That’s not by definition a “bait-and-switch,” but that’s how many Cobb residents now see the pending TSPLOST program, which was originally touted as a way of addressing metro-wide traffic congestion but has morphed into a ruinously expensive plan to set up a Cobb “premium bus service” — whatever that is — to Atlanta rather than focus on widening roads and improving interchanges and intersections. And they’re getting strong hints from “Santa” that instead of the bus service, what they’re really going to see their tax dollars spent on is a rail transit line from the southern tip of Cobb southward to the Midtown MARTA station. They suspect their TSPLOST Christmas present is a thinly disguised plan to “backdoor” MARTA rail to Cobb.
That was the backdrop Monday as Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee met with Cobb legislators. And to the surprise of no one (except Lee, perhaps), the chairman was raked over the coals for his role in the preparation of the controversial TSPLOST project list. There are $984 million worth of projects for Cobb on the list, but the majority — $695 million — would go to create that so-called “premium” Acworth-to-Cumberland-to-Midtown bus line that mysteriously debuted on the list after Lee was inundated with flack from the public about the rail proposal. That “premium” bus service is a line that more or less duplicates what Cobb Community Transit already offers; is a line that nobody remembers anybody clamoring for; is a line that would do very little to alleviate traffic congestion even if it’s built, and which would not even make it to Cobb for at least a decade since it would be built northward from Midtown; and is a line that’s widely seen as a “cipher” or placeholder for TSPLOST dollars until federal or other funding comes along with which to build the rail line.
Cobb is used to strong leaders who represent the county in an assertive and effective manner. That’s what they were hoping to see more of when Lee and Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews were appointed to the metro-wide 21-person TSPLOST committee. But that’s not what they delivered. They seemed to see their job as representing what the Atlanta “powers that be” want to Cobb residents, rather than representing what Cobb residents want to Atlanta leaders.
Lee has been asked repeatedly by the Journal in the past year what his top transportation priorities for the county were — and repeatedly declined to say. His reticence, in hindsight, helped fuel the widespread assumption that he has “sold out” to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Cumberland Improvement District and Atlanta business interests. When asked he typically begged off, saying he was “listening” to the public before making up his mind. But even after multiple loud public hearings at which the TSPLOST rail proposal was repeatedly picked apart, Lee seemed to be listening not to the critics, but to his “bosses” at the Chamber, CID, etc.
The Chamber, meanwhile, didn’t even make a pretense of being open-minded on TSPLOST, choosing instead to endorse it almost simultaneously with the unveiling of the project list by the committee — and without polling its membership.
What many see as Cobb’s most glaring traffic issue — the overburdened Windy Hill/I-75/Cobb Parkway corridor and interchanges — is barely addressed in the final TSPLOST list. And though TSPLOST purportedly is aimed at offering “regional” solutions, the final list includes a number of items that barely fit that definition at all, such as $3.2 million for a new traffic control tower at McCollum Airfield.
State Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), who has been one of the loudest critics of Lee and the list, and echoed by Reps. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna) and Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), was on target again at Monday’s meeting. He noted the list’s focus was radically transformed between March and October.
“The priorities of some local officials went from relieving traffic congestion ... to something very different,” he said, adding that 70 percent of Cobb’s TSPLOST funds would go to the fancy bus system.
“And that’s not what Cobb County wants,” he declared. “Not only does it not solve our traffic problems, I believe, frankly, it kills any prospect of passing meaningful traffic relief. ... We have a $6 billion bait-and-switch. It was sold as traffic relief. It’s being delivered as economic development and transit transformation for Atlanta.”
And it is “transit transformation” that most of those in Cobb who would be paying for it adamantly do not want.
Atlanta interests are getting what they want from the TSPLOST. And Cobb Chamber insiders and the Cumberland CID are likely to get their ultimate prize from TSPLOST as well — a rail transit line and, failing that, a gaudy bus system.
And Cobb taxpayers? They’re footing the bill.
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Now, thanks to Tim Lee, things are very different.
I'm not sure that I want to stay. Sad indeed!
Looks like we are headed toward being the next Dekalb County.
Gez, I am ashamed to be living in backwards Cobb! NOTHING new, exciting in 30 years! They built the Galleria & Cumberland mall area 30 years ago, an exit ramp pouring traffic from 285 to Cobb Parkway- 30 years ago!
NOTHING since! Not even one highrise, business park, mixed use, loft, resturant or hotel has been built north of 285 on Cobb Parkway in 30 YEARS!
