progress "creates a vacuum"

I've kept up my walking fairly well this week. I'm happy. Think I'm back in the swing of things.

Bethlehem's south side is changing. They've built a casino, and claim there is more traffic. It's already a bottle neck at rush hour. How much more can we tolerate. They've wasted tens of thousands of dollars on consultants, done many studies and the results of each, to me, is horrible.

Walking may be the only way to get around town when they are done.

Really all they needed to do was invite south side residents residents over for a meeting. We could tell them the problems, and more than likely the solutions and it would cost a couple of dozen pizzas and a keg of soda. And the price of one road engineer to write it all down and figure it out.

So now the nightmare begins.

Bonnie and I walked down west Third last Sunday. The trees were not marked for removal. Wednesday they were. Every tree, bush and plant at the triangle of the Hill to Hill bridge will be killed. Every tree on west Third, doomed. The plan calls for the Second Avenue avenue ramp to be rebuilt, and to make Wyandotte one way.

It is what it is and I can't stop it.

But it does effect my quality of life. A entire section of my walking route will be out of commission for months. Maybe forever if they don't replace the sidewalks. The new curb-cuts are already a nightmare. In the end, perhaps they'll replant the trees, but it will take 30 years before they provide shade. That is, if the residents tend them. Because I know for certain the City won't.