The Atlanta Regional Commission’s board of directors voted Wednesday to ask the state’s congressional delegation to resolve the impasse over the nation’s transportation funding program and keep transportation money flowing to Georgia.
The ARC board acted in advance of the July 1 deadline imposed by the state for approval of new transportation projects. The Georgia Department of Transportation swiftly endorsed the resolution approved by ARC’s board.
“We support the action of the ARC,” said Natalie Dale, GDOT’s liaison for government relations. “We’ve ...more
Monday, April 21, is the deadline to register to vote in the May 20 primary elections.
The deadline for voter registration is much earlier than usual because the date of the primary election has been moved up from mid summer to May 20. The date of any needed runoff elections is July 22.
In aligning the date of state and local elections with a court-ordered date for federal elections, the legislature also changed deadlines for campaign financial disclosure reports, which are important ...more
Georgia River Network has issued three awards to recognize efforts to conserve Georgia’s waterways.
The non-profit organization may best be known for its annual Paddle Georgia event, which this year is covering 115 miles from Buford Dam to Franklin. The awards program, now in its 10th year, acknowledges the work it takes to keep waters and riverbanks clean.
This year’s awards were won by the Yellow River Water Trail group, in Porterdale; Ogeechee Riverkeeper Emily Markesteyn, in Savannah; and Satilla Riverkeeper Clay ...more
The spirit of regional leadership that emerged during the planning for the 2012 transportation sales tax referendum remains intact and is evident in the region’s new short- and long-term transportation plans, according to transportation officials.
“This is the first post-referendum Transportation Improvement Plan we did this very well,” said Jannine Miller, GRTA’s former executive director and newest board member.
“It was very political a long time ago,” said GRTA board member J.T. Williams. “The county chair got to say, ‘These are ...more
GRTA complies with the federal Civil Rights Act in the operation of Xpress bus service, but four parking lots lack required amenities, according to results of a self-review the GRTA board discussed Wednesday.
The issue is a lack of amenities such as ADA parking, pavilions, security cameras, and call boxes, the review determined.
Otherwise than the parking lot issues, the review determined that GRTA complies with the provision of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as administered by the Federal ...more
A new plan due for initial adoption Wednesday by the ARC board shows the extent to which $7-plus billion can go toward improving metro Atlanta’s transportation network.
Planners talk up the can-do projects contained in this five-year spending proposal, rather than lofty visions in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range transportation plan. The ARC’s 2040 plan is up for adoption, as well.
This strategy of focusing on the five-year plan addresses some realpolitiks: Regional traffic is building after the recession, while transportation funding ...more
The vagaries of the global shipping trade are again poised to affect Atlanta’s second major trade port, the seaport in Savannah.
Last month, the concern was construction delays at the Panama Canal. This month, it’s the question of how the Savannah port will factor into a proposed alliance of shipping companies that would control up to 40 percent of the world’s major oceanic transport.
All these events are routine business ventures compared to the state’s decision on how to proceed with the ...more
The perennial proposal to do something, anything, about the Fulton County tax commissioner is bottled up in the Georgia legislature.
The state Senate on Thursday tabled a proposal by ranking House members that contains two big provisions. At this stage in the legislative session, there’s no telling if the proposal has a chance of being passed this year.
House Bill 346 was introduced this year and makes at least these two substantive changes in the office of Fulton County’s tax commissioner:
The post ...more
Bicycling, walking and transit are getting more attention than ever as metro Atlanta planners prepare to adopt the proposed update of the region’s short- and long-term transportation plans. They’re to be approved within 30 days.
“We will see this discussion grow more robust: How can we ensure a transit network and pedestrian network that improves moving people to regional job centers,” the ARC’s David Haynes said at Wednesday’s GRTA board meeting.
Transit is slated to receive a significant portion of the region’s ...more
A new report by PEDS calls on transportation planners to make pedestrian safety as important a goal as congestion relief, particularly near transit stops. The report also includes a toolkit for improving pedestrian safety near transit stops.
“We want safety to be a top priority, or as important as congestion relief,” Sally Flocks, PEDS president and CEO, said Sunday.
Flocks is slated to present the report Thursday to the ARC’s Transportation and Air Quality Committee. PEDS will ask ARC to conduct a ...more
