[Winona Online Democracy] Janice Turek raises some important points in her post about traffic, density, and annexation. She is right to be frustrated about these things, but it is important to realize that simply asking traffic to go away is not an option. Traffic is here to stay, and then some. There are strategies and designs to handle larger volumes of traffic more smoothly, but choosing to live where it is uncongested is rather like catching the snowflake - once you do it you've ruined the thing you came for.
The point I would hope everyone in this discussion realizes is that the growth is going to happen somewhere. Would we rather add those homes within two miles of the city or within ten miles of the city? Going up and down Pleasant Valley, the same folks will use the road to get to work or school or shopping in Winona. If we spread them out over many miles, then we need a more substantial road for those many miles. Or we could cluster them closer to the city, where the cost of roadway extension and maintenance is less, as well as all the other services, such as sewer, water, police, fire. etc. Once all the traffic gets to the intersection by Janice's house it makes no difference if it has come one mile or ten miles - it's still all there. And by the time all this traffic gets to the intersection of Hwy 43/61 it's going to be the same number of cars, needing the same level of lanes, traffic lights, etc. to be handled properly. The difference is how far will we spread out the development. I argue for more compact, orderly development. I don't want to unfairly color Janice's remarks, but they fall into the category of "I got here first, make everyone else go away". She got to move out to the country where it was quiet and undisturbed, and some folks in this situation want to make sure no one else gets the same privilege. The best way to preserve the countryside or any environment is to stay off it. Visit very other Sunday if you want, but if you live there, you bring the problems you were trying to get away from, and it's hard to argue that others shouldn't have the same opportunity. Phil Carlson, Minneapolis _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
