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Minor rant: I want a commuter transport systemI am extremely fortunate that, as a computer programmer, I have been able telecommute from home since I have moved from Columbia, Md to Fayetteville, Ga last summer. I've seen the backups on 74 by PTC and 85/92/54 here in Fayetteville. Now that my company is thinking about opening an office in Atlanta, my "home office" days may be coming to an end soon. I seriously can not understand the self inflicted pain that the suburban counties surrounding Atlanta impose on themselves. In the Washington Metro Area living near a metro station increases housing values. I hear a lot about the "wrong element" coming in through a transportation system. I guess I should distinguish between an all day transport system (like a metro) and a commuter rail/light rail/commuter bus system. The latter only runs one-way and only during rush hour. In the morning the busses or trains go into the city, there is no afternoon service in either direction until the evening rush hour begins. I've been enjoying just such a system for years in Maryland that is known as the MARC. MARC uses the same tracks that CSX and Amtrak use so the cost was minimal. A lot of people here seem to like driving a car for 2 hours to travel 30 miles but I'd prefer to read my paper and sip my coffee and leave the extra miles off of my car. One last thing, what's the deal with this local stigma that "only poor people ride the train" ? Again, I realize that I'm not in Kansas anymore but during rush hour in DC, most of the people you see are well dressed business people riding in from some very wealthy suburbs. The rest of the passengers are students and a few "poor people." Still the trains and stations are clean, transit police are everywhere which adds to the general feeling of safety. ![]() |