Friday, November 2, 2001
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Friday, November 2, 2001 |
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New ARC regional issues quarterly poll released According to a quarterly poll recently conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission, most respondents are aware of the challenges facing the region, but there is no clear consensus on the best course of action to provide solutions to these challenges. Investing in transit, though, continued to receive high marks. Results from the ARC Regional Issues Summer Poll show that although most respondents know that Georgia's motor fuel tax is among the lowest in the nation (it is in fact the lowest in the nation), most do not see a need to increase this tax to provide additional roads. By a slight majority, though, respondents did favor changing the way the current tax is used to support transit and other transportation options, even if it means less money for roads. Additionally, when asked how much of the $36 billion in ARC's 25-year Regional Transportation Plan should go to the construction of roads, 56 percent said less than half compared to 34 percent who wanted the majority of the investment to go to new roads. The RTP will in fact invest only 12 percent of the total for new roadways and expanded capacity on existing roadways, while 55 percent will go for new transit facilities. As for the region's water challenges, again, the majority is aware of water quality problems, with 72 percent indicating that the region's water is polluted to some degree. As for paying to fix these problems, 72 percent said they would not be willing to spend more than $50 per year in taxes dedicated to improving water quality. "We are learning more about the levels of public awareness and preferences," said Tom Weyandt, director of ARC's Comprehensive Planning Department. "Certainly, we see great public support for more transit. We still need to work on water quality awareness and expect our Clean Water Campaign will help." The ARC Regional Issues Poll is conducted quarterly by the Applied Research Center at Georgia State University. It is a scientific survey of randomly selected adult residents in the 13-county air quality, non-attainment area. To view the poll in its entirety, go to http://www.atlantaregional.com/Summer_2001_Poll.pps . For information phone Mike Carnathan at 404-463-3101.
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