06/13/2026
Another day, another coordinated attack on Beltline light rail by this city’s business class.
This time an AJC Op-Ed from Eric Tanenblatt of Dentons Law Firm.
The same Dentons that counts as clients autonomous vehicle manufacturers who stand to gain financially should pods be put on the Beltline. Curiously, the AJC failed to include this disclosure in its identifier of Tanenblatt and Dentons in its initial rollout of the column. (It added this fact to Tanenblatt's Op-Ed bio two days later after getting complaints).
The same way the AJC failed to disclose Cox Enterprise's three percent ownership stake in Rivian in Cox Chair Alex Taylor’s AJC Op-Ed from a few weeks ago. A column that advocated for more electric vehicles (Rivian was named) as a solution to Atlanta's congestion problem.
What else is wrong with Tanenblatt’s column? For one, the technology for which he advocates – 60-person autonomous trams – doesn’t exist.
Furthermore, Tanenblatt seems to advocate for autonomous vehicle technology as a way to get people to the Beltline as opposed to a transit mode ON the Beltline.
The whole point of Beltline rail is connecting the 45 neighborhoods on the 22-mile loop through the greenway transit right of way that's already in place beside the recreational trail. Expert study after expert study, spanning 20-plus years, confirms light rail is the preferred mode of transit for ON the Beltline.
If Tanenblatt is taking the position that autonomous shuttles should be used solely to get Atlantans to the Beltline, well then he's advocating for just one more automobile on the road.
