ATLANTA – Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) and Rep. Richard Royal (R-Camilla) today introduced bipartisan legislation (H.B. 434) that would allow any region in the state to raise funds to fight traffic gridlock through a voter referendum.

“This bill puts the power in the hands of the people,” said Rep. Martin. “It simply says that if any region’s voters want to voluntarily raise funds for local transportation improvements, they can do so. Frustration is mounting and we should untie the hands of the people to do something about this growing problem.”

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jon Burns (R-Effingham), Rep. Stephanie Benfield (D-DeKalb) and Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Fulton), among others.

The plan is also supported by 14 chambers of commerce, the Regional Business Coalition and the Livable Communities Coalition.

“Regions all over the state would benefit from this bill -- and in metro Atlanta, our explosive growth has put traffic at the top of the list of challenges we must tackle,” said Dick Anderson, group president of global business services for AT&T and 2007 Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Linginfelter, Georgia State CEO for Wachovia Bank and chair of the transportation committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, added: “We can’t expect the state alone to bail us out. We need to take responsibility ourselves for solving this problem as a region.”

While Georgia has been the fourth-fastest growing state in the nation over the last decade, its rate of investment in new transportation infrastructure is fourth from the bottom. Left unchecked, metro Atlanta’s traffic is expected to increase from fourth-worst in the nation to second-worst, surpassing San Francisco.

This legislation would allow years of planning to be implemented more quickly. This bill would give local officials the tools to address the unique transportation needs of regions around the state.

Rep. Benfield said: “Everybody understands that the old sources of funding for transportation improvements are drying up. Meanwhile, traffic gets worse by the day. We can’t sit back and wait. This legislation would allow us to put the people’s will to work more quickly.”

The legislation also includes important safeguards. For instance, before taking a vote, local officials would be required to announce which specific projects would be funded and when the local tax would end. A careful oversight process would also be required.

“This bill is about local funding and local control, and a process that includes plenty of sunshine and a pre-determined sunset,” said Brandon Beach, president and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

David Gill, president and CEO of First State Bank and chairman of the Regional Business Coalition -- which represents 14 chambers of commerce and more than 15,000 businesses -- said business leaders are concerned that traffic gridlock is becoming an impediment to economic development.

“Traffic is one of the most important issues companies ask about when deciding whether to move to Georgia,” Gill said. “Regions like Denver, San Diego and Phoenix would love for us to sit on our hands while they become more and more attractive because they’ve taken a proactive approach to solving traffic problems.”

“We can all sit in traffic and complain, or we can do something to fix this growing problem,” he said. “We support whatever solution the General Assembly feels is in the best interest of the region and the state to solve the problem.”

Across the country, regional referenda have been highly popular as a means to fight traffic gridlock. In 2004 alone, there were 79 different public votes across the country on transportation matters, according to the national Center for Transportation Excellence. Of those, 73 were regional and 80 percent of the regional measures passed.

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