I saw the news in the Intown Atlanta news brief that showed up in my inbox Monday morning:
goal.
On Tuesday, the AJC had an editorial/commentary from Richard Dugas, Jr., chairman and CEO of the PulteGroup, a developer with headquarters in Buckhead (incidentally, PulteGroup is the company that has proposed the redevelopment of Elizabeth Ann Lane). Mr. Dugas said that access to MARTA rail was a key factor in the company's decision to relocate to Buckhead. "By making access to MARTA -- and bicycle facilities -- a priority, PulteGroup has become an even more attractive employer of choice for the next crop of managers and CEOs, the millennial generation."
There we are, back to bikes. Have no fear, Mr. Dugas, Ms. Andrean says that "we are already developing exciting bicycle routes that will be much safer than the ones originally proposed for Peachtree.”
I can't wait.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has officially removed bike lanes from its plans during the re-striping of Peachtree Road through Buckhead, and that’s just fine with the district’s city council members. Atlanta City Councilmembers Yolanda Adrean and Howard Shook said they support GDOT’s decision to remove the bike lanes after public outcry. “We’ve always advocated that the number one goal of this and all other road projects in Buckhead must be to move the most cars in the safest and most efficient manner,” said Shook. “This is that plan.” Adrean added: “The GDOT team has proven how well public input and great engineering can come together,” said Adrean. “And we are already developing exciting bicycle routes that will be much safer than the ones originally proposed for Peachtree.” The start date for the re-striping work has yet to be determined.So there are several things about this statement from City Councilmembers Yolanda Adrean and Howard Shook that are notable. In particular, Howard Shook's comment that "the number one goal of this and all other road projects in Buckhead must be to move the most cars in the safest and most efficient manner." That's it -- the purpose of roads is to move cars. Let's take bikes out of the discussion, since the very thought of bike lanes on Peachtree generates a degree of antipathy that I have found quite extraordinary. The GDOT proposal that is now off the table would have also improved pedestrian safety. There's nothing in this statement about vibrant streets, or making Peachtree lively and walkable, nothing about Peachtree as Buckhead's Main Street that ties the community together -- just moving cars "in the safest and most efficient manner," which presumably means without any pesky pedestrians trying to cross the street. They might want to consider asking GDOT to make Peachtree a limited access expressway through Buckhead, if that is really their
goal.
On Tuesday, the AJC had an editorial/commentary from Richard Dugas, Jr., chairman and CEO of the PulteGroup, a developer with headquarters in Buckhead (incidentally, PulteGroup is the company that has proposed the redevelopment of Elizabeth Ann Lane). Mr. Dugas said that access to MARTA rail was a key factor in the company's decision to relocate to Buckhead. "By making access to MARTA -- and bicycle facilities -- a priority, PulteGroup has become an even more attractive employer of choice for the next crop of managers and CEOs, the millennial generation."
There we are, back to bikes. Have no fear, Mr. Dugas, Ms. Andrean says that "we are already developing exciting bicycle routes that will be much safer than the ones originally proposed for Peachtree.”
I can't wait.
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