Readers write

Every life matters and deserves justice

In reference to James White’s guest column “Mississippi officials offer too much certainty in Nolan Xavier Wells’ death,” thank you for this article. Finally, someone was brave enough to express exactly what is happening in this case, and what has been occurring in this nation for centuries.

Please continue to fight for justice and get the word out for more exposure. All lives matter, and it is not fair that a particular community is continuously underserved.

SHANELLE JOHNSON, CONYERS

MARTA needs better coordination between buses and trains

I read with interest the rider experiences/suggestions published recently in the AJC. I have also experienced some of the negative aspects of MARTA mentioned (dirty cars, homeless folk sleeping in seats, lack of security presence).

I agree this can be uncomfortable, but I don’t think homelessness is only MARTA’s problem to solve. MARTA trains are air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. You can ride all day and almost all night. In the absence of other shelter, is it so surprising that these folks are there?

A much bigger issue for MARTA is the bus system and the lack of coordination between buses and trains. For the system to be truly useful, bus routes need to be much more comprehensive andcoordinated with the train schedule. In a perfect world, we would have a much more extensive rail network. Lacking that, there really needs to be real-time coordination between bus drivers and train operators to optimize the interface, especially in the evening hours.

I live in East Point. I moved here from the Edgewood neighborhood expressly to remove myself from the traffic that increasingly clogs the in-town streets. I chose my location so that I would still have proximity to a MARTA station. I hoped to rely more on MARTA and less on my car.

Sadly, this is not proving to be the case.

While MARTA is great if you want to get to the airport, or to another location close to the north-south line, if you need to make any connection to a bus route — or if you need to transfer from north-south to east-west (or vice versa) any time outside of Monday-Friday business hours — you’d better bring a book, because you will wait. And the bus shelters and train platforms are not climate-controlled and you won’t find an unlocked restroom.