Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 23, 1992 TAG: 9202240201
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: D-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CAR-CRAZED PUBLIC TO BLAME, NOT PLANNERS
A TREMENDOUS sound and fury emanate from the Ellett Valley residents, directed at the hapless Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and local politicians. The residents are fighting the Alternate 6 road proposal with every available resource, most notably their voices. They express outrage and disbelief that the Virginia Department of Transportation would dare violate the peace and sanctity of Ellett Valley.Were I a resident, my voice would join with them. But their "not in my back yard" arguments represent a very narrow perspective.
There are 42,500 miles of interstate highways in the United States, and most were built across the private lands of persons who were no more happy about it than the residents of Ellett Valley.
Our Interstate 81 passes through some of the most beautiful farmland in our state. These farms were inconvenienced by the interstate but not destroyed. The cows and other livestock grazing along the roadway seem unaffected.
If the self-interests of landowners dictate whether roads are built, there would never have been a Blue Ridge Parkway. In the age-old conflict between the needs of the many and the interests of the few, the many should prevail.
Alternate 6, Alternate 3A and the I-81 Spur were proposed and designed by professional engineers and farsighted people who understand the future demands placed on our roadways by the increasingly mobile citizens of our fair state.
If Ellett Valley needs someone to blame, let them point the finger at the car-crazed American public. In the 1950s, we had "the" family car. High schools didn't need student parking lots, and people car-pooled or rode buses to work.
Times have certainly changed. Americans are so irreversibly spoiled by cars that mass transit works only where the road systems have become gridlock. A look at Los Angeles traffic explains why motorists shoot at each other. Washington, Richmond and Norfolk are headed in that direction.
Montgomery County residents cannot bury their heads in sand and hope the traffic problems will evaporate. For my part, I look forward to enjoying the pristine scenery of Ellett Valley when Alternate 6 is built. MARTIN WILLIS ROANOKE