Don’t sacrifice Beltline tree canopy for streetcar
To anyone who has stepped onto the Atlanta Beltline recently, the obvious beauty of this linear park is undeniable. This wildly successful and breathtakingly lovely green ribbon has become both a vital non-motorized commuter link and a major part of Atlanta’s cultural identity.
So why would you spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to remove trees and meadows and replace them with a 40-foot wide, concrete and steel extension of the nearly empty Atlanta Streetcar? Apparently, because “it has always been in the plan” – and maybe it just might help justify the failed streetcar.
A better approach is obvious: enlarge the current Beltline with a separate cycle-track. Thousands of faster-moving vehicles would instantly exceed the most exaggerated ridership numbers ginned up to justify the streetcar, relieve overcrowding and save the incredibly valuable tree canopy that now provides comforting shade to thousands.
Let’s save our precious transit funds for more equitable uses and not “fix” something that is clearly not broken!
WALTER BROWN, ATLANTA
Both parties in a quandary with unpopular candidates
Recent polls indicate a great percentage of voters do not want President Biden to serve a second term and do not want former President Trump back to serve a second term.
Biden is thought to be too old to serve again and has the country on the wrong track economically.
Trump is thought to be too controversial with so many legal battles ahead, even though his economic policies were popular.
Will the Democrats stick with Biden, who is obviously in decline mentally yet can easily be manipulated to follow the party’s very progressive liberal line? On the other hand, if Biden remains their candidate, young voters might just choose not to vote.
Will the Republicans stick with Trump, fearing the wrath of his loyal supporters if he is not their candidate -- as in they might just stay home?
What a quandary both parties are in, playing political chicken, hoping their own candidate will step aside.
BECKY SMITH, ROSWELL
