State/feds should address traffic congestion
Kyle Wingfield’s opinion column about the evolution of transportation planning in this state (“GOP transit plan for metro Atlanta continues to move down the track,” Opinion, Dec. 15) contained an excellent description of the problem and the players. However, this is not about MARTA versus the suburbs, or this or that county’s transit plans, or negative perceptions of the MARTA brand. This is about traffic congestion in a metro area that spans 50 miles in all directions (half of the state’s population).
It is obvious that the only way to address this problem is from the state level and/or the federal level (when including the Interstate system). The coordinating entities for all of this are already in place at the state level. The Georgia DOT can complete the design and building of the network of tolled lanes next to crowded metro highways, and Georgia’s GRTA agency can procure and operate the metro-wide fleet of transit buses that will use this new bus/vanpool express lane system. Financing can come from the state level (gas tax), the federal level (the infrastructure spending of the new administration), and tolls from auto drivers who use the express lanes.
JOEL SMITH, STOCKBRIDGE
Russian excuse does not pass smell test
Various news organs publish that the Russians could not penetrate the RNC computers, though they tried, as they could DNC computers. The same organs report Julian Assange has several times stated that Wikileaks did not get information from the Russians, but rather got it from insiders within the Democrat camp. And common sense suggests that Russia would rather have a proven incompetent, very much left-leaning, unethical, and dishonest person serving in the Office of the President than one finds in the person of Mr. Trump. In other words, the Russian influence excuse to suggest why Hillary Rodham Clinton lost the election just does not pass the smell test.
MIKE MICHAUD, MARIETTA
About the Author