Go see what Duluth & Suwanee look like- 1st class- thoughtful & forward thinking!!
The Windy Hill interchange is not scheduled till 2018 on the TIA list website!
OMG!
The Port of Savannah will be deepened & up & running (tankers from China), years before the study is complete for design of Windy Hill!
I'm sure this won't even be a thought,... but what I believe could be a game changer & address many issues all in one, would be a 'connector loop' from I-75 starting in Griffin, looping east of Dougasville, hooking back up to I-75 just north of Acworth!
That takes 75% of trucks off Atlanta's commuters routes, alleviates the need for a North West corridor(additional roads) or premium bus service from Acworth(which is a joke anyway!!) , saves lives, saves roads & saves commute time!
But it makes too much sense & will never happen!
DOT, Cobb & Atlanta region have no visionaries!
Yeah, we are definitely being duped, ever more so than many are ever aware of as the $695 million proposal for "extensive premium bus service" is actually a $695 million marker to pay for both the construction of HOT lanes (High Occupancy Toll lanes) on I-75 and an extension of MARTA HEAVY RAIL service (not just light rail as was first proposed) into Cobb County.
"Gez, I am ashamed to be living in backwards Cobb!"
While the county may have its issues like anywhere else, Cobb isn't all that bad. The schools, while the management may leave sometimes leave a lot to be desired, are actually a high point for the county as many individual schools, especially in but not just, East Cobb, are prime recruiting grounds for Ivy League-caliber colleges and universities.
"Go see what Duluth & Suwanee look like- 1st class- thoughtful & forward thinking!!"
There are places in Cobb that are pretty forward thinking also as Vinings, Kennesaw and, especially Smyrna are doing a lot to renew and redevelop their downtowns. Acworth has plans to redevelop its downtown in the future and Marietta has a lot of potential in its historic downtown, but is being held back by a dysfunctional city government.
"I'm sure this won't even be a thought,... but what I believe could be a game changer & address many issues all in one, would be a 'connector loop' from I-75 starting in Griffin, looping east of Dougasville, hooking back up to I-75 just north of Acworth!"
Actually, that concept was proposed and was up for serious consideration back in the late 1990's under the name of the "Outer Perimeter".
Politically-influential people with extensive land holdings along and directly in the path of the proposed highway raised so much heck and resistance to it that the proposed was scaled down to just merely a "Northern Arc" highway connecting I-75 NW with I-85 NE, a proposed stretch that brought even more stinging derision and intense opposition from those living in the upscale exurban neighborhoods of the Golden Crescent in Bartow, Cherokee & Forsyth Counties that were proposed to be split in half.
After the Democrats were kicked out of office in 2002, partly because of support for the Outer Perimeter/Northern Arc, the outer bypass proposal was dead for good and is effectively politically radioactive to the Republicans who now control all of state government.
The unwillingness and inability of the to build an Outer Perimeter (even just the mere mention of the name draws vehement opposition) to take interstate traffic off of local freeways and the political inability to widen I-75 (that proposal was abandoned too after an overwhelming amount of negative feedback) means that any transportation proposals from here on out will involve taking as much local traffic off of the interstate as possible by forcing people to use mass transit (commuter rail, commuter bus and heavy rail) or pay tolls (HOT lanes on I-75 & I-575) whether they want to or not, especially since the continued growth and expansion of the Port of Savannah (which is now the second-busiest export facility in the Americas) will likely double or even triple truck freight traffic on I-75 by the end of the decade.
What about the legislators? They made the mess and they should fix it.
My assumption is that the state lawmakers purposely did not want the legislation to be so detailed as to hamstring the ability the local decision makers to come up with a creative regional solution.
20/20 hindsight shows that was a grievous mistake!!
Unfortunately, at least in the case of the Atlanta Region, it looks like the Roundtable reps guided and encouraged by their own special interest groups and their baser instincts, took advantage of the flexibility in the law and blatantly minipulated it to their own benefit.
Now we need to scrap the boondoggle that has been proposed and let the state lawmakers have another run at tightening up the legislation.
Obviously they need to be given the opportunity to do that.
They underestimated the selfish parochial interests that were charged with putting the finishing touches on the so called "regional transportation plan".
Hopefully the legisaltion can be revisited, the flaws smoothed out and (with a number of new players at the table based on the recent elections around the Metro area) a true regional transportation solution can be created and proudly presented to the taxpayers.
