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Update: The Task force had its public hearing today. Somewhere between thirty and forty people spoke. Everybody who spoke wanted to see more transportation alternatives. Nobody wanted more roads. The task force will continue to accept written comments until the end of November.</Update>

This coming Monday, the governor’s Congestion Mitigation Task Force will hold what is likely to be their only public hearing (PDF) on the subject of congestion mitigation for metro Atlanta.

What follows is an email I sent to the task force. You can send them an email, too!
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The theme song for the Brand Atlanta campaign, composed by the ironically named Dallas Austin, debuts tonight. A sample clip was distributed through the AJC website.

So an open question for an open thread: what do you think of Atlanta’s new theme song?

It took television to really help me understand what Atlanta is.  Atlanta is the population hub singularity around which the rest of the South spins.  Atlanta has always seemed to be lacking in a unifying single cultural element that binds us together.  Things just swirl around.   Gravity is the metaphor. 
This becomes obvious via Turner South and Fox Sports South.  Their broadcasts tailor everything for us.  One show visited main streets in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina, describing them all as “places you could drive to and back in a day!”.  That only works if you’re here. 
Fox Sports South talked about the Alabama v. Tennessee game as being close to home and a fun day trip.  Not if you’re from Charlotte. 
Atlanta has so many people that advertisers, retailers, and other Southern Cities build their economic and marketing campaigns around us.  We have the ability to drive the region.  The question is: ‘toward what horizon should we be driving?’ 

Most people have heard of DWB (Driving While Black), but there seems to be an less scary, yet equally effrontery practice going on which we’ll call EOWB or eating out while black. 
Recently, I was late in joining four African American women for a late night post show meal.  They had already ordered and I just ordered a smoothy.  At the end of the evening, we found that the bill had been split and the tip had been included in the check amount.  Now, I have been to this restaurant before with groups of 5 and 6.  The tip was not added nor the bill split.  I also learned the ladies had not requested this.  There seems to have been a presumption that because the women were Black, they would not tip. 
A Cornell University Study confirms that is a prejudice against African Americans in general as good tippers.  Yet, prejudice does not excuse behavior, and as discussion of the study indicates, it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.  Waitrons don’t expect as good a tip so they don’t put in as much effort which the restarts the cycle.   This both hurts the waitron and causes resentment by African Americans against the establishment. 
Yet, there is a solution.  A 15% minimum service charge added to the bill for everyone.  It’s equal, you can leave more if you wish and it means everyone is entitled to the same level of basic service.  It also ensures that Waitrons, who never make enough, get a fair shake from everyone. 

Atlantic Station’s official opening may be later this week, but one thing is already clear; this is not primarily about urban improvement, it’s about money, pure and simple.
First, lets talk about some of what they did right.  Having people live on the property is great.  There are apartments, business, retail, and restaurants.  It’s truly mixed use and should be pretty lively all the time.  That’s the good part.  They’ve also set space aside for MAACC to promote culture in the city, there is a supermarket, and plenty of parking.
There are sidewalks and security.  There is even an outdoor stage for some community performances.
There is still a lot of left to do.  First, they will celebrate their grand opening with less than full capacity.  Lots of restaurants and shops have not yet been built.  Underground Atlanta has already made this mistake twice.  It’s a common Atlanta ploy.  Rather than showing the city what Atlantic Station is, the presenters will be showing what it can be.   Atlantans are getting all too accustomed to ‘It’s going to be great!’
There are also some basic structural problems.  There are no water fountains.  Crosswalks do not alert drivers that they Must Yield to pedestrians, and it’s not easy to find your way into the garages.  Also architecturally, if you like the Mall of Georgia, you’re going to love this!  Nothing daring or imaginative.  Nothing revolutionary.  Just a mall masquerading as in-town neighborhood with roads such as 17 & 1/2  street.
Just as with any mall, the chains rule the roost.  Moes, Z Gallery, Old Navy, Limited, Gap, and California Pizza Kitchen all invaded.  There are very few one of a kind stores.  Even the movie theater is a national chain.  You’d have though they could have at least recruited Lefonte.  Bookstore? No.  Concert Hall?  No.  Live theater?  No.  MARTA shelters?  No.  I am glad there is a department store, but it does not even have a bar or restaurant! 
So what should those who support a smart, well urbanized Atlanta do?  First, treat it like any other mall.  It’s new, it will be popular for a while, but a mall’s a mall and in this one, you get wet when it rains.  Second, don’t mistake Atlantic Station for downtown.  It isn’t.  There are no real civic or cultural facilities, and I’ll bet if someone tries to preach the gospel or chess hustle, they will be arrested and kicked to the curb.  Third, ask about things you’d think any in town neighborhood would have, such as a library.  Fourth, when you need mall type stuff or if you live in that neighborhood, shop there. 
Atlantic Station is not perfect and needs improvement, but it sure beats the heck out of Town Center…

