ATLANTA — Traffic is the biggest problem facing the Buckhead community, but there is apparently little widespread support for the addition of a streetcar as a congestion-curbing tactic.
That’s according to a new Buckhead Business Association (BBA) survey of 167 qualified respondents who live, work or play in the Buckhead community. The DeFeo Groupe conducted the survey on behalf of the BBA.
When asked the biggest problem facing Buckhead, 64.7 percent said traffic. A further 15 percent cited too much crime, while 7.8 percent said the lack of mass transit.
When asked to weigh in on how important bringing a streetcar to Buckhead would be, 40.1 percent said it was not at all important, while 15.6 percent it was not very important. Just 14.4 percent said it was very important and 16.2 percent said it was fairly important.
Furthermore, 33.5 percent of respondents said the addition of a streetcar in Buckhead would make the traffic worse or much worse. Just 18 percent said they believe the streetcar would actually make traffic better or much better.
Interestingly, respondents are fairly divided on whether they would pay an additional tax, such as a 1-cent sales tax, to support more mass transit. A total of 41.9 percent said yes, while 40.7 percent said no; a further 17.4 percent said they didn’t know if they would support an additional tax.
On the issue of policing, 77.8 percent of respondents said they would like to see a stronger police presence in Buckhead. 83.2 percent said they support the addition of police cameras in Buckhead and across the city.
See survey coverage in:
- Atlanta Business Chronicle
- Creative Loafing
- MassTransit Magazine
- Northside Neighbor
- Buckhead Patch