Here’s something we can all agree on: Atlanta’s traffic problem is slowing us down. It slows us down on the job, since for most commuters time on the road is not time on the job. And it slows us down at home, leaving less time for family, kids and the comforts of home.
Doug Hooker, Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission
A just-completed study by the Atlanta Regional Commission shows that the July 31 referendum for a one-penny sales levy will not only unclog our roads but will pump life into our region’s economy and afford us more time at work, at home and with family.
According to the ARC study, traffic congestion is costing the average metro Atlanta commuter $924 a year. If the 157 projects on the July 31 sales levy are built, commuters will save $9.2 billion by 2040.
Traffic snarls are also expensive in lost time and wasted fuel. If the projects are completed, the ARC’s independent economists found, incomes across metro Atlanta would rise by $18 billion.
The study also points to significant jobs gains if the levy is approved. Investing $8.5 billion in transportation improvements that free up traffic throughout the region will create 200,000 new jobs, according to the economists, including jobs that are maintained year over year. That’s more than 7,000 jobs a year between 2013 and 2040 – and more than two-thirds of them are mid- to high-wage jobs.
Overall, the economists found that by building the projects on the July 31 referendum, the region would realize a $34.8 billion return on an $8.5 billion investment. But that speaks to only half of the equation. Commuters will also have more time for home and family, more productive hours at work – and a region that is far more attractive to job-seekers and jobs-producers.
The Georgia General Assembly gave voters the opportunity to invest in transportation because they know that funding levels have dropped and our needs are great. Georgia ranks 49th in the nation in transportation spending per capita — and ranks fourth in total hours the average commuter spends in traffic. Also, a recent Brookings Institute study shows Atlanta’s global economic standing is 189th, far behind our regional competitors such as Nashville at 89th and Charlotte at 145th.
Adding to the challenge are the three million more people forecast by ARC to come to metro Atlanta by 2040. Meanwhile, gas tax revenues continue to decline as cars become more fuel-efficient. Since 1980, the average fuel efficiency of a passenger car sold in America has increased by almost 40 percent.
These factors create a transportation “perfect storm” that requires us to find additional funding sources or suffer worse congestion in the future, with an added cost of time and money to Atlanta residents. The Regional Transportation Referendum is the first alternate funding source the state has offered to commuters stuck in traffic. It’s something we must all consider very carefully.
This economic impact analysis is the first of several ARC is working on to enable solid decision-making by metro residents on this opportunity to invest in our region’s future mobility, economy and quality of life.
-Doug Hooker
