A question for metro ATL:When are we going to start using alternative fuels and improve our transit system?
I have been living in the metro Atlanta area for 11 years and I have noticed our air has been getting more and more polluted. Gas prices have been rising higher each day. $3.00/gallon. Now is the time to start using(not considering, but actually using) alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol, and other fuels. We also need to start improving MARTA, our transit system. We are too big of a city not to have a state of the art transit system. We are suppose to be a world class city and yet we aren’t doing things to solve problems. What is it going to take. Is it going to take running out of oil, or our long commutes(by the way Atlanta has one of the longest, perhaps the longest, commutes of any major US city) becoming so long that we literally have to wake up at 2AM to get to our job at 7AM(to a place that would normally take 15-25 mintues by train). No “we can’t sustain it” or “it would bring crime” excuses because I have heard them before and I think they are petty.
We are in the middle of a financial fiasco for one reason or another and improvements won’t be occurring any time soon. Sorry. I feel the same way as you although I do fear crime on MARTA I think it is as simple as beefing up security. I know our state officials say they are concerned and want to make changes but if they would sit down and actually come up with a plan I don’t see what the big deal is. I do understand it is also about making MARTA more appealing for business people to feel comfortable riding. Like it or not business people do have an image to maintain. They could also provide more incentives for people who car pool. That is just my thought on the matter.
I can agree with you on that one. Gas prices are steadily on the rise. But it would seem that using alternative fuels take a lot more money to use than gas and oil. Plus the fact that if they agree to start using them, they would have to renovate their vehicles to accommodate them. Also, it’s in limited demand. Sadly speaking, everyone is subconsciously under the phrase, “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”
i like how cop cars are turning to trucks now, really fuel efficient. when there is no off roading in my town.