Readers write

Fix the potholes in town already

People driving on Atlanta city roads have stories to tell about the damages their cars and bikes suffer when unexpectedly hitting poorly maintained and unleveled maintenance holes.

There is supposed to be a “pothole posse” keeping up with proper road maintenance, including maintenance holes, but perhaps there are too many potholes in need of repair?

Recently, I contacted the city’s Department of Watershed Management to report a 3-foot recessed maintenance hole on Peachtree Hills Avenue, near the intersection with Peachtree Road.

It became clear that the maintenance crews have no guidelines for safety standards when resetting and releveling maintenance hole covers after their work is done — in this case, leaving a 3-foot recess, followed by an email to me with the incorrect claim that the problem had been fixed.

As an Atlanta resident since the late 1960s, I have incurred enough damage/repairs to my cars that I have worked on a simple, economic solution to this problem.

Sadly, I cannot reach anyone at the city’s responsible departments with the interest and authority to find a way to make our roads as safe as possible.

PETER T. DE KOK, ATLANTA

State Election Board limits voter access

Sorry Lyft. I apologize on behalf of rational Georgians for our State Election Board (“Discounted Lyft rides to vote are illegal in Georgia, Election Board finds,” AJC.com, July 29). The board has made it clear that its purpose is to limit voter access and deny citizens a basic right.

It’s bad enough that someone has to pay for a ride to a polling place to vote, but then to remove that cost-saving, generous gesture by a ride-sharing company is disgraceful.

ANNE CONKLIN, CARTERSVILLE

EPA budget cuts affect us all

As Congress deliberates over the 2026 fiscal year budget, our congressional representatives should stand up for their Georgian constituents and raise questions on our behalf about proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A recent analysis highlights proposed reductions in funds for the EPA, including a 30% reduction in civil enforcement, a 49% reduction in criminal enforcement and a 35% decrease in compliance monitoring.

As a person of faith, I’m concerned about my neighbors and the environmental impacts on the air we breathe here in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as well as the water we use, including the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier, for drinking and recreation activities. Our nation’s budget is a moral document within which we need to protect funding for a clean and just energy system in the United States.

AJC readers should join with local organizations like the recently launched Atlanta chapter of Climate Hope Affiliates to call upon members of Congress to communicate to the Appropriations Committee on the threats to Georgians.