Maria’s Metro

Consider this constructive criticism.

The campaign to pass a regional transportation sales tax seems to be getting derailed — literally and figuratively.

So far, the campaign has been targeting Republican, conservative voters in the suburbs — people who tend not to support new taxes. And the campaign seems to be ignoring Democratic voters inside the perimeter who would be more likely to vote for the tax.
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Atlanta. We used to stand for something.

When other cities in the South were being torn apart by hatred and racism, Atlanta emerged as a city of tolerance, pragmatism and good will.

The willingness of the community’s leaders to gracefully change from a segregated city to an integrated city helped give Atlanta an aura of progress and patience — a reputation that served it well as it grew from a small Southern town to a metropolis.
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Indulge me.

My son, David Luse, graduated from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville on Saturday — an occasion that gave me an opportunity to reflect on the passage of time — both in our personal life as well as the in the evolution of our state.

For those of you who do not know the beauty and gentility that exists in historic Milledgeville — do yourself a favor. The county seat of Baldwin County was Georgia’s first state capitol, and the town is full of treasures that predate Gen. William Sherman’s march through Georgia.
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Advice from afar — show MARTA some love.

When the 2012 LINK delegation of metro Atlanta leaders recently visited the communities of Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Va., the group was repeatedly told that it needed to invest more in public transit — especially its signature system of MARTA.

“You have not embraced MARTA,” Chris Leinberger, a developer who is a senior policy advisor for the Brookings Institution and is quite familiar with the Atlanta market. “Your companies have not embraced MARTA.”
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Just one month after he was inaugurated, President Barack Obama established the White House Office of Urban Affairs with much fanfare.

The executive order stated:

“About 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas, and the economic health and social vitality of our urban communities are critically important to the prosperity and quality of life for Americans.
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When the City of Atlanta first started envisioning a streetcar renaissance, the centerpiece idea was the “Peachtree Streetcar.”

Study after study showed that the corridor that had the greatest potential for ridership, economic development and private funding was along Peachtree Street from downtown to Midtown and eventually towards Buckhead.
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On April 18, a group of about 100 influential metro Atlanta leaders will embark on the annual LINK trip — this year to the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metro area.

This will be the 16th annual LINK trip — an annual opportunity to take a look at ourselves while studying another community that’s facing many of the same issues as metro Atlanta. (LINK stands for Leadership, Involvement, Networking and Knowledge).
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What ingredients contribute to healthy cities? National experts in Atlanta last week identified three — walking, cycling and parks within walking distance for all its residents.

For Atlanta — be it in the central city or in the suburbs, we have a ways to go to compete with the top tier cities around the world.
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Finally Bill Foege is getting his due.

Foege, who may have saved more lives than any other person on earth, recently was honored with Georgia Tech’s 2012 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage.

But for most Atlantans, Foege is an unknown hero.
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When the new Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal opens on May 16, arriving passengers will no longer have to recheck their bags before they are able to leave the airport.

But if the passengers decide they want to ride MARTA to get to Atlanta, they will have to board a shuttle that will take them along the Loop Road on a 12 to 14 minute ride from the Jackson International terminal to the domestic terminal where they can board MARTA.
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