Taxing Atlanta's Sprawl

Not sure if you had a chance to read the Sierra Club’s position statement, but it presents some valid arguments as to why the bulk of funding to expand roadway capacity does more to exacerbate sprawling growth than it does to sufficiently provide for much needed expansion of public transit, commuter rail, bikeways, and other such systems within the city’s perimeter. I especially agree with the statement’s view that a sales tax has little influence on travel behavior. There is good reason to believe that tying transportation revenue to travel behavior (in other words, taxing the behaviors we seek to avoid) through parking taxes/fees, roadway tolls, or gasoline taxes, rather than through a sales tax, will likely encourage smarter transit-oriented development patterns. But alas, Atlanta faces many, many other challenges to containing sprawl.