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Georgia’s Democratic Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to Emily Dunn, Chair of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), urging the agency to expand public transportation nationwide.
The delegation called on GDOT to use funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which creates flexibility in existing funding programs for states to invest in public transport.
According to the delegation, the expansion of local public transport would improve the quality of life and increase mobility. It would make it easier for people to get to the grocery store, to work, to school, and to the doctor’s office.
“The [bipartisan infrastructure bill] is already delivering much-needed funds to our state,” the letter reads. “As a result of this flexibility and increased funding, GDOT has potentially hundreds of millions of dollars annually available for public transit… We urge GDOT to invest these funds in public transit, which has the dual benefit of reducing emissions from transportation while improving overall mobility at the same time.”
In addition, the delegation called on the GDOT to use its powers to use funds from the state’s gas tax to expand public transport.
US Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) recently introduced the “Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act” in the US House of Representatives. The bill would give the transit systems $20 billion annually for their operating budgets for four years.
