PTC leaders should consider safety 1st,

PTC

leaders should consider safety 1st,

developers 2nd

City officials met with members of

the traffic task force recently to discuss the upcoming

city council vote on the Home Depot/Super Wal-Mart big

boxes. If what was said in that meeting is any

indication, we can look for the developer winning out

again when the appeal is heard before city council Dec.

16.

Mayor Lenox raised the

white flag of surrender, saying we are "legally

compelled" to give in to RAM Development's request

to build this monstrosity. According to the mayor,

"either we will control the situation, or it will

control us."

Does the mayor feel that

letting RAM do as they please is the way to "control

the situation?" Sounds to me as if the developer is

controlling the situation, and we are merely along for

the ride. Isn't that a familiar tune, the developer

calling the shots?

One traffic task force

member said that "commuters can expect a lot of

pain" since it will be at least six years before Ga.

Highway 54 can be widened. Considering the usual pace of

anything our government does, I would expect that project

to take much longer than that. But is the number one

concern here merely problems with commuting? It seems to

me the number one concern, the one our city officials

should be most concerned about, is the fact that

emergency vehicles will be delayed in responding to our

residents due to the added traffic in this already

congested area.

More traffic accidents will

occur, and more of our residents could be injured or

killed. I ask our mayor and council, What's more

important, the "right" of a developer to make

the largest possible profit or our citizens' lives?

The way I see it, our mayor

and city council should be compelled to do one thing,

that is to live up to their pledge to protect our

citizens' safety and welfare. Sure, developers and their

legal mouthpieces will threaten us with lawsuits whenever

they can't do exactly as they please, but should that

really matter?

I see them being much like

a spoiled little brat who can't do what they want to do

so they throw a tantrum. Let them threaten and whine, but

don't just give in to them. Give in once, the tantrums

occur more frequently; stand up to them and they learn

that they must do things our way.

Steve Fodor

Peachtree City