Letter to the Editor: Plan B--Separate Road and Transit

The T-SPLOST has not been designed to solve traffic congestion, that has been made crystal clear over the last few months. 

I hope, that as soon as the vote is in we will know Atlanta's leaders are being forced back to the drawing board which will include giving  citizens an opportunity for input to what is needed & necessary. 

I for one, am perplexed over the silence of the elephant in the room. The 5 billion dollar Panama Canal Expansion is expected to open in April 2015.

Simultaneously, the Port of Savannah dredging will be complete & ready for an onslought of Asian container ships. This was put on a fast track last week by a federal committment of 650 million dollars. The two interstates out of Savannah are I-95 through South Carolina to New York and I-75 that cuts through the very center of Atlanta. 

We already have problems, daily, with overturned tankers carrying hazardous materials, jack-knifed tractor trailers & bumper to bumper trucks trying to make their way past our fair city via I-75/I-85 & I-285. If this impending truck traffic isn't addressed in this PLAN B by some type of western outer perimeter,  then by late 2015, our lawmakers will be begging for yet a NEW tax to address this unforseen traffic nightmare! (wink-wink)

And second on my list of gripes about SPLOST's waste, fraud & abuse, is why don't out brilliant leaders seperate our rail/transit plan from highway/roads/bridges plan? 

We should be able to see a CLEAR mapped out plan for rail/ transi/trolley for the Atlanta area. It should include options for lines, transit stations, park and ride lots & funding & maintenance requirements. This could be done in 5 year vote blocks, voted only by counties involved.

We should also be able to see a CLEAR mapped out plan of roads, interstates , highways, intersections, connectors, bridges, outter loops, etc. This too, should be based on priority, funding and 5 years votes.In addition to seperating these two items, ban ALL local projects, including bike lanes, sidewalks & streetscapes. These should be decided & taxed at the local level, city & county. If there IS a PLAN B, it needs to look very different than PLAN A.

Thank-you,

Mary Kirkendoll

Read more about TSPLOST on the Smyrna-Vinings Patch TSPLOST topic page.