ARTICLES

Position statement by Sandy O'Brien, Dunelands Sierra Club chair:

Why the Illiana toll road takes Northwest Indiana in the wrong direction

The Dunelands Sierra Club finds these reasons why the Illiana toll road takes Northwest Indiana in the wrong direction:

1. Environmental Justice -- Poor and minority communities will be left further behind as the inner cites and first ring suburbs they live in lose more investment and population. Further sprawl means the jobs, schools, shopping, medical and government services get further away and harder to get to. The public transit that people who don't have cars depend on can't really service sprawling areas, it is not efficient. As it is, there are people riding the buses for 5 hours a day to get from west Gary to Southlake Mall at I-65 and US Rt. 30.

2. Sprawl is expensive -- It takes our money to build it: roads, water and sewer line, electric and gas line extensions, new and expanded sewer plants, new and expanded schools, long drives in traffic to get anywhere, higher cost of welfare and criminal justice from the left behind areas (85% of Lake County's budget is welfare and criminal justice per recent Times article), new libraries, town halls, more roads to maintain, etc.

3. Sprawl is bad for the environment -- More pavement, rooftops, and mowed grass means more runoff and dirty water as built environment replaces agricultural. More people having to drive everywhere means more air pollution. Farmland, natural areas and wildlife habitat are paved over and lost to the public.


4. Sprawl is even bad for our health as time spent in the car is time not spent exercising and visiting with our families and friends and doing community volunteer work.

5. Building enough roads to cure congestion doesn't work, because sprawl always clogs the new roads up quickly. That is why there is a never ending cycle of road widening and extending, which is why driving in the Chicago suburbs is gridlock.

6. The world is changing. The necessity of dealing with global warming and the increase in fossil fuel costs as supplies run out is becoming more apparent. The future will most likely be one of lower energy where compact cities and mass transit become very important ways to save energy. Excessive consumption of consumer goods that the proposed new intermodal (train to truck) yards are needed for will end. Wouldn't we be better off with smart growth, fixing the problems in the old cities, and mass transit investment rather than 1950's transportation technology? Transportation problems have land use solutions!

7. Sprawl is auto dependent. There are no other transportation choices, no walking or biking (danger of getting hit by cars on busy roads, or the neighborhood has too much crime), no useful public transit (everything is too far apart). People are isolated when they can't drive, whether from poverty or age. 20% of the region's population will be over 65 in 2030 which may result in a lot of people who will need public transit if they can't drive anymore.

We can't afford the Illiana even if it is "free" and even if it comes with an upfront contribution payment for commuter rail.

- by Sandy O'Brien, group chair