Gwinnett Needs Transit

We’re back in election season, but this time it’s a transit referendum regarding an expansion of public transportation in Gwinnett—something that we desperately need to pass. On March 19th, Gwinnett County will be holding a vote to decide on raising the sales tax by one percentage point in order to help fund an expansion of public transportation. This extra revenue raised will go to the county and be under local control. If the referendum passes, Gwinnett will join 12 other metro-area counties that have already agreed to become what will be known as “The ATL.” This plan would expand our access to light and heavy rail, buses, express lanes, and more. This is a great opportunity for Gwinnett to take several giant steps forward and finally have world-class public transportation.

An expansion of our public transportation would provide some much-needed relief to Gwinnett’s already crowded roads. It’s no secret that our traffic is some of the worst in the state. However, given our population growth, it will only get worse—unless we expand public transit. Standard and Rapid Transit Buses (RBT) would help decrease the number of vehicles on the road; light and heavy rail would take many cars off the road all together. Not only would this cut down on commute times, but it would also be good for the environment. There would simply be fewer greenhouse gases emitted into the air.

Better public transit means a better economy and a better quality of life. With its expansion, public transportation would lead to more jobs and more labor mobility. Many people in Gwinnett do not own a car or other form of transportation. This is especially true for the elderly, who sometimes simply can’t drive. An expansion of public transportation would allow those in our county who otherwise wouldn’t be able to travel, to get around and participate in our local economy and potentially live more fulfilling lives. People could commute to their job in Atlanta or Gwinnett, even if they don’t have a car. It would also save many people some much-needed gas money, since they wouldn’t have to drive to work every day. If you want to learn more about the referendum or find ways to help, visit gogwinnett.org.

Partisan politics has already been injected into this conversation. The longtime scourge of racial dog-whistling has once again emerged in the argument against the referendum. Perhaps most nefariously, the county decided to hold this referendum in March, rather than November, to try and decrease the voter turnout. The opposition knows that if they can keep turnout low, they win. That’s their whole goal. They know that they cannot beat this referendum in a fair fight, so they had to resort to dirty politics to try and win. It’s our job to make sure they don’t.

Our county has been on the wrong side of this issue for too long. It’s time for Gwinnett to take the initiative and the opportunity to expand our public transportation. It will decrease traffic, put money back in citizens pockets, and cut back on carbon emissions. Don’t let the politics of race and fear prevail again; don’t let their dirty political tricks work. If you know anyone who is not registered to vote, get them registered. Make sure that everyone you know votes. Make sure that you vote. Gwinnett is quickly becoming one of the most prosperous and economically powerful counties in the south. It’s time we have a public transportation system to go along with that.