Although they (state lawmakers) may have to shoulder some of the blame for the current fiasco, the majority of the fault lies with the disgusting performance of the TIA Roundtable reps.
To their credit now that they have be made aware of what is being proposed they are expressing their outrage and disappointment and want another crack at making things right.
The mistake they made was drafting and passing a a law that provided to much flexibility to ambitious local politicians and greedy developers.
The intent was not to strictly dictate what could and could not be considered, but to create a tool that allowed our local leaders to create a solution to our regional transportation issues that be offered to the voters.
They thought that the local leaders would put aside their historical and sometime hysterical parochialism and their selfish own political agendas and draft a regional transportation plan that made sense.
Instead they encountered a situation where the flexibility in the law was used, or more accurately manipulated, to the selfish benefit of those individuals serving on the TIA Roundtable and their cronies.
Now what needs to be done is the law needs to be revisited, tightened up and refined so that those abuses that occured the first time aren't repeated.
Since a number of the Roundtable reps that were a part of formulating the original project list may not be around anymore (because of the recent local elections) maybe we have a chance that the intent of the original legislation will be accomplished.
To reiterate, the state lawmakers are not without some fault, but the majority of the blame lies with the TIA Roundtable and their disregard of what was a well intentioned effort.
I won't reiterate all the excellent points made in the editorial.
However, we do need some type of realistic transit solution to the congestion in the I-75/Cobb Parkway corridor.
Widening of I-75 and reworking the interchanges is putting a band aid on a gushing wound!!
We need something substantial, efficient and cost effective.
As the editorial points out, none of the projects currently on the table fall into that category.
The despicable conduct of our Roundtable reps and the unconscionable behavior of the Cobb Chamber and the Cumberland CID is a disservice to the taxpayers and citizens of Cobb County
Suffice it to say that some major changes need to be made in the leadership of those organzations. They are power hungry and out of control.
will help!
Early on, some of the articles were actually informative, and potentially influential.
At this point, every new article looks like more whining, and the more you whine, the less credible you are.
I used to take this publication seriously, but it's credibility has taken a huge hit over this issue. All I see now is "wah, wah, wah".
Just wait.
Once the multi million dollar voter education campaign aka propaganda blitz starts, we will be inundated on a daily basis with gross exaggerations, deliberate obfuscations, half truths and outright lies and promises that will tout the supposed benefits of the TIA.
Only informed voters will be able to withstand the well financed publicity onslaught and make the right decision when the time comes.
We need constant reminders of the tax confiscation scheme that our local political leaders are preparing to shove down our throats.
The ball is back in the hands of our Senators and Representatives. They can still make a difference in the January session.
They could take their legislative responsibility back, and re do the whole TSPLSOT law.
They could amend the TSPLOST law to put traffic congestion relief in the top priority spot.
They could put a limit on the percentage that goes to transit.
They could put a limit on the priority of the transit based urban redevelopment, that Rep Setzler has ably identified.
They could put a hold on, delaying implementation of the TSPLOST in the Atlanta region. (Maybe other Regions will want to proceed).
Go find out what Chip Rogers and Earl Ehrhart are going to do about this mess.
"The final version of House Bill 277 creates special tax districts for transportation that mirror the state’s 12 regional planning boundaries.
“These district lines are important because they recognize our state’s regional business centers, and the areas from which those centers draw consumers,” the Governor said. “This approach will mean dollars spent in a region remain in that region, and the projects will benefit the entire region.”
Voters in each region will have the ability to decide on new transportation improvements by voting on a one percent sales tax. The transportation districts will enable a collection of counties to make strategic decisions that will produce growth in their region. The state’s director of transportation planning will work closely with local communities to create a project list for each transportation district. The project list will knit together transportation improvements that connect our cities and regions, making the movement of people and goods faster and more cost-efficient."
Looks like from the outset this thing had a lot to do with economic growth.
All you are seeing from our state lawmakers that represent the Atlantametro area is disappointment and outrage.
are in dead 'possums territory 'til you get on
the side that discounts this whole sordid
T-SPLOST proposal.
The $695 million is actually to be divided between a rail transit line that will be an extension of MARTA HEAVY RAIL and Lexus Lanes (High Occupancy Toll/HOT lanes) on Interstates 75 & 575 that the "premium bus service" will operate in.
The state is quietly looking for a way to get its hands of Cobb County's T-SPLOST funds to use for building the $1.2 BILLION HOT lane project on I-75 & I-575 and leaving a vaguely-worded $695 million marker for "extensive premium bus service" is a way to do just that.