On Roads, Infrastructure and Safety

The Pepper Pike Road, Infrastructure and Safety Committee is a new committee. Its first meeting was on 4/4/12 and its next is Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 7:30pm.  This column from Bloomberg News encompasses a whole lot of thoughts, in general and specifically, that I have had on the far-reaching subjects with which this committee is expected to deal. 

At the first meeting, Councilman Tony Gentile (the council rep on the committee, serving with three residents) asked that Council consider, in regard to weighing what work if any should be done to Lander Road, "What do we want Lander Road to be?" 

When I first heard the question (I was in the audience), I smiled, thinking, "What an existential question!" But in the Bloomberg piece, the authors concludes his discussion of problems and solutions with, "Beyond all these things, rising standards would help. We should expect our streets to shine, and if they don’t, we should hold the politicians responsible."

My first instinct is always to go to the taxpayers - what do you want Lander or any other road in the City "to be?" And do they need to "shine" - or something more? Something less?