Smokey Davidson, Salisbury, N.C.
♦I read in the Rowan Free Press that the City of Salisbury is spending $120,000 dollars to study a ‘traffic calming’ plan. From what I gather our city talked about reducing the four lanes of East Innes Street down to a single traffic lane in each direction, with a single turn lane down the middle, a bike lane in each direction on the sides, and widened sidewalks in the name of charm. The theory is such a ‘road diet’ will cause vehicles to be so slowed, to ‘calm’ the traffic. This is hoped to convert our frustrated drivers into bicyclists, and to shop and dine until the artificial congestion subsides. It appears our dystopia-bound city hall is attempting to curry favor with our desperate “shop local element” by funneling away traffic from our city big box chain store areas.
It seems despite reservations by daily commuters, our city is completely wedded to implementing the ‘traffic calming plan’.
Let me suggest a prominent public figure who just the other day ended his tenure in the administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christy. Mr. David Wildstein is available, after having implemented his proven traffic-calming plan on the George Washington Bridge. Battle-tested and immediately employable. A perfect match for city hall’s “periscope up” management style.
If city leaders ignored reality at 329 S. Main, as well as the financial shell games played with ‘profitable’ Fibrant and its 3 employees–the city could set aside all the negativity over New Jersey’s ’BridgeGate’. Hire the most successful example of a bureaucrat with a proven ‘traffic-calming’ history: David Wildstein!
“A vendetta a day keeps the naysayers away”
Think of it. With the most fabulous fiber-to-home internet service already here, they wouldn’t even have to pay Mr. Wildstein’s relocation expenses. Wildstein could become the second city ‘director’ to work from the comfort of his home. Imagine the convenience of having Mr. Wildstein calm traffic from his humble estate somewhere in Teaneck. Any local citizen or commuter who had a complaint, or who stoops to mischaracterize the results as a ‘traffic meltdown’, would be instructed to call Teaneck, New Jersey—much like the Fibrant customer service calls go to Lawrenceville, Georgia or Matthews, North Carolina.
With customer service out of sight and out of mind, there would be fewer documented complaints, too.
