by KYW's vice president and general manager David Yadgaroff
The Delaware Valley has effectively exported grinding traffic congestion from city to suburbs through lack of planning, inadequate funding, and obstinate insistence on solo driving. Those are some of the conclusions drawn from KYW’s Regional Affairs Council series, "Suburban Sprawl, Suburban Crawl."
The title says it all. But now that we know the damage, how can it be fixed? Several suggestions were aired -- some new, some old -- that should get a green light:
Making hard individual decisions about when to drive and when to use available mass transit should top the list.
Better regional planning to include transit-friendly employment and residential centers -- the village concept.
Look to Europe, where mass transit is a way of life and is liberally funded by all levels of government.
Give careful but cautious consideration to Governor Rendell’s plan to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
And, fast track parking lot construction at regional rail stations.
But in the end, commuter attitude is the key. In the words of Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
To submit a comment or reply to this editorial, send an e-mail to yadgaroff@KYW.com.
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