Moving Georgians: a look ahead

Georgians will be able to tell state officials what they want in public transportation next week. The plan's dubbed the Investing in Tomorrow’s Transportation Today initiative (IT3).

Officials say they want to hear what Georgians want in public transportation. They say they'll use that input to set strategic policies, and create a business model for the future.

The public is invited to a week-long series of meetings starting September 22. They'll be held in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Macon, Savannah and Valdosta.

Officials on-hand for the series of public forums will include DOT commissioner Gena Abraham, department board members, and local officials to the particular area.

Ericka Davis of the Department of Transportation says the forums will be one-stop shopping for residents to give their opinions:

"That’s an opportunity for them to be in one spot and the key decision-makers on the transportation plan for Georgia will be right there listening to what they have to say."

The legislature failed to pass a transportation plan this past session. That was after a group of legislators held similar hearings around the state last year.

Lawmakers are expected to try again come January.

More information is available at http://www.it3.ga.gov.

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Commuter rail plan stuck in limbo

A state board of transportation committee held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss whether commuter rail would ever come to Georgia. They did not find an answer.

State officials have studied the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Atlanta, middle Georgia and Athens for years. They have looked at the costs, the ridership, and the routes. Georgia has $107 million in federal and state funds to spend on a line that runs from Atlanta to Lovejoy. Norfolk Southern has agreed to rent its rail lines to the state for a commuter service.

State board members reviewed all of those facts at the meeting, and then asked the public to comment.

"We're planning. We're re-planning. We're designing. We're consulting, and we're going in circles," said state Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough). He said the state should forget about commuter rail and instead focus on improving roads.

But most speakers argued in favor of the rail line as one alternative to clogged highways.

"We need all the capacity we can get our hands on because we feel like we're choking to death on congestion, and we're starting to lose business," said Terry Chastain of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

In the end, committee members were too far apart to recommend anything to the full board. Committee chairman Larry Walker concluded the meeting without a vote. He says even if the committee recommended the state go forward with the Atlanta-to-Lovejoy line, the full board would vote that option down.

"I think we don't need to do that right now," Walker said. He, like the majority of committee members, wanted updated estimates of the costs and revenue from a commuter rail line. The committee will meet again in a few weeks.