As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week, a new Atlanta Regional Commission survey found support for expanding public transit is on the rise in metro Atlanta.
The “Metro Atlanta Speaks” survey found 49 percent of respondents in a 13-county area say expanding transit is the best way to address traffic congestion – up from just 41 percent who said transit was the best option in 2013. And 51 percent said they’re willing to pay higher taxes to support transit (2017 is the first year the survey included that question).
Support for transit is higher in some counties than in others. Here’s a breakdown of how respondents in each county answered two key questions. First, a look at the “best long-term solution to traffic problems”:
Credit: David Wickert
Credit: David Wickert
A key takeaway: The majority of respondents picked “expanded public transit” in the City of Atlanta and in Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties. A plurality of residents in most of the other counties said transit is the best solution. The exception: Henry County, where more respondents said “improve roads and highways” are the best solution.
Here’s what respondents in the various counties said when asked whether they’re “willing to pay more in taxes to fund expanded regional public transit that includes buses and rail”:
Credit: David Wickert
Credit: David Wickert
Combining “strongly agree” and “agree” gives a sense of the proportion of residents willing to pay more for transit. Support is highest in Gwinnett and Fulton counties, where 56 percent of respondents said they’d be willing to pay more. A majority of respondents in the City of Atlanta and DeKalb and Clayton counties also are willing to pay more.
A caveat: The margin of error for the region-wide results is just 1.3 percent, but the margins for individual county results range from 4 to 7 percent.
You can learn more about the ARC poll at myajc.com.
