Changing the Transportation Narrative in the Atlanta Region

A recent ULI Atlanta-sponsored panel discussion provided a chance for the region's transportation leadership to present a new narrative on how they are working together to "provide transit linkages and more options to increase connectivity and mobility across the region."

According to an article by Sarah Kirsch and Daphne Bond-Godfrey, Atlanta’s traffic woes are the well-known story, but there's also a lesser-known story, about a "remarkable level of investment and coordination currently underway among our state and regional agencies to make significant changes in how Atlantans move around and through the region."

The momentum began in earnest in 2015 when House Bill 170 passed, providing additional, dedicated, cost adjusted funding for transportation investment across the state of Georgia. In 2016, residents of the City of Atlanta voted to tax themselves for “More MARTA” which will inject $2.5 billion unleveraged into City of Atlanta transit and mobility projects. In 2018, we expect to see more such referenda where residents have the option to tax themselves for specific local transportation investments.

The event featured speakers from the city of Atlanta, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority/State Road and Tollway Authority, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the Perimeter CIDs, and the Atlanta Regional Commission.