Glendening Zigzags On State Roads |
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Sitting in traffic…Sitting in traffic… Sitting in traffic… Parris Glendening gets a ride to work every day. So he might not know much about the frustrations of commuters in Prince George’s, Montgomery and other counties around the state, getting up at 5:00 in the morning to be at work by 9:00, missed meetings, lost productivity, children who are already in bed and asleep by the time Mom or Dad get home from work. That is real life for thousands of people in Maryland who are trying to get to work and back home using a transportation system that has not kept up with the state’s growing economy and population. BAD ROADS The extent of the neglect is overwhelming. According to the American Automobile Association two-thirds of the roads in Maryland need repair and one-third of the bridges is obsolete or has structural deficiencies. If Glendening’s policies continue, transportation in Maryland will go from bad to worse. The governor’s six year Consolidated Transportation Program reduces money for new highway projects from $300 million in fiscal 1997 to $175 million in fiscal 1998. The amount to be spent on new road construction remains low through 2000. The Maryland Highway Contractors Association puts the blame right where it belongs. Robert Latham, Executive Director of the Association says, "It’s pretty clear that the governor doesn’t want to do anything on this until after the 1998 election." Actually, the governor hasn’t wanted to do anything "on this" for his entire term in office. It’s not hard to see why. Making transportation decisions, especially on road building, is always politically difficult. People of goodwill will disagree on where - or if - a road should be built. But that’s why we elect leaders - to weigh all the facts and make tough calls. Not to zigzag, delay, fret and procrastinate. Which is exactly what Parris Glendening has done - especially on the Intercounty Connector (ICC) between Laurel and Gaithersburg. ICC CONTROVERSAL The ICC has been a controversial road. Some environmentalists are opposed. Others realize that idling for hours in traffic because of insufficient roads creates more environmental hazards, especially air pollution, than new highway construction. Eileen Rehrmann believes that the worst decision is no decision. That’s why she supports the ICC. She knows that this is a decision that won’t please everyone. But she firmly believes that the ICC is in the best interest of Maryland, and she doesn’t believe in running for cover simply because this is an election year. JOBS AT STAKE Not only are there environmental arguments in favor of the ICC, there are powerful economic arguments. Poor or non-existent roads - and Maryland has plenty of both - cost jobs. Companies looking to relocate want their employees to have easy access to work and their delivery trucks to have easy access to customers. That’s just good business sense. Eileen Rehrmann recognizes that transportation, including road construction, is an economic lifeline for Maryland that must be addressed. So she won’t keep the people of Maryland waiting for decisions that have to be made - while they wait and wait in their cars for the congestion to clear. |
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Copyright�1998 |
Eileen Rehrmann for Governor |