Usually I'm all for decreasing traffic congestion. I want people to tele-commute. I want people to car pool. I want people to use flex scheduling. Honestly, I wish there was no need for my job. Something happened last week that is going to ease traffic and make my job easier next year, but you won't see me smiling about it.
Traffic in downtown is going to be much lighter 41 days next year. This is something I should be happy about, but I'm not. I'm upset. I'm embarrassed. I'm stunned.
With the Atlanta Thrashers being sold and relocated to Winnipeg there are going to be 41 fewer days next year that we won't see extra delays exiting off the Connector southbound onto Williams Street. There are going to be 41 fewer days next year when traffic isn't going to be jammed on Centennial Olympic Park Drive. There are going to be 41 fewer days next year when I won't be cursing as I'm stuck in gridlocked traffic on Marietta Boulevard trying to get between Northside Drive and Philips Arena.
As a traffic reporter this should make me happy. It doesn't. As a sports fan and as a proud Atlantan this makes me angry. There's no excuse for a city like ours to lose a professional sports team. There are a very few select cities in the country that can claim franchises in the "big four" pro sports (baseball, football, basketball and hockey). We used to be able to make that claim. We just went from being among the New Yorks and the Chicagos of the world to the Clevelands and the Pittsburghs. And I'm going to be reminded of this fact 41 times next year.
There are going to be 41 fewer occasions when I stop at Legal Sea Foods or Taco Mac for dinner. There are going to be 41 fewer occasions when I stop at the Starbucks in CNN Center and get a cup of coffee. There are going to be 41 fewer occasions when I take a friend down to Philips Arena to see perhaps the greatest spectator sport on the planet.
I'm not going to place blame on anyone for this happening. If you are familiar with the situation you know what happened and why. Blaming someone won't change what happened.
We lost a part of the city that helped make Atlanta special. Like the High Museum of Art, the Georgia Aquarium or the Peachtree Road Race. The Thrashers and hockey in general might not have been everyone's cup of tea, but neither is the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra or Atlanta Motor Speedway or Stone Mountain. But they all have their passionate fans and this city is better because they are here.
The saddest part about this loss is that it appears to be permanent. Unless the NHL decides to relocate the floundering Phoenix franchise to Atlanta after next season (a HUGE long shot) this city will never again get a chance to see the greatest hockey players on the planet. Never again get the chance to wear a sweater and drink hot chocolate inside Philips Arena. Never again get the chance to hear the great Dan Kamal call an Atlanta hockey game on the radio.
Traffic will be lighter 41 days next year. Just don't expect me to be happy about it.
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