Athens, Ga. – Georgians are more likely to favor proposals
that target reducing the overall volume of traffic on their roads instead of
building more roads, according to a recent Peach State Poll. Given two alternatives, 70 percent of the
public favor projects to expand public transportation over building more roads
and highways (24 percent) as a priority for state government spending on
transportation. In addition, 63 percent
of those surveyed disapprove of allowing vehicles with no passengers to use the
high occupancy vehicle lane for a fee.
Although the public did not support additional road
construction generally, about two-thirds of those surveyed (66 percent) approve
of building commercial vehicle-only highways to route commercial traffic around
urbanized areas. Fifty-percent of
residents in urban areas strongly approve of building such highways, and
another 15 percent approve somewhat.
The public was evenly split on the question of increasing
the number of toll roads in order to fund more highway construction, with 49
percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.
Respondents from lower-income households (those making less than
$30,000) were more likely to disapprove of increasing the number of toll roads
(57 percent compared with 47 percent).
Despite the fact that using tolls to fund transportation costs
represents an alternative means of taxation, the poll found no difference in
response by political party.
The Peach State Poll is a periodic survey of public opinion
conducted by the University
of Georgia’s Carl Vinson
Institute of Government.
Other Peach State Poll results:
- The
poll revealed that speeding and traffic are two of the most prominent
safety concerns for the Georgia
public. In an open-ended question,
these concerns were cited by 18 percent and 15 percent of respondents,
respectively.
- Nearly
all respondents (96 percent) characterized drinking and driving as a major
danger on Georgia
roads, and 81 percent characterized over-aggressive driving and speeding
as a major danger.
- In
addition, 74 percent of those surveyed cited the use of cell phones while
driving as a major danger; 84 percent of respondents over 54 years of age characterized
cell phones as a major danger.
- Only a
small minority of the public is familiar with (38 percent) or has used (28
percent) the 5-1-1 dedicated phone number for learning about current
traffic situations and delays. Of
those who have used it, however, 86 percent said that they were either
very satisfied (40 percent) or somewhat satisfied (46 percent) with the
service.
These
data were taken from a Peach State Poll survey conducted between November 19
and December 2, 2007. The poll included 800 telephone interviews of randomly
selected adults in Georgia.
For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence
level is +/-3.5 percent.
The
Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit of the University of Georgia, has as part of its mission to
provide policymakers with systematic, objective research to inform policy
decisions. In accordance with that mission, the Peach State Poll aims to give
voice to the public on important policy matters and issues pertaining to
political, social, and economic life in Georgia.
For
more information on this survey or other Peach State Poll results, see www.vinsoninstitute.org/peachpoll.
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| Figure 1. Support for Alternatives to Address Traffic and Fund Roads and Highways |
