Posted by
Jennifer Lloyd on Friday, October 17, 2008 4:08:56 PM
September 29, 2008
With all the moaning and groaning going on, not to mention the negative headlines, regarding the recent fuel crunch in Atlanta, let me take this opportunity to offer a positive spin on things.
Hey Atlanta…how about you walk? Bike? Ride the MARTA train? Ride a MARTA bus? Share a taxi? Wow…even make efforts to “share the ride” (as Atlanta has been promoting for years) with your neighbor? Friend? Coworker? We do it in Decatur! And, as a 42-year-old mother and Manhattan transplant who still, to this day, has never owned a car, I’m here to say it can be done and IS done in other cities all over the country and the world every day.
Atlantans don’t want to be inconvenienced and are not used to such. Yet, ironically, they inconvenience themselves on a daily basis while waiting in gas lines and then for hours on the Interstate, bumper-to-bumper. Think about this wasted time. This same time spent driving and complaining about the gas shortage, while impatiently and unproductively waiting in line at the stations, could be spent working out one of these solutions in alternative travel. If only as a temporary solution, get to know your city. Those signs out there…you know the ones…with the rainbow-like picture under which only a couple of people, if any, are standing…they are bus stops! And, they are everywhere—even down the block from your house; and they go everywhere throughout Atlanta and Decatur, where you can then transfer to a train or another bus. After moving to the area, I got to know and used the MARTA system even when I didn’t have to do so, while a provided vehicle (my husband’s car) sat at home. Why? I wanted to be savvy and learn how to use all the alternative public transportation methods offered in Atlanta. That same desired insight is what brought me to Decatur, a place I am proud to call home—a community where residents make every effort to get around on foot or by bicycle, and where leaders make every effort to provide such alternatives for their residents.
Many times I have witnessed tourists asking residents, “Where is the nearest bus stop?” only to be given a quizzical stare…a blank expression that said, “I have no idea!” Of course, I stepped in as an informed resident who is proud to know my city and help those who don’t.
The City of Atlanta has been trying to promote commuting alternatives for years, and various government and local agencies have been astounded by Atlanta’s air pollution and obesity rate, determined to find ways around both, while we sit, literally, complaining that the line to the pump is too long or we are wasting hours on the Interstate. Let us all join together in taking a positive approach to this gas crisis. Heck, maybe this could be the beginning of an end to Atlanta’s lack of participation in public transportation and unwillingness to walk or ride bicycles, as we do in Decatur, while we help to decrease dangerous air pollution and obesity at the same time.
Let yourself be inconvenienced. Get out of your car and be creative and resourceful. There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going. Do something different; learn your city. Enjoy the challenge rather than any opportunity to complain. And, for those who want “change,” help turn this negative into a positive and use this ideal time to actually make a change instead of waiting for one…while literally keeping the change as well! You will save money, decrease your carbon footprint and waistband, and feel better about yourself for helping to make a difference one step at a time.
Jennifer Lloyd, Decatur, Georgia
Professional Member, NFRW (National Federation of Republican Women)