Please click here to read our February 2010 Newsletter.

Conductors ($120 and up)

Anonymous
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William M. McClain
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Michael Black
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Sandra Glaze
Marc Hoecker
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Elena Parent
Caleb Racicot
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Myles Smith

Student Members ($20-$29)

Lucas McKay

This summer, Tennessee and North Carolina passed transit funding laws. They give local governments and regions all over the state tools they need to fund mass transit.

Take a look at these promising pieces of legislation:

Click here for a Summary of the Tennessee Law

Click here for the Actual Tennessee Law (pdf form)

Click here for the Actual North Carolina Law (pdf form)

Read Our Guest Editorial on TN and NC legislation in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Click here for Concept 3: The Atlanta Region's Long-Range Transit Vision

Georgia transit advocates envy neighboring state’s approach

ATLANTA - Georgia public transit advocates are congratulating their counterparts in neighboring North Carolina following that state’s approval late Monday night of a new way to fund mass transit.

North Carolina joins Tennessee, which passed a law earlier this year giving local governments the power to raise funds for mass transit.

“Georgia’s neighbors are giving their voters tools they can use to invest in the future,” said Lee Biola, president of Atlanta-based Citizens for Progressive Transit.

Both Tennessee and North Carolina now permit regional and local governments to propose mass transit projects to their voters and allow voters to vote whether to fund them.

Unlike recent proposals to fund transportation in Georgia, the new Tennessee and North Carolina laws do not provide new subsidies for roads.

“North Carolina and Tennessee legislators apparently recognize that their citizens do not like being held hostage to traffic and unstable gas prices,” said Biola.

Cities in both states have started new rail transit lines in recent years. In 2006, the Music City Star commuter train began carrying commuters to downtown Nashville, Tennessee. North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte, opened a modern light rail line in 2007.

The new funding laws give local governments and regions in North Carolina and Tennessee the power to build new rail lines and expand existing transit systems.

A committee of the Atlanta Regional Commission has proposed a possible solution that might keep MARTA running seven days a week.

This is terrific news for the short term. If approved, the proposed solution would buy more time for the state to correct the law that caused the current crisis. It is not a permanent solution.

The Atlanta Regional Commission should be commended for acting responsibly. The proposal could remove the need for the Governor to call a Special Session of the Georgia General Assembly.

No matter what happens, long term seven day a week service will depend on the Georgia General Assembly passing Senate Bill 120 as soon as possible. SB 120 will give MARTA the flexibility to spend its existing funds more efficiently during the remainder of the economic recession and into the recovery.

It is now possible that passage of the bill can wait until January, when the General Assembly resumes its regular session. However, should the Governor call a special session for any reason before then he should add SB 120 as an item for consideration.

We want to give you the best advice about where to focus your energy on this issue. But because events are still developing, we suggest that you check back so that we can tell you who most needs to hear from you on this issue.

Thank you to all who have expressed support for seven day a week service so far. Your work is clearly paying off.