Perdue's pick for trans planner moving ahead

In a Tuesday vote, the state House Transportation Subcommittee approved Gov. Perdue's pick for the newly created statewide "transportation planning director," Todd Long.

Long, a Georgia Tech-trained civil engineer, worked at GDOT prior to his nomination.

Perdue selected Long to "lead the state’s road planning efforts, via a position created by the transportation reform bill approved this past legislative session."

If confirmed, Long will work for the governor, but have to navigate the sometimes conflicting interests of Perdue, legislative leadership and the state Department of Transportation board.

If there were spots of disagreement between Long and the subcommittee, it often focused on the split of state transportation dollars between metro Atlanta and rural parts of the state.

How about the split between sprawl-subsidizing road projects and the paltry amount spent on rail and transit in this state, much less bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure?

If past actions are any indication, Long will be encouraged to explore other solutions.