Monday, October 15, 2007

Costly attitudes and policies

In 2001, then-Governor Gray Davis cut the ribbons on the last segment on southern California's I-105 and proudly announced that there would be no more of these. The future lies with buses and trains.

The governor did not realize that transit causes congestion. The funds diverted have badly clogged the state's highways. California has some of the worst roads in the U.S.

The California approach may be "green" but it also kills. A 31-vehicle crash on a tunnel of the I-5 killed two adults and a baby. There may be more victims. Truckers had been complaining about the state of the tunnel for years. The full costs in delays and repairs are still unknown.

It's an old story and it has everything to do with the know-nothing attitudes that get a pass when it comes to environmental policy.