Health & Fitness
The Dream of World-Class Transit
Every night, I close my eyes and see the solution to Atlanta's transportation problems.
Our daily traffic crisis is my inspiration. The pro-gridlock party at the state capitol is the cause. In my dreams, I take a particular problem and fine tune the answer night after night till finally I have a dream that represents the solution.
Tonight, again I lay my head on the pillow and close my eyes and think about what it would be like if Gov. Barnes' transportation bill had been signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue eleven years ago.
The next thing I see is my front yard covered in ice and snow through my living room window. It is the ice storm of January 2011 and it is time to go to work. I walk down the driveway and join my Indian Hills neighbors who are also heading to the CCT bus stop.
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When we get to Lower Roswell Road and climb on the bus, I realize that I am the only person who wore golf shoes for extra traction. We pick up Commissioner Bob Ott and some of his neighbors at their stop on Terrell Mill Road. In a few minutes, we get on the train at Cumberland Mall and are heading to Atlanta.
Some passengers are checking their e-mails on their I-pads; others are reading the paper or drinking coffee. Some look out the window and see the same trucks that were stuck in the same place on the interstate yesterday.
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Many are resting their eyes. Bob transfers to MARTA and goes to the airport. He is a pilot for Delta. I transfer to the Beltline Railroad which takes me to the front door of my new office building. I look at the mirror in the main atrium and notice that I have lost a few pounds. The little walks to and from the bus stop have reversed my diabetes too.
The next thing I see is Atlanta far below. I’m in a plane approaching Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Traffic below is moving smoothly even at rush hour. All the jobs that have come to the metro area in the last decade haven't overwhelmed its easily expanded world class transportation system. The pilot (it sounds like Bob) announces that the clear air out the window meant another year without a smog alert and Atlanta again has the lowest rate of childhood asthma of any major city in America and the highest employment rate.
Then I see the images of the two greatest Georgians on the side of Stone Mountain, Nobel Peace Prize winners Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with President Carter. I smile so big that it makes me wake up from my best dream ever.