Readers write
Beltline shuttles are no replacement for light rail
Regarding “New autonomous shuttles on the Beltline aren’t without controversy,” June 8, it’s important to define “Beltline transit.”
Transit on the Beltline would operate in the dedicated right-of-way that already exists alongside the paved trail. This was originally envisioned and engineered for light rail with a grass bed. The ATL Spoke (Beep) shuttle buses, while certainly helpful, are not Beltline transit — they are just a different flavor of MARTA buses operating on city streets. They do move people to and from the Beltline, but not on the Beltline.
Whether buses have drivers or not, they still must navigate the same Atlanta traffic, just like Waymo cars are doing currently. Leveraging the dedicated corridor that’s out of traffic for high-capacity, accessible public transit connecting intown neighborhoods is the key to making the Beltline (and the city) work effectively for the masses.
The only way for autonomous shuttles to truly qualify as Beltline transit is for a two-lane dedicated road to be paved in the existing right-of-way next to the trail, with all the concrete that comes with it. Is that what most Atlantans really want? I suspect not.
It’s time to deliver promised transit on the Beltline.
BRANDON SUTTON, ATLANTA
Goodbye, rural Georgia
The decisions to locate solar panel “farms,” data centers and ICE detention warehouses in small towns and rural communities in Georgia are made by those in corporate and government offices in Atlanta, Nashville and Washington. Please just stop.
You are ripping away the very fabric of our beautiful state. We’re small-town and rural by choice, so build in your own backyard and stay out of ours.
MARY ANN ANDERSON, HAZLEHURST
Preserve our past, both the good and bad
Having read the opinion piece by Bethany Luchetta, “KKK granite from Georgia built the U.S. Treasury. Don’t whitewash the history.”, June 7, I agree with the sentiment that America’s past should not be whitewashed or minimized.
In that same vein, I was never in favor of the removal of monuments or statues to the Confederacy. Removing such emblems is, in effect, whitewashing and removing elements of this country’s past, good or bad.
Our history, with all of its blemishes and accomplishments, should be available for all to see. Yet, those of the “woke” persuasion have sought and succeeded in many of these removals. Mistakes were made, but look how far we have come.
STEVE MILLER, DECATUR