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Like It or Not, Asheville Needs an Eight-Lane I-26 Connector to Reduce Traffic Gridlock |
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by Dr. Carl Mumpower
Op-Ed
Asheville Citizen-Times
March 19, 2004
[ED.
NOTE: This op-ed is dated, but it is reprinted for the quality of its
content. Dr. Mumpower has since changed his stance to say only that he
will vote for what the facts best support. Asked specifically about
this op-ed, Mumpower replied, "I spoke in support of 8 lanes based on
information at that time. The information has changed, and so has my
ability to discern the right thing.]
The I-26 Connector project
dominated last Thursdays AC-T transportation forum presentations -
most specifically the number of planned lanes. DOT has repeatedly
stated a dedication to eight lanes, and traffic projection models, old
and new, that demonstrate anything less is a mistake. Their opponents
say that we can get by with six lanes and limit intrusive impact on
west Asheville. Sensitivity to those affected in West Asheville is
reasonable, and in truth, six lanes will do the job–but just barely,
and barely is not the responsible standard by which growing cities
undertake major road building projects. It is not a matter of what we
like, want or wish. It is a matter of what we need, and all the
indicators say that 99 percent of us will be relying on cars and roads
as our primary transport for the foreseeable future. Add the fact that
Asheville is an accelerating destination of choice and our course is
charted in spite of personal interests toward fewer lanes.
A City Council Vote?
Several
of the presenters lamented Asheville City Councils past refusal to
!
nvote on
the issue of lane preference. Speaking as one member of
council, I believe that lane decisions should be guided by technical
considerations versus politics. Our community relies on the NCDOT to
serve as our technical experts, and we appoint representatives to a
regional Transportation Advisory Committee of elected officials
directly charged with learning and voting on these matters. Asheville
City Council should not vote unless we seek to artificially trump the
established decision-making process and impose personal preferences.
This ill-advised model of leadership has the potential to stimulate
another round of legal and political maneuverings resulting in further
delays and dangers.
Why Not More Mass Transit?
We
have many voices dedicated to furthering the cause of mass transit.
Unfortunately for these good folks most of the moving feet in Asheville
are resting on the floorboard of an automobile. Density, topography,
economics and convenience will persistently conspire against mass
transit enthusiasts until something dramatically changes. For an
example of the limits of mass transit in todays world we need look no
further than Atlanta where a highly populated city with mostly flat
terrain reportedly invests 55 percent of its transportation dollars
subsidizing a mass transit system that carries 3 percent of its
commuters. There is wisdom in keeping mass transit on the table for
discussion and fair consideration. There is folly in deluding ourselves
into duplicating a model of transportation that requires
cost-prohibitive subsidies, is actively resisted by the majority of our
population, and that will never provide the freedom, mobility, choice
and convenience of the private automobile.
Where Do We Go From Here?
As
it stands today, we are at least nine years from completing the
improve!
ments ne
eded in Ashevilles I-26 Connector system. The
intervening years will find us struggling with gridlock, pollution and
safety concerns that will dramatically test this communitys patience
and resources. We are up for the challenge. We should not be up for
more delays. Every day we beat the drums of resistance and avoid
stepping into the wind with a finalized I-26 Corridor plan is a bad
loan on tomorrow. Its past time for Asheville to recognize that there
is no ideal process, model or plan that will ease all our fears and
defuse all harmful impacts.
Regardless of what you or I want,
there is the pressing reality of what we need, and what we need is a
finalized plan that holds everyones feet to the fire until the job
gets done. We have tangled with the myth that roads produce people,
when in fact people produce a need for roads. Some of the roads we have
are in danger of becoming four-lane parking lots–thats a fact that
will take us nowhere.
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