AJC column praises Dickens for streetcar stand
The narrow Eastside Trail is busy to the point of hazardous. Photo by BAT.
Mayor Andre Dickens is showing wisdom by reconsidering the city’s blind support for the controversial Beltline streetcar, a Better Atlanta Transit activist argues today in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution guest column.
“Politicians are often accused of shifting stances in accordance with the prevailing public sentiment,” writes Jay Miller, a semi-retired lawyer who lives near the Eastside Trail.
“On the other hand, sometimes their positions evolve because of what they actually believe is the right thing to do. That takes courage — and that’s what Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens seems to be doing in deciding whether or not to put a streetcar on the Beltline.”
The column will be well-timed for anyone who rode or walked the Eastside Trail en route to Atlanta Jazzfest over the holiday weekend. The 14-foot trail was mobbed by pedestrians, scooters, cyclists, dogs and a few wheelchairs, creating obvious dangers and an unknown number of collisions. Meanwhile, a 40-foot parallel corridor sat empty and unused – off-limits to human beings because it’s reserved for a streetcar projected to carry very few people.
“If there is a criticism of the Beltline, it’s that it poses a hazard for pedestrians and joggers trying not to be mowed down by reckless skateboarders, bicyclists and motorized vehicles whizzing by. Having walkers/runners on a separate path from wheeled vehicles deserves a close look. Yet, adding a streetcar on top of the existing Beltline would preclude that from happening and aggravate an already fraught situation,” he writes.
Miller takes issue with the arguments made by streetcar boosters, particularly the claim the dual-track rail line’s first – and potentially only – leg would promote equity and diversity.
Frankly, that’s silly. An extravagant streetcar that is intended to serve some of our wealthiest neighborhoods on the Eastside is hardly equitable. … Let’s remind ourselves that transportation is a means to an end, not the end itself. If underserved communities that rely on public transit can obtain better service at less cost and destruction than streetcars offer, isn’t that worth examining?
Miller’s argument is worth reading. While it’s not an “official” statement by BAT, we can’t think of anything we’d disagree with.
