This letter is another one that will probably make some of you angry. If you are one of those, I’m not attempting to antagonize you, just to explain my position.

This is written prior to the special called meeting of the Peachtree City Council to discuss this issue. I don’t know at this point what they will say, or do.

I am in favor of extending TDK Boulevard. I am also in favor of realigning Rockaway Road, making Ga. highways 74 South and 85 South into four-lane roads, the “West Bypass” and the “East Bypass.” I’m in favor of extending MacDuff Parkway in the right circumstances. I really am in favor of building the roads that the public needs.

It’s not a case of, “If you build it, they will come.” It’s a case of “They are already here” and more, “they are coming if you build it or not.” The concept that roads cause traffic, development and congestion is one that is spread by the part of the environmentalist movement that is, at heart, anti-human. It is a myth and it is wrong.

I do NOT believe that the way to guide development is to choke off people’s transportation options. That was tried, even if it was not on purpose, at the intersection of 54 and 74. It wasn’t pleasant. If you were around here more than a few weeks ago (when the improvements were opened), you know exactly the kind of traffic I’m talking about.

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to go that way often. But, when I did, I thought about the politicians who allowed that situation to happen. It was awful and it was the direct result of knowing development was happening and letting the situation worsen.

If you doubt me, just consider that intersection. Would it have gotten better, or worse, if no action had been taken and the road and bridges were not expanded? Would traffic be better, or worse, if 74 North from Peachtree City to I-85 was still a two-lane road? Hwy. 54 from Peachtree City through Fayetteville?

We live in a growing area. You can’t make it not grow by choking traffic flow. But, you can make it miserable for those who are here. We’ve got to get ahead of the traffic situation, and keep ahead by building roads that are needed. Or we will guarantee that we will duplicate this situation over and over.

The area in Coweta County that we talk about is going to develop. It will develop if there is a TDK Extension or not. The question is: where will the traffic go? If there is no TDK and other roads, then 74 will be just as burdened, if not more; the traffic will just come from south on 74 or from west on 54.

In fact, if traffic wanted to go from Coweta to Fayetteville, it would not be able to go TDK to Crosstown to the Parkway or Robinson or Ebenezer. It would HAVE to go through the intersection of 54 and 74. Exactly where we do NOT want it to have to go.

If you are trying to limit development, this is not the way to do it. If you are trying to limit development, elect some people who will do exactly that.

The proposed Coweta project is not in the proper place for as much residential and retail development as has been in the newspaper. It’s not on an interstate and cannot be serviced as if it were.

I urge my counterparts in Coweta to be sensible and cautious. If you live in Coweta, talk to your commissioners. If you don’t live in Coweta, you can still talk to your state and federal representatives and senators about this issue. They will probably tell you that this is a local issue, but tell them the impact is not.

When a county wants to permit massive density of development where the transportation infrastructure does not exist to support it, require them to provide (finance) the transportation. Don’t let them dump it off on others, including the state or federal governments.

Don’t just sit and complain to each other. Don’t just sit and complain to the wrong people. Don’t make a situation worse by choosing the wrong ways to combat it; then you have two problems instead of one.

Peter Pfeifer
County Commission, Post 3
Peachtree City, Ga.