Atlanta Forward readers responded to last week’s column by Atlanta Beltline CEO Paul F. Morris. Selected comments follow:
Joe Winter: A large area of "somewhere" with homes, offices, parks, commercial space and more is getting built today at a time when it doesn't seem like there is much there. Who cares that it's a circle? Later on, 20 years from now, people will wonder, "Why didn't they build a rail line here, back when the land and construction costs aren't as expensive as they are today? There is so much here now!" It's like building a stadium far away from a rail station and then later wondering, "Why didn't they build MARTA near the stadium?"
Shar: The Beltline is very successful as a pedestrian thoroughfare. Thousands of people are using it regularly, even in its unfinished state, to walk, jog, bike and skate through neighborhoods and experience the city in a new and positive way. Putting light rail on it is simply asinine. The Beltline is a circle that does not take people to work or home, as transit does. It is a merry-go-round, a tourist attraction, a very large outdoor track. Putting light rail in would be incredibly expensive, utterly pointless and would shove off all of those people who are currently using the Beltline. Take a look at the RiverWalk in San Antonio, the Highline in New York, the Schuylkill River Trail (and nascent local Highline) in Philly. These are all in-town recreational repurposing of derelict industrial access, and are embraced by the citizenry as newfound ways to exercise and explore their cities. They are not transit avenues, but reclaimed waste space that is too narrow, twisting or inaccessible to build on but offers opportunity on a human scale. The light rail portion should be dropped immediately, and the budget for it either returned to the school budget, where it is needed, or redirected into transit options that actually work for the people of Atlanta.
Tyler: Apparently citizens like Shar haven't taken the time to learn how the Beltline is a framework for that very network of streetcar/light rail transit needed to connect people where they need to go within the city. East-west connections link the Coca-Cola headquarters, Ponce City Market, North Avenue Station, Georgia Tech, Inman Park, downtown, Piedmont Park, Ansley Mall, Bankhead and Lindbergh — all within a network of transit within the first tier of streetcar expansions. The transit isn't some thoughtless circle or ring but rather the critical last-mile connection that gets people where they need to go — whether they live in the city, or just got into the city, to get around without the car we currently seem to rely too much on today.
Steve Saenz: Might not hurt to use the Beltline website and read the strategic plan before weighing in.
Starik: Crime will have to be dealt with. Otherwise we'll get another Underground Atlanta.
