A member of the "River Crossing Task Force" has a letter in the Salem Statesman-Journal today, selling that same old snake oil of "Build your way out of congestion." The best part is his suggestion that some readers "object to us seeking solutions to the problem."
It's interesting to note that Mr. Erickson specifically fails to mention telecommuting, flex-time, and ride-sharing, choosing to focus his scorn purely on bikes and buses. Nor does he mention the blindingly high cost ($670 million) of his preferred "solution," the devastating impact on the neighborhood chosen to bear the brunt of the approach to the four-story monstrosity, or the repeated American experience of building new highway capacity only to have it immediately used up by people moving further and further out, producing the same levels of congestion at higher overall levels of traffic flow.
Nor does he address how a third bridge would affect the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals--no surprise there, because the city governments staffing the project have ignored this elephant in the living room as well.
Bridge ideas would improve traffic flow, not clog city streets
March 24, 2008
For years, bridge congestion has been a way of life for residents on both sides of the river. Several of your readers object to us seeking solutions to the problem.
For three years, a die-hard group studying crossing options has reviewed ideas, including the suggestion not to build a bridge.
Sure, more bikes and buses would reduce the load, but we found those two ideas alone can't fix the problem. It is simply not practical to think tens of thousands of people are going to ride bikes or walk to work every day rain or shine — just because they live on the other side of the river.
Especially noteworthy is the large volume of traffic simply passing through Salem on state Highway 22. There are growing communities, popular casinos and tourist attractions on the coast west of Salem. This traffic, combined with freight trucks hauling goods east and west, equals a very busy highway that is forced to a halt because it passes right through downtown Salem.
Nearly all popular bridge ideas include a connection that allows regional traffic and freight to pass through our community without plugging up our streets. That would help everyone — even those who don't cross the bridge.
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