The drama played out at Thursday night's STRIDE meeting was sensational. The script reads like a prime-time drama.
In one corner, Eric Eoloff of Abbott Hospital defends the pregnant women who come to his hospital, saying, "Do you expect her to arrive by bike?" Mark Knapp, environmental activist, retorts authoritatively, "Eric, how many of your patients suffer the consequences of our auto-obsessed culture - obesity, asthma, depression, stress?" Eoloff nods his head and looks down. A woman who works for Wells Fargo chimes in, "besides, those women could take a taxi. People just assume that driving is the only way. The workers of Abbott and Wells Fargo must find other ways to get to work if this is going to be successful. That's the answer, not tearing up homes for some flyover ramp." Next, Art Erickson of Urban Ventures gives a stirring tribute to the lords of industry who promote this glorious new ramp, opening the floodgates of commerce and modernity. Ted Mueller of the Lake Street Council concurs, saying that "this project will really move cars efficiently." Many in the room are wondering whether Ted's Extra Large Pop from Taco Bell was purchased at the drive-through, so earnest are his praises of automobile culture. The drama begins to unfold. After all, what is good theater if not the unlikely transformation of characters through their contact with truth? The activists surrounding these men testify, one by one, to the violence and destruction of our ever-expanding car infrastructure, while extolling the virtues of cities built for people. The culmination of this chautaqua comes with Mark Knapp's eulogy of Janet Jones, the woman whose life was taken by a careless driver at 38th and Nicollet, who was thrown thirty feet, who senselessly lost her life before the altar of "progress". Visually moved, Ted, Tom and Eric all seem to grasp that the 35W Access Project is about more than flyover ramps and new freeway lanes, but it is more like the slow advancement of a tumor, a few more vanquished cells on the warpath to the brain and heart of our city. Eric surprisedly gushes, "Yes, you are right. We are having the wrong discussion here. This should be about transit. This should be about changing our infrastructure to allow for more choices." His words ring like the confession of Rodrigo, the tyrant captain in "The Mission" who is melted by his brother's compassion. What is left to be seen is if Mr. Eoloff and the other Access Project captains can strip off the armor of this car-centered plan and climb the mountain to a more sensible, transit-centered future. Jeff Carlson, Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
