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Jared's avatar

Thanks for linking this post from your recent one. I appreciated reading your take on the document. The line “Ridership is projected to be higher in the fare-free financial plan, and state transit funding is based on ridership” is especially relevant to the conversation when we see other localities losing their fare-free structures. They have different ridership shares and funding sources, but it makes me glad for the position we are in now and I hope we continue to prioritize things this way.

As far as the I-81 widening, yeah… We’ve both spent time in urbanist spaces and are familiar with the concept of induced demand (and know the devastating effects highway widening has on communities in other ways), but I saw so many people excited about this when it was first announced. Tony Wilt brags about his role in making it happen, and honestly, I couldn’t even tell you one other bill he’s sponsored because that’s all I think about when I hear his name.

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Jared's avatar

One other question: have you read the Wes Marshall book linked above (Killed by a Traffic Engineer)? I haven’t read it, but on the face, the premise feels like a pretty bold claim. I’m sure I would agree with some of the conclusions presented about the role and duty of traffic engineers and city planners, but surely there also has to be a component of this that comes down to the personal responsibility of the drivers involved. I’d be interested to see the journey that book takes one on.

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