October 21, 2008
THE GARDEN HOSE - KEEPING TRAFFIC MOVING
Many years ago a wise PennDOT traffic engineer, Steve Lester, told me that the road network in the suburbs is like a garden hose. You can pump a lot of water through a straight hose, but if you kink the hose the water will back up immediately. Similarly, the bottlenecks in the road network causing congestion are out-of-date and inadequate intersections. To keep the traffic flowing freely we generally don't need to widen the roads but we do need to modernize the intersections with left and right turn lanes, turn signals, upgraded lights and other improvements.
Unfortunately, these capacity improvement projects are no longer a funding priority for the state and federal government, since they are focusing their limited resources on bridge repairs and road reconstruction. County and local governments will have to find alternative funding if we want to complete projects designed to relieve traffic congestion and reduce gridlock.
The Montgomery County Commissioners asked our Planning Commission to study this problem and suggest solutions. The planners recently hosted a transportation summit attended by 250 local officials and community and business leaders, and strong support was voiced for a county-supported funding program for transportation projects.
We expect our planners to recommend soon that the county commissioners establish a program of as much as $150 million over several years raised through the sale of bonds to supplement the declining state and federal support for necessary local road and intersection improvements. We will be asked to work closely with local government and business partners to establish alternative funding and matching grants. We will probably seek voter approval for the program in a referendum next year.
Clearly, county government will have to step forward with creative alternatives and innovative thinking if we want to see these necessary transportation projects built. These steps are needed to promote economic development, strengthen the local economy and improve the quality of life.
THE ELECTION - OBAMA-BIDEN YES, TOM-TOM NO
I am a big fan of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I say this as a proud supporter of Hillary Clinton during the primaries. But the primaries are over and it is time to elect a new President and Vice President to end the long national nightmare of the Bush Administration.
Barack Obama is the most gifted and inspirational leader the Democrats have offered the nation since John and Robert Kennedy. In the White House, Barack Obama and Joe Biden constantly will remind us of our obligations to the least, the last and the lost among us. They will work every day to improve conditions for middle class, working families by growing incomes, creating jobs, improving public schools, expanding health care and protecting the planet. They will work with our allies, not against them, to restore our leadership around the world and to responsibly end the war in Iraq.
John McCain is an honorable man who is running a dishonorable campaign. He has chosen a running mate who clearly is not ready to serve as Vice President, let alone President. The GOP campaign of smears, disinformation and outright lies is pathetic and shameful.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden deserve to win and John McCain and Sarah Palin deserve to lose. Let us make that happen!
While we are at it, let's elect Rob McCord and John Morganelli and re-elect Jack Wagner. The two GOP Toms - Ellis and Corbett - just don't measure up. Tom Ellis has (how can I say this politely?) anger management issues, and made several financial decisions when chairing the Montgomery County Commission that cost us about $1.5 million in extra fees, according to our financial adviser. Tom Corbett has allowed politics to taint his Bonusgate investigation by only moving against Democrats before the November election although he acknowledges Republican wrongdoing also occurred. Maybe he will get to that later. Let's not give him the chance.
Thanks for reading this, and please let me hear from you.
Sincerely,
