A New Focus for Environmentalist

Automobiles are one of the leading causes of pollution in Atlanta. Smog from cars, whether they are giant SUVs owned by middle class mothers carting their children to and from school, to sports cars owned by rich businessmen, to beaten down clunkers that are barely dragging its own weight down the road. Despite the many different movements that the people, governments, and organizations have made to reduce pollution and dependency on automobiles, it is clear that Atlanta has a long way to go before it finds a way to reduce its dependency on such a popular mode of transportation. Even with the movement towards hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, and electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, the progression to a healthier mode of transportation is a slow one. The focus of environmental issues dealing with transportation needs to shift from changing the way cars run and focus more on supporting mass public transportation across largely populated areas.

When looking at the city of Atlanta, one can argue that cars are necessary for the day to day movement across the metropolitan area, and not be far from accurate. MARTA is a failed system as it is now. Even with the 1 percent sales tax that is supposed to go to improving the public transportation system, MARTA still struggles to be a viable and reliable mode of transportation around the city. Due to the limited area that MARTA train stations cover, and the inconsistency of the buses, MARTA has not been given the support and chance to grow that it needs to replace cars as the primary mode of transportation. Compared to cities such as New York, London, Munich, and Washington DC, the connectivity of Atlanta’s public transportation system, MARTA, is very lacking. The high dependency on automobiles leads Atlanta to be a less attractive city, with several reoccuring issues of air and sound pollution. The first image that comes to mind when people imagine Atlanta is nighttime and day time traffic, while in New York, people imagine the subway systems and the several landmarks.

What MARTA needs to do is connect all the major districts of Atlanta to provide easy access for those who need to get around quickly and cheaply in the city on a daily basis. It seems like an obvious statement, but so far the leaders of the different counties in Atlanta fail to recognize the importance of having a stable and reliable public transportation system, and prefer to be stuck in traffic for several hours at a time simply to leave their jobs and go home. A suggested redesign of the public transportation system of Atlanta includes several different forms of transportation including light and heavy rails as well as the buses that already exists. With several forms of transportation already in place, the added connection and increased accessibility will allow Atlanta to thrive more as a city with good public transportation, lower pollution levels, and generally a better reputation as a large city.

Works Cited

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House,
1961.

Murphy, Deanna. Lecture. ENGL 1101: Rhetoric of Mass Transportation. Georgia
Institute of Technology, 23 Sept. 2011.