[RP TownTalk] Route 1, Queensbury, and beyond (Sue Collins)

[Lou King]

Sue Collins wrote, On 8/4/2011 8:58 AM:
 > Just my humble opinion of course, but I don't see uncontrolled growth and
 > unregulated traffic as being 'progress.'

Nor do I Sue. I was trying to suggest that the alternative is to "plan 
for the inevitable so it has the least adverse affect and the best
advantage." The 'Don't grow' view has been tried and there are may 
examples of communities and towns that have tried that approach and 
failed. They have tried to control growth by deciding NOT to build 
infrastructure for example. 'If you don't build roads, they won't come 
here to live, that will control growth.'

Learning from the past, if there is a need people move in anyway and 
over crowd the old roads. It has been tried with roads, electrical power 
(No new power lines here!), water and sewers. All have failed. They 
ended up with over crowed roads, brown-outs, water rationing, or 
treatment plants that dump raw sewage into the streams.

With increasing population and increasing energy cost, increases in 
population density are inevitable. Although we know how to control 
population (family planning, war, genocide, China's one son policy) we 
don't know how to implement controls in a civil society. So we _must_ 
plan for the growth; things like more buses or the Purple Line that go 
from where the people live, to where they work, when they need to go. 
(and don't give up on all the options for family planning.)

We seem to want it both ways in Riverdale. Not long ago the hot topic 
here was how bad the Purple Line would be for Riverdale Park. Now we are 
complaining about all the traffic that the Purple Line will help to 
alleviate. We suggest going underground with the Purple Line but 
complain about taxes and the cost of government. The constant I see is 
complaining.

Things change, manage the change you can't stop it. History has its 
place. I and my alter ego happen to live in two historic districts in 
houses built around 1900-1906 one in a mining town started in 1886. Look 
at my driveway two 50 year old trailers.

I like the quality/craftsmanship of some older things. On the other hand 
I just helped put on a children's play in the 1900 Town Hall that was 
restored after a fire in 1992. The Historical Society insisted that the 
building be restored exactly - down to the original 10amp electrical 
circuits. We had stage lights plugged in with extension cords running to 
every circuit in the building. History has its place, but... things 
change. The Town has trouble running its computer, printer/copier, a 
modern phone system.

This is starting to sound like COC wrote it.

Lou
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