Georgia's Transportation: Challenges and Strategies for Growth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Georgia's transportation system accommodates one of the fastest-growing populations since the year 2000 which has been a great challenge to the sector (Connor & Baruch, 2018). The infrastructure is aging, the mass transit systems are poorly designed, low-density suburban population, delays and traffic gridlock. It has been estimated that more than 2.5 million new residents will move into Georgia by the year 2040 hence the state needs a long-term comprehensive strategy to improve and expand the transportation system (Connor & Baruch, 2018).

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How the Issue of Transportation Problem in Georgia Affects Me

Being a resident of Georgia, the ailing transportation system has had many adverse negative effects on me, the entire population as well as the environment. There is a need for public funding which stretches the available resources since there are high costs of building and also maintaining old infrastructure. The state of Georgia spends so much money on these activities hence the limited resources cannot be channeled to other critical areas such as health care. There is congestion as there is poor planning of roads and other transport mechanisms due to the low capacity for the land in use. The lack of adequate transportation has led to the high cost of transportation, congestion, traffic jams as well as the rise in several accidents (Georgia Public Policy Foundation, 2020). The issue of the poor transportation system has led to inadequate security hence leading to crimes, deaths, and injuries. I have noticed that the ailing transportation industry in our region is a major source of air, water, light and noise pollution hence causing health problems. The use of old and outdated automobiles has also led to carbon emissions that have caused global warming.

Local Policy on Transport System in Georgia

Georgia's General Assembly for the past few years has been making important progress in developing a 21st-century transportation system. The assembly has been able to pass two significant pieces of legislation which have created a viable foundation for future development.

The Transportation Funding Act of 2015 (TFA)

TFA is the first piece of this legislative structure in which it overhauls the funding of transportation projects mechanisms by the state such that it raised almost one billion USD to complement the annual transportation funding. The Act phased out the 4 percent sales tax on fuel and increased the excise tax on gasoline aimed at improving transportation revenue (Connor & Baruch, 2018). The TFA redefined alternative fuel vehicles such as electrical, natural gas bi-fuel and propane (Georgia Public Policy Foundation, 2020). The changes that were championed by this Act led to a more dependable transportation funding stream, this helped in the reduction of Georgia's dependence on funds from the federal government and also involved in countering inflationary effects over time. These changes led to the generation of an additional 5 billion USD for the general transportation system expenditure for more than five years (Connor & Baruch, 2018). This money was much needed by the Georgia Department of Transportation for repairs as well as the maintenance of the aging infrastructure in the state. Therefore, the funding that has been enabling by this local policy has made it possible for Georgia to generate highways, roads, repair bridges and improve safety measures as well as new capacity for the population increase. This project was also able to enable the development of 11 megaprojects that improved travel times and also enhanced trip reliability.

House Bill 930(HB 930) of 2018

This is another local policy that has laid a great foundation for the future of the transportation sector in Georgia as it was involved in revamping mass transit. The most significant item of this law is the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (ATL). The ATL aligned the various transit systems within the region such as the CobbLinc, Gwinnett County Transit, Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Xpress Services and is expected to coordinate transit expansion plans in more than thirteen county area. (Connor & Baruch, 2018). There has been a condition that has been set such that any county that may need to develop a transit expansion outside the planning process of the ATL is required to seek ATL's board approval before the commencement of the development.

This article is neutral as it gives all the facts about the local transportation policy in Georgia with the extensive elaboration of the advantages and the disadvantages. Apart from the benefits that have been outlined above, this article points out that the ATL will not have complete control over the transportation system hence it may only help reduce the severity of the situation and not fully eradicate the problem of the transportation sector. Therefore, to pay for all the transit expansions in the region, voters in the counties that are participating in the implementation of this policy needs to approve at least one percent of local sales tax hence the revenue raised through this mode of taxation is only restricted to be used in that specific county where the collection took place.

How I Might Influence This Policy In Future

Since I have gained insight on the problem that my region is facing in the transportation sector and the local policies that have been put into place, I hope that in future I will have a chance in expanding this policy such that there are alternative sources of funds, adaptation of flexible and adaptable transit solutions, improve aerial mobility and inclusion of Georgia's research universities in solutions.

References

Connor. K & Baruch. F, (2018). How Georgia is Creating the Foundation For a Successful Regional Transportation System. Reason Foundation. Retrieved from: https://reason.org/commentary/how-georgia-is-creating-the-foundation-for-a-successful-regional-transportation-system/

Georgia Public Policy Foundation, (2020). Guide to the Issues: Transportation. Retrieved from: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/issue/guide-issues-transportation/