I lived in Gainesville, GA for 3 and a half years. I loved Lake Lanier. But, I saw it once, when my sister was able to drive me. Hall County’s transit system, the Red Rabbit, does not go there. Taxi service, for a person in a wheelchair, was VERY difficult to obtain for a person who does not speak Spanish, and expensive enough it was only an act of desperation. Red Rabbit does a great job, but the local leaders tried to get rid of it because they felt it was not important.

This is only one example. I also love Civil War sites, but how am I to get to them? Unless someone can drive me, I can’t go.

Planning for fishing and tourist trade needs to include planning for moving large numbers of people. If everyone takes their car to these pristine fishing places, will they remain pristine?

I wonder how long it will be before Hall County is dragged into the Atlanta Regional Commission, kicking and screaming, because the air pollution in Hall County is getting so bad, EPA is about to draft them in. Traffic in downtown Gainesville rivals the worst-crowded streets in Atlanta. County leaders resist any plans to bring GRTA in and will not fund Hall Co Transit [Red Rabbit] connecting to Gwinnett Co. Greyhound runs at around 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. Amtrak runs to Atlanta at 7am but gets back after 9pm and is often hours late. Can a commuter do that?

Georgia needs to make transportation a priority, and not just in the cities. All counties need a transit system, and they need to connect. The gas tax needs to fund transit as well as roads, but it is written into the state constitution that it can ONLY be used for roads.

Transit, sidewalks, bike routes, these all cry for funding, and Georgia’s government is slow to listen. I noticed that PEDS was on ch.46 news yesterday. I hope our leaders are listening. I hope the Beltline gets funding. But, most of all, I hope every county in GA will get transit, and that our local leaders will be smart enough to match federal funding, and commit to maintenance of the systems once they are established. Oil is a very limited resource, and vital to Georgia. Shouldn’t we try to save some for our grandchildren? Shared transportation is the way to do this. If Georgia would consider some of the novel solutions some of Alabama’s counties have, such as using school buses to carry everyone around, not just school kids, we would have transportation. There is a cost. I think taxpayers like me are ready to pay it!

Georgia should also take the lead in energy conservation. I am trying to buy a home in a rural area with a USDA loan. My plan is to have a solar power system tied into the grid, to reduce my utility bills, but also to do my part to help in conserving Georgia’s natural resources. GA allows 10 kW to be hooked in; for a 1550 square foot house, I will only need 1-2 kW.

My daughter is 16 and does not want to learn to drive, because she says it’s foolish to waste all the gas. She plans to walk when we move. She enjoys riding MARTA. Shouldn’t she have transportation without being forced to buy a car to get to work someday? Welfare now requires people to work, but in rural areas, this is made exceptionally difficult when people do not have cars. In Cuthbert, GA, about 60% of renters do not own a car. Shouldn’t they have transit?

I am low-income, and handicapped. Many places are closed to me because I use a wheelchair. I, and many others like me, are not demanding that the state pay for every building to have fancy accomodations. All we want is to be able to get out of our homes and go places like normal people. If there is a transit system, we can patiently wait for 3 hours if our Medicaid transportation is running late, and we can schedule our trips to the doctor 3 business days in advance. What is important, is that we are able to get there. But, when I compare my Medicaid transportation companies’ trips to MARTA Paratransit, there is no comparison. MARTA is safer, cleaner, and I often don’t wait as long. But, when I can safely get to a place, I take the fixed routes, because I know it’s expensive for a lift van to come to my house. I pay $3.50 one way. The state pays $25. Most handicapped folks I know also are aware of the cost and try to take the regular routes, and we feel bad that it takes 7 min to tie our wheelchairs down. It does delay the buses. Some of the other riders are downright hostile! But, if not for transportation, I’d be doing without medical care, and sitting at home staring at the walls. I am grateful for Atlanta’s system, and the other city systems in GA. I want every community to enjoy transportation, and it doesn’t have to be big like Atlanta, Gainesville, or Albany. It just has to be available on a regular basis. It needs to connect to intercity bus service. When a community in GA loses intercity bus service, local transit should be allowed to take people to the next city that has an intercity bus or train, whichever is closer. Georgia should not force people to have a car to keep a job! Georgia should support citizens who do not have cars so they can get a job, with local transportation. As our elderly population increases, many want to return to that place where they grew up, and remain in their homes, not go to a nursing home. Transportation can help with that, and is a vital service to the low-income. It is time for DOT to share the funds with transit. Transit expansion would bring jobs from the city to the country and make our great state more accessible for everyone. I love Georgia, and I am an Atlanta native. I have seen how MARTA’s growth benefited me, and others who take it.

Also, I lived in UT for several years, and was there when they built the light rail lines in Salt Lake City. There were so many vocal opponents of light rail, you would think the whole city was against it! But, when the East-West line opened, it had triple the expected ridership. There was no opposition to the North-South line. Build it, and they will come.

I think if more drivers would take transit, just to see what it’s like, they might enjoy the opportunity to use that commute time for other activities. As a former driver, I don’t miss sitting in rush hour traffic. I am very happy to let the driver handle it, and I can look out the window at our beautiful scenery. Or, read, listen to music with headphones, or quietly play with my electronic toys. It’s a good feeling to know I’m not putting as much air pollution into the environment or using up my grandchildren’s oil, as I was as a driver. I see transit as a wonderful thing. It makes me sad that some people see it as a pork barrel project.