Public Broadcasting Atlanta may be headed for trouble.  Recently at a meeting, one of their staffers said that pledge drives had just about capped out and that while they were still necessary evils, there was little room for growth.  The people who are going to pledge do pledge and those who won’t don’t.  Instead, PBA wants to seek more underwriting.
The problem with this strategy is that companies are seeing the demand for their marketing and charitable dollars under ever increasing strain.  According to one local culture leader, “It’s hard to ask for money when you know you have to complete with food, shelter, and clothing!”   Lisa Cremens of the Metro Atlanta Arts Fund says that many cultural groups are going to see their increases through cultivating individuals and not NGOs or comportations. 
With many governmental officials crying for cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, what are we to do?  What can be done?  I’ve an answer for you.
Want to know the true third rail of American politics?  It’s not Social Security.  It’s Sesame Street.  Threaten that and watch the wrath of Americans fall on you like Andruw Jones at batting practice.  This may be the time when we may have to point out that Big Bird is an endangered species.  Whether PBA can navigate the changes it needs to make without crashing is another story. 

The School systems in Metro Atlanta Counties are pennywise and pound foolish..
Why?  Because many are canceling all field trips.  The reason?  Fuel for the buses costs too much.  Yes, fuel prices have gone up, but bringing new ways of seeing the world and opportunities to learn are sacred trusts that we owe our young citizens.  After all, it’s just this exposure that will shape what kind of citizens they become!   Canceling trips to the High Museum and to hear great music seems absolutely insane when two of our counties remain dedicated to providing precious diesel fuel for football. 
Now, I understand that sports are important, but if we have to prioritize, the wrong choices are being made.  Georgia has among the lowest average SAT scores in the country.  Our schools are failing.  Citizens repeatedly proclaim that they want disciplined smart students who can be both creative and focused on using their academic skills.  Moreover, those are the skills they will need to compete in an increasingly level world economy.  These are the very skills students develop when they participate in creative opportunities! 
Want to know how I know?  Because of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.  That’s 120 kids.  They all go college.  ALL OF THEM!  Further, their average SAT is 1320 and they earn $4 million in scholarships!!!
Is this not the model we want?  Rather than sending kids to play football, why not take all those kids and take them to the Georgia Shakespeare Festival!  Heck, the festival will even help them charter buses or pay for the gas!  
The decisions we make will shape what our students think is important.  Fund fuel for football and you fund the mentality of football players, fund motor fuel for Mozart and you’ll have more minds of Mozart’s measure!  Where do you want the diesel?

This morning I went on a tour of the Northwest portion of the Beltline. It was encouraging to see such a sizeable group there. Reps from various NPUs were there. There were also some older people who had grown up in (or lived in for a significant period) the neighborhoods we toured. It was a mixed bag of folks and their ever-present opinions.
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Who wants to ride MARTA for free?  Sure!  We all do! 
And now, here’s how!  Go to the Inman Park- Reynoldstown Station!  Why?  Because all the fare gates are broken.  All of them.  Tokens don’t work.  Transcards don’t work.  Change does not work…. & apparently, hasn’t for days. 
The MARTA person on duty did not even take my token.  She just told me to come on through and when I offered my token, she just shook her head. 
Now, I am a big MARTA supporter.  I want the system to succeed and I think people should pay to ride it.  Having a station where all the fare gates don’t work does not help me make my case for a broader funding model.  Even if this is temporary, having people collecting the revenue in person would be a plus twice over.  It would show that MARTA is serious about making people pay and it would bring in revenue the system needs!  Two out of two ain’t bad! 

Despite my earnest desire for real, viable, “sell your car and be done with it” mass transit in metro Atlanta, I realize that it will - no matter what - take some time for MARTA to reach that point. As such, I try to keep my expectations of the little transit system that we love to hate within the realm of reality. So instead of, “I want a rail line that goes up I-75, and another one that goes to the Emory area, and more stops along the Northeast line - and I want it now!“, I opt for, “In lieu of more densely packed rail access, I would like bus service to be more frequent.” Or, “I would like turnstiles that actually work.” Come on now, MARTA; that’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Here’s the thing: MARTA turnstiles will, without reason or warning, sometimes just not let you through. It doesn’t matter if you have a monthly card. It doesn’t matter if you purchased and properly deposited a token. Their moods are as fickle as that of a 14-year-old girl. “Frustrating” would be an understatement to describe this situation; it’s downright stupid. I should not have to be writing a ranty blog post about wanting functional turnstiles.

The Arts Center Station is particularly notorious for turnstile treachery. This especially pisses me off in light of the renovations to the escalators taking place in that station - which seem to consist mainly of putting new tile on the walls. People! Hello!! They’re called priorities - and escalator wall tile shouldn’t be at the top of the list! Eager, law-abiding MARTA patrons shouldn’t have to jump the turnstiles (and subsequently injure themselves) to enter the station.

The boyfriend and I went through this little dance at Arts Center yesterday (as detailed in his post, linked above), and again at the Decatur station. The Decatur incident demonstrated the inanity of the situation; I went through without a problem, and said something like, “See, the turnstiles actually work at this station”; then I hear from behind, “Don’t speak so soon.” It let me through but it wouldn’t let him through.

MARTA, if you’re wondering why more people aren’t riding your trains, here’s a possible reason: they can’t get in. Get your priorities straight and quit tiling the walls.

[Cross-posted, with more profanity, at Being Amber Rhea]