Emily Opilo is my favorite Morning Call reporter, but she added up 2 and 2 and got 5 in her recent article about the bicycle path. In that article she quotes Fran Dougherty as saying the two park purchases from Abe Atiyeh were a unique opportunity for Allentown. She also interviewed Lindsay Taylor, who advocated for the trail plan. Although she does mention that there are some brownfield issues, she has no idea how extensive they are, and how unnecessary those useless parcels are. There is no redeeming feature or purpose, what-so-ever, for the Basin Street parcel. Before I dissect the parcels, lets examine the cheerleaders. Fran Dougherty is facing a prison sentence for his service to Pawlowski's corrupt administration. Lindsay Taylor has been dismissed by O'Connell for reasons unknown. At the very least she also served Pawlowski shenanigans. She was on board for the recent Cedar Beach stunts, including Pawlowski knowingly opening a leaking pool before last year's election.
Basin and Union Street is near no residential neighborhood at all, and has housed numerous heavy industry over the years. The ground is saturated with arsenic from thousands of railroad ties alone, much less whatever dripped from endless railcars for over 100 years. It was the busiest train crossing in the Lehigh Valley. The fertilizer plant on the parcel west of Schreiber's Bridge was a hell hole.
No offense to the spandex cycling crowd, but those portions of the trail plan were just a ruse to justify another Pawlowski deal. The notion of providing Allentown a way to ride bikes to work is utter nonsense.
Grants or no grants, Allentown and its park system will be better served by selling those parcels and starting to operate the city with integrity, instead of taxpayer funded justifications for previous poor policy.
Emily's a good reporter, but there is no context in the article.
ReplyDeleteAs you mention, there is no connection made regarding the corruption trial, there is no mention of Dougherty's fate, there isn't even a mention of the reason Taylor was ultimately fired (instead just a mention of a general "restructuring department heads").
It also doesn't mention that in reality, few do (or want to) "bike to work". Even those few who do are limited by weather conditions beyond anyone's control for a good portion of the year. It also doesn't mention the context of the financial situation at City Hall, which recently "discovered" projections that showed them at least $5 million in the hole EACH YEAR over the next 5 years.
The article does mention still more costly plans and studies (for plans and studies that the city supposedly already has and now wants to complete), and the usual suckers who are apparently paying for whatever is going to happen (us, the taxpayers, through our esteemed federal and state programs).
It was almost as if Emily had this article in progress for a while, couldn't complete it because of everything that happened at City Hall, and the editors put a rough draft out. Or the editors gutted any context from it. Either way, definitely not her best work.
The City is facing a massive deficit.The Mayor can't risk raising taxes with a re-election coming up.Why would the City even consider such a feel-good project with a looming financial crisis ahead
ReplyDeleteAnother hoax enabled by all the usual suspects and promoted by the Morning Call.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders to what extent is Ms. Opilo is limited by the wish’s of what passes for editorial oversight.
This isn’t journalism, it’s political fodder.
There is much more to this story and Opilo is smart enough to understand that.
Bradly is responsible for routing thousands of semi-trucks onto the Lehigh Valley roadways. She needs a feel good “alternative transportation” story.
ReplyDeleteInstitutional insider at work.
Where is the mention of Attiyeh, who sold the land to the city, for a good profit, by the scumbag ex-mayor who all of a sudden fell in love with him. The Pawlowski stench will be around for a long time and the voters wanted to give him another chance; amazing how dumb some people are.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article: That inside-out approach also recognizes that the trails could be an important transportation opportunity for city residents to get to and from jobs, Taylor said. Trails aren’t just a means for recreation.
ReplyDeleteBiking to work? Will work for Millennial's that live in their parent's basement, and work at the local coffee shop, 6 blocks away. This isn't real transportation.
This is happening all over the US. Biking is now an official religion. Imagine people biking in the rain / snow / heat / cold / ice. There is also a safety issue - people on bikes get mugged. This is some kind of fantasy idea.
