Tractor trailer tradeoff? After all, we want trucks to visit and spend time here in New Albany.

Thanks again to AG for the photo.

Uh oh.

"They" are at it again.

They have made New Albany where it is almost impossible to drive a truck in there I had a lady one day say what we don't want any trucks in New Albany why do you think you're going to get your fancy coffee if it was up to me it wouldn't be a single truck come into downtown New Albany they can come and pick up their own stuff and see how people would like it then

That's 77 words, no punctuation; I have preserved this primal scream in its original form. We turn now to Charles Marohn for an opposing point of view: "No, semis are not a valid reason to build dangerously wide streets."

TRACTOR TRAILER TRADEOFF, by Charles Marohn

... During Big Box Stores Week, I received the proverbial semi-trailer comment. Chuck, I agree that we need to look at street design, but we can only change things so much because we need to accommodate semis.

So logical yet so wrong ...

... To receive federal and state transportation dollars, your city may be forced to design local streets so as to accommodate semi tractor trailers. For streets funded with local dollars, however, that decision is a local one. If you choose not to make accommodating the efficiency of tractor trailers your primary design criteria and perhaps decide that wealth creation, solvency and safety of residents are more important, just know that – while there will be some wailing and gnashing of teeth – nobody in your city will starve.

Then there is our friend Ted, in a classic Facebook post from March 18, 2015.

"We want trucks to visit and spend time here in New Albany."

We are a community of trucks. Trucks that invest time and money in local business. Trucks that invest time and money in our neighborhoods. We want trucks to visit and spend time here in New Albany. We want more trucks to move here. So of course we should take actions in our street grid that makes the downtown more truck friendly. Easier for trucks to walk. Safer for trucks to ride bikes. There is a preponderance of factual data to support the benefits to trucks and communities that embrace the changes in the Speck study.

Oh wait. I meant people not trucks. My bad. Because you would be a dumb ass to think otherwise. Or you might own a bunch of trucks. I support the full implementation of the Speck study at the earliest opportunity. Meaning freaking now.

Alas, Jeff Gahan didn't implement Speck's study. He implemented an alternative on the part of favored contractor HWC Engineering, one that stripped Speck's layout of significant portions of its future merits so as to appease Luddite Democrats and trucking magnates.

It was an incredible opportunity lost to timidity, cupidity and outright stupidity. At least in 2019, there'll be a chance to #FireGahan.