Read the CJ's editorial, or not

Here is the letter I sent to our Jefferson County delegation:

Our transportation networks must shift from supporting vehicle throughput to supporting pedestrians, transit, and a community vision. The goal of 8664 is to transform the design and construction of public streets downtown into places that improve the quality of human life and the environment rather than simply move vehicles from place to place. That is why one of the main features of the 8664 plan is a street-level boulevard that invites bicycle use and local transit use and does not obstruct the use of Waterfront Park, the skateboard Park, or Slugger Field. All this occurs as well as allowing for the efficient flow of traffic into and out of downtown. The latest traffic studies calls for this boulevard to carry 15,000 car trips a day with little or no congestion. Data from other projects suggests that it is impossible to predict the number of car trips that will disappear from a given segment of road if that road is moved or taken away. If I-64 is moved to Southern Indiana driving patterns will shift to allow free traffic flow downtown because of the cars diverted from Louisville who have other destinations. Some car trips will not happen at all, because people adapt to the roads and plan other routes, or just decide that their trip is not necessary after all. We do not need to spend an extra $2 billion to accommodate only about 3,000 extra car trips downtown, which is what the new downtown Bridge and expanded Spagetti Junction will generate!

Mayors of other cities, such as Milwaukee testify to the increased opportunities for private development funds to begin to flow into formerly blighted areas which were covered by viaducts and elevated expressways! We are foolish not to sieze on this moment. By moving this expressway, we can open up worlds of commercial possibilities, as well as mixed - use development and parkland access.

"If we can develop and design streets so that they are wonderful, fulfilling places to be – community-building places, attractive for all people – then we will have successfully designed about one-third of the city directly and will have had an immense impact on the rest.“ --Alan Jacobs

Leigh Shader, AIA, LEED AP

And here is who I sent it to: (I hope they get the message!)
kevin.bratcher@lrc.ky.gov, scott.brinkman@lrc.ky.gov, tom.burch@lrc.ky.gov, larry.clark@lrc.ky.gov, perry.clark@lrc.ky.gov, ron.crimm@lrc.ky.gov, julie.denton@lrc.ky.gov, bob.deweese@lrc.ky.gov, tim.firkins@lrc.ky.gov, denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov, ernie.harris@lrc.ky.gov, dennis.horlander@lrc.ky.gov, joni.jenkins@lrc.ky.gov, marylou.marzian@lrc.ky.gov, reginald.meeks@lrc.ky.gov, charlie.miller@lrc.ky.gov, gerald.neal@lrc.ky.gov, david.osborne@lrc.ky.gov, darryl.owens@lrc.ky.gov, steve.riggs@lrc.ky.gov, steve.riner@lrc.ky.gov, dan.seum@lrc.ky.gov, tim.shaughnessy@lrc.ky.gov, elizabeth.tori@lrc.ky.gov, jim.wayne@lrc.ky.gov, ron.weston@lrc.ky.gov