Lame Arguments Abound For Maplecrest Extension
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 5/16/08 @ 12:03 pm - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
It’s becoming quite clear to everyone paying attention that the finances on the wasteful $55 million Maplecrest Extension project just don’t add up. But that doesn’t deter its supporters as they’re now pushing new, although equally bogus, reasons for supporting the project. Here’s the latest from the Kevin Leininger’s column:
Whatever the project’s economic impact, it would yield other benefits, said Dan Avery of the Northeast Indiana Regional Coordinating Council, a transportation planning agency. By 2036 the project would reduce travel by 28,500 miles daily, resulting in a savings to drivers of $23.9 million over 25 years. It would also reduce automobile emissions - an important consideration, Councilwoman Paula Hughes said, because Allen County’s air quality has at times failed to meet federal standards.
Nothing but handwaving arguments here. They can’t predict with any certainty what the traffic patterns will be 30 years from now and they damn sure can’t predict what the emissions from various automobiles will be. But Paula Hughes air quality statement is the worst argument I’ve seen to date in support of the project. I mean just think about this for a minute. She’s touting the project based on reducing automobile emissions while the very same project is slated to have a large industrial base that will likely pump out massive amounts of pollutants.
Comments
2 Responses to “Lame Arguments Abound For Maplecrest Extension”
Leave a Reply
Did she say that with a straight face? We have got to reign in a lawless local government.
They could have sold me on it if the gas savings to drivers was high enough. But it would take over 50 years to pay for itself through reduced fuel consumption. That’s assuming people still drive cars in the year 2058. Would you start a business that wouldn’t make any money for 5 decades?
Jeff, in the spirit of expediency, I’m going to plagerize my own comment and post it on the LPAC blog.