If they do go through with this, be sure to have Purple Unicorns and Rainbows along the path.
ReplyDeleteThere you go again, using common sense. Shame Shame Shame.
I missed this huge lie the first time I read the article:
ReplyDeletebut also to choose to use the trails for day-to-day errands and live a little closer to their job
Live close to your job - this is a socialist / progressive utopia, where everyone lives in an apartment, and bikes to work. They have designed your life.
In the real world people have many different jobs, companies are sold, or move, or expand, or you get a better job. Each time, you sell your home and move next door to your job. This is all newspeak lies.
Of course O'Connell has to keep this park project going. He was part of the Pawlowski rubber stampers that spent the $5 million that Fran and Schweyer were so happy to spend on the taxpayer's behalf. O'Connell approved this real estate purchase. $5 million that was NEVER theirs to spend at all.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/allentown-plans-5-million-in-capital-improvements/19177374
"This $5 million is an important facet of the water and sewer lease proceeds," said Francis Dougherty, the city's managing director.
Dougherty told council the money gives Allentown a rare opportunity to get some capital projects done, "something we've been unable to do for quite some time."
Council vice president Ray O'Connell agreed that it's been a long time since the city had money to spend on capital projects. He said the proposed projects will improve the quality of life for city residents.
Great. Connect the bike paths so that people in the inner city can get to the suburban parks. As they say...."there goes the neighborhood." They already had to 'schedule' bike riding in Trexlertown. Now they want to 'invite' hundreds more? Sounds like the ruination of the so-called passive parks in Allentown.
ReplyDeletethe problem in allentown with connecting the parks, and connecting the parks to greater trail networks, is that the existing parks themselves are not properly maintained. additional parks and trails would only increase the maintenance deficit
ReplyDeleteA lot of people bike for exercise and to improve their health why would you bike on property that is contaminated? Wouldn't that possibly be detrimental to your health?
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of good reasons to not build this trail— Mr. Molovinskys point on maintenance costs is a good one. However, I think adding “Bicycle Derangement Syndrome” to our list of modern maladies might be warranted.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping safe, low cost transit options that reduce resident costs, pollution, and congestion makes sense on multiple levels. With new e-bikes and good tires—commuting reasonable distances at low cost can happen, even in bad weather. Do we really want used cars to be the only option? I do agree that a “build it and they will ride” approach is not going to work.
People in the US over its history have typically lived near their work, so I think the bicycle’s role in promoting creeping socialism is a bit overblown.
People in the US over its history have typically lived near their work
ReplyDeleteWhat a presumptive, empty statement. Is this why the freeways and roads are jammed with traffic?
the United States is 242 years old. The Interstate Highway System—which “allowed” long distance commuting, is 66. Basic math will fill in the perceived emptiness.
ReplyDeleteThe clogged traffic perhaps leaves open the question whether this form of commuting is a good idea over time.
Look. This is not about interstate highways or any even space shuttles. It is about liberals drooling over making our cities look like Peking....in more ways than bikes on every square inch of streets and sidewalks.
ReplyDeleteBicycle, bicycle, bicycle
ReplyDeleteI want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
I rest my case on Bicycle Derangement Syndrome. Bike trails allow safe bike riding without being hit by vehicles. Allentown has no chance of having anything in common with Beijing.
ReplyDeletegeoff@7:21, I find fast moving bikes a real danger to those walking in the parks
ReplyDeleteAllentown is ruled by one party. Beijing is ruled by one party. I rest my case.
ReplyDeleteROLF OELER
The point of bike trails is to segregate fast moving bikes from cars and people. It is not to put fast bikes in the midst of a public park.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I find the route puzzling but the general goal is quite commonly held in communities with strong economic growth, so maybe it’s not “libs” but people who see opportunity in lowering overall transport costs.
If you have been to Beijing—the idea that everyone rides on bikes is not correct. As the city gets richer and expands, it has way more cars than it can handle. The pollution from cars and factories makes the city unlivable. So much for creeping socialism controlling transport choices.