What did you expect? Look who was doing the counting. Of the 147,700 people who called in only 20,927 participated in the polling. This represents 14.2% of the total which leads me to believe that perhaps the other 85.8% (126,773) didn't feel the questions were worth answering. I didn't think the questions as stated deserved an answer as same would give the ARC the answer they were looking for. They would now have us believe that 20,927 callers out of a total of 147,000 is a representative sample. Monday evening's telephone town hall meeting did accomplish one thing. It gave Mayor Johnson a platform on which to promote light rail. Truth of the matter is that TSPLOST is on the ropes. As I have stated before, let's resolve to "shorten the ring" and deliver the knockout punch at the ballot box on July 31, 2010. That is, if TSPLOST don't gridlock at the roundtable first.

The only question should have been, "Why don't you ride the Gwinnett Transit Authority busses to work?" You are the one and only answer to traffic congestion in Gwinnett County. If you aren't already riding transit, what makes you think your neighbors will be inconvenienced?

You want government to solve all of your problems. You created the problem; You can solve it. If sitting in traffic is a major concern to you, then YOU should find a way to get off of the roads and find a better way to get to work. Carpool, vanpool, express bus, Gwinnett Transit Authority bus--they are all available now but they are underutilized. Quitcherbellyaching and take personal responsibility to solve the problem.

Transit will not take enough cars off of the road to solve the traffic congestion. If you think so, you are delusional. You are the solution.

I got the automated call to participate in the townhall meeting. I hung up. Why? Because just like the other 'hot topics' in Gwinnett, they don't care what the citizens have to say. They only provide these townhalls to show that they have asked for citizen input. Then, they do what they had planned from the beginning. I, for one, am not going to help them make their case by being one of the participants/#'s.
Why anyone would vote for another tax - on anything - is beyond me. Until they can prove that they can manage the tax revenue properly, they should not get another penny!

I went back and read Laura's article again. Bucky blew more smoke out of his satck than a coal fired steam locomotive blows out its stack coming down the tracks under a full head of steam.147,700 people call in. 20,927 participate in a poll that is worthless except for providing the Honorable Mayor with poll results that he sees as promoting light rail Apparently this was what the proponents of TSPLOST wished to acieve in Monday evening's telephone town hall meeting. It did not work nor will spending an estimated $5 to $6 million dollars to "educate" us work either.

WOW! 147,700 called in? REALLY? How many of those actually live in Gwinnett, Atlanta, Georgia, or the US for that fact? The phone number was published online so was open to any and all that happened to call into a toll-free number. That kind of turn out is amazing when you compare the low numbers that were always reported for the 316 work plan in the Collin Hill and 124/20 area.

Also, the 20k that responded to the survey is only 14% of those that participated in the call in. That's probably higher than voter turn out for most elections. Add to that the thought that people who are running this through the process and those with the most to gain from the process probably "stacked the vote". I'm not sure I put much weight in these figures.

I believe WSB had a report the other night about another poll done and that 56% don't favor the initiative and that a lot of those polled actually favored more spending on education than transportation.

Well, we know those in support of the TSPLOST will have deep pockets to fund the ad campaign to spin public opinion in favor of the higher taxes. While those of us against it will be very limited financially to get the word out to fight against it if it isn't the right step at this time.

"Just say NO to higher taxes!"

I do ride GRTA to work and it's a great service to our County and community!

Not even those who oppose the passage of the T-Splost  deny that transportation is a major issue for the entire metropolitan  Atlanta. Not since the development of the Interstate Highway system has this city had the opportunity to address the issues of transportation which could  influence the growth of the entire metropolitan area. That was also 50 years ago! It is an illusion to believe that any alternative plan to that which is provided in the T-Splost  such as ‘toll roads’ could provide adequately for the growth of our city  which includes  the outlying communities as well.
 
Now is the time for each of us to invest not only in our future, but in the future of our children as well.  If the T-Splost fails to pass on July 31st the future growth of our metropolitan city will be imperiled. The opportunity is at hand to take the necessary steps to see that our future as a city is secure.
 
Please vote ‘YES’ for the T-Splost

Let's remind Mayor Bucky that the poll that counts is the one held on July 31st.

Turnout the vote to kill TSPLOST and save $8 Billion so we can spend the next two years coming up with a plan that will actually solve traffic congestion.

Great comment, Jim. Keep pouring it on in reminding the taxpaying citizens in our ten county regional transportation district to vote NO to what would be an albatross around the necks of we taxpayers over the next ten years. Mayor Bucky? Remember, he is the one who "abdicated the throne" so to speak. Didn't even put up a fight. Stood idly by and allowed Mr. Speaker to add Atlanta's mayor to the 20 member Regional Roundtable which had been duly appointed as per the guidelines of HB 277 aka the Transportation Investment Act. Bucky allowed the intrusion of Mr. Mayor as the sixth member on the five member Executive Committee which had been duly elected from among the members of the Regional Roundtable. Keep in mind that Bucky had also been elected as Chairman of the Executive Committee. Bucky retained his postion as Chair but without voting priviliges. This episode did not pass the "smell test." As I have said from day one, TSPLOST is a bailout for the City of Atlanta and MARTA. TSPLOST? VOTE NO!!!