When I was growing up, Atlanta and Georgia were viewed as beacons of progress in the South.
On virtually every level, Georgia outpaced its sister Southern states — largely because its leaders stayed focus on what was best for the state’s economic development future.
Now, one bill in the state legislature threatens to reverse Georgia’s progressive reputation — a bill that would outlaw embryonic stem cell research in our state.
What a mess.
The political puzzle at the Georgia Capitol these days resembles a Rubik’s Cube — especially when it comes to transportation issues.
The Georgia Senate, which is led by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle,
Striving for great architecture has been hit and miss in Atlanta. Take the mediocre 17th Street bridge, a far cry from the alternative fanciful design by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava.
MARTA needs help.
The largest public transit agency in Georgia may have to dramatically cut service and raise fees and fares in July unless the state legislature votes to give MARTA more flexibility on how it spends its own money.
MARTA’s needs can’t be forgotten in all the legislative
Aaaaaaagggghhh!!!!!!???!!!
Gov. Sonny Pedue’s proposal to restructure Georgia transportation bureaucracy is analagous to a surgeon performing a hip replacement when a patient needs a heart transplant.
The measure doesn’t address our long-standing, most pressing problem — congestion in the Atlanta region. In fact, it could make the situation worse.
It just isn’t true.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is saying that if Amtrak and other passenger trains can’t use the BeltLine corridor that borders Piedmont Park, then commuter and high speed rail (including Amtrak) will not be able to serve the central city.
This position not only is without merit, but it also seems as though GDOT is trying to punish the city of Atlanta for challenging the future use of the BeltLine.
For starters, remember Atlanta’s very existence comes from the convergence of three railroad lines intersecting near the Five Points MARTA station. That’s why regional and city leaders stragically have planned to build a multimodal train station in the heart of downtown.
Welcome to SaportaReport, a site I hope will be a thought-provoking venue in making metro Atlanta and Georgia a great place to live, work, play and study.
For readers who are familiar with my writings at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this column will be similar in scope to the one I wrote for the Horizon section for about a decade.
This will be my outlet to share perspectives of our region and our state, and to weigh in on how we can do better. My topics will range from transportation, the environment, the arts, philanthropy, urban design to leadership.
