Wednesday, March 6, 2002
|
Wednesday, March 6, 2002 |
|
GRTA to explain bus proposal to commission By DAVE
HAMRICK A representative of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority will explain GRTA's plan to run an express bus service in Fayette during the County Commission's meeting this afternoon. Jim Ritchey, GRTA deputy director, will brief the board on proposal during the meeting at 3:30 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex. County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn has made no secret of his opinion that Fayette is the wrong place for express bus service. "One size does not fit all," Dunn told state transportation officials during a recent briefing on overall transportation plans, including the bus service. Local officials also are concerned that the county may be forced to accept the bus service in order to receive any federal funds for transportation improvements. Maintaining the bus service may cost Fayette a million dollars a year or more, and Fayette residents could be tapped for MARTA dues as well, Dunn said. GRTA proposes to run express buses up Ga. highways 85 and 74, connecting to the MARTA system at Hartsfield Airport. But with no expressways or express lanes, there won't be anything "express" about the buses, Dunn predicts. "How is an express bus going to get out of Fayette County any faster than a car?" he said, adding he doesn't think many local residents would use the system. "I told them we just had a private bus company go out of business on those two routes," he said. But GRTA officials are adamant in pushing all metro Atlanta counties to accept bus routes. The agency would provide the buses using federal money, but would not subsidize their operation, Dunn said. In addition, because the buses would connect to MARTA, which is in financial trouble, the transit authority would then be justified in demanding that Fayette and other counties begin contributing to the system's operation, Dunn said. As for the road funds being offered as part of the bus deal, Dunn said the money won't help Fayette finish projects that are not yet approved by the Atlanta Regional Commission. With right-of-way purchases and engineering not yet begun, the county probably won't be able to take advantage of the funding, he said. "But I have not yet been able to make any progress in making them see that Fayette County should not have to take these buses in order to have access to our own tax dollars," he said. The Atlanta region's rush toward more bus and rail service doesn't make sense in the long run either, Dunn argued. "Every other large city has already done all this and they all have gridlock," he said.
|
||