had been formed earlier, Cowan doubted the huge

sprawling Mall of Georgia in Gwinnett County would have

been built, because of the traffic and environmental

problems the mall is going to spawn.

Other

transportation issues the authority will discuss in its

upcoming meetings include the building of the northern

arc of the proposed outer perimeter highway.

"I

really think the question that's going to have to be

answered is: Are you better or worse off by building the

road," he said.

In addition

to concerns expressed by local governments that GRTA has

too much power and will interfere with local

transportation plans, another early criticism of the

authority is the composition of its 15-member board,

which Cowan dismisses.

"It's

a cheap shot to say that we're not environmental

friendly. Many on the authority are well-versed in

environmental issues," he said.

The first

priority for the agency is now hiring an executive

director. Cowan is conducting a national search and is

waiting to let the new executive director staff the

agency.

GRTA will

meet monthly and is currently ironing out the details of

the meeting spot. The authority is currently housed in

the Equitable Building in downtown Atlanta.

Looking out

on Lake Peachtree, Cowan said he realizes the agency has

a gargantuan task ahead of it. But, he doesn't think it's

impossible to achieve.

"We've

got to create a vision and we also have to restore trust

in the process," he said.

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