Then he drops this bit in there:
So, people followed him out to his corner of BFE, decimating the urban core. What does he expect the city to do? Maintain unnecessary traffic signals to assuage his guilt?When I moved to the Martin City area in 1989, State Line Road was mostly two lanes. It had few traffic lights and little commerce. That changed as more families moved to the area. The road was widened dramatically to accommodate new arrivals on both sides of the state line.
Big-box stores followed and so did other stores, adding to commerce in the area. What had been a quick drive from Martin City to Interstate 435 degenerated into a slow, stop-and-go slog.
He then finishes with this:
That seems to imply that the young, urbanite crowd is to blame for encouraging the city to remove those unnecessary lights? Well--shame on us then, guilty as charged.The subtraction has left a a sense of lost community and trust in City Hall. The relative tranquility in the urban core has attracted some younger “urban homesteaders” who are aching for a nonsuburban, less-rushed lifestyle. They appreciate cheaper homes with character, front porches, a closeness to jobs, entertainment, and other amenities and a great sense of accomplishment in helping to restore the core.
Let’s hope a balance can be achieved with some stoplights restored.