Posted August 26, 2007 Editorial: Transportation work done here can serve rest of the nation
Although the federal government hasn't seen fit to release any money from the Non-Motorized Transportation Program to Sheboygan County, we're pleased to see the local advisory committee continuing its diligent evaluation of projects for funding. Sheboygan County is in line for $25 million from the Department of Transportation to develop projects and programs designed to get people out of cars and trucks and onto their feet or a bike. Ideally, the things Sheboygan County and the three other communities in the nation do with the total of $100 million will help reduce consumption of gasoline and make us healthier. Rep. Tom Petri, whose 6th District includes Sheboygan County, assures that the money for non-motorized transportation is not in jeopardy despite the concern about the safety of bridges in the U.S. following the collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis Aug. 1. So how do you justify spending $25 million on bike trails and walking paths when we have bridges crumbling all around? The same way you justify spending money on research and education to prevent disease. It would be foolish to only spend money on treatment of illness and disease and ignore trying to find ways to prevent people from getting sick. The projects being eyed in Sheboygan County are specifically designed to give people alternatives to using cars for transportation. The fewer cars and trucks on our roads and bridges the longer they will last and need fewer repairs. If we don't search for and develop alternatives, we'll continue to struggle to find ways to reduce oil imports. But there is pressure on the four communities including the City of Minneapolis to spend the non-motorized grant money wisely. The 30-member committee in Sheboygan County considering applications for grant funding is going about its job in the right way taking its time to study and evaluate each proposal. They've sent several back for more information or to refine the idea. We don't see any rush to spend the money just to spend the money. Applicants are being asked to do the homework needed to justify receiving a portion of the grant. Petri, when he met recently with The Sheboygan Press, said the four communities chosen for funding under the non-motorized transportation program are serving as guinea pigs for the rest of the country. "The work you do here and the projects you come up with can be applied to other parts of the country as we search for energy independence," Petri said. We're confident that the local planning committee will approve projects in line with the goal of the program to create a non-motorized transportation network that connects neighborhoods, retail centers, schools, recreation facilities and businesses and serve as a model for the rest of the country. sheboygan-press.com is a Gannett Company website. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
