Three big ideas need to become real. State and Fed controlled.

1) This valley needs a totally new controlled access loop road.

2) All current fast four lane roads (such as Eagle Rd.) need to be converted to controlled access.

3) I-84 needs two more interchanges between the connector and Eagle Rd.

I might also mention we need to designate permissive routes for packs of bicycle club riders because they still don’t understand the dangerous lane blocking problem they cause for motorists. Their rights to block arterial and bigger roads need to be curtailed.

Open your wallets people and let the spending begin. Keep in mind some of your road taxes are on par with eastern states already.

Is the new guy a Bieter plant?

Big Ideas, are you in favor of spending more on local roads and highways, or less? A loop freeway will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, while also likely being a poor investment – As demonstrated by virtually every large city in the USA and abroad, traffic & congestion expand to fill roadway capacity ( http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf ). More highway means more expensive land/right-of-way acquisition, more interchange slow-downs, and more future maintenance. I’d rather see the current controlled access highways remain as-is. As far as Eagle road and similar are concerned, it’s too late to make them controlled access, and attempting to do so will have severe impacts on the businesses located there.

I am interested in Mike Tracy’s positions and opinions on transportation matters, but his campaign website is completely devoid of that ( https://tracy4achd.com/ ). The ACHD commissioners actually make individual project decisions – I hope that voters realize this before casting their votes.

ACHD sucks. Both candidate announcements prove this.

Not only should all of the county be able to vote for each Commissioner, it should happen for all of them each election cycle- to allow the voters to clean house when the Board fails to serve the citizens.

I haven’t looked, but I am sure the chip seal rotation in each sub-district somehow corresponds to which Commissioner is up for reelection. Ha!

Show a recent, unbias study that proves chip seal saves money. A brand new road gets chipped the next year– no way!!!!

Unlike Easterner, comparing the spectrum of bureaucracies that “serve” us, I place ACHD near the top. They seem more responsive than most. Admittedly my viewpoint is largely colored by the fact that I’m a transportation cyclist, and I believe ACHD has done a good job of expanding bicycle infrastructure. (But in a common-sense way with citizen feedback… consider their decision to delay any bike lanes on Idaho and Main Streets, through downtown. I agree fully with that decision.)

My understanding of CHIP-SEAL is that it’s on a 7-year rotation generally, and the primary reason it’s chosen over asphalt – COST. Supposedly it’s about 1/6 the cost of a half-inch asphalt overlay. As a taxpayer, I’d prefer asphalt, but not strongly enough to double or triple my ACHD taxes.

Question for Mike Tracy: How would you have voted for St Luke’s acquiring Jefferson St public right of way?

Sara Baker sided with St Luke’s and against the neighborhood, even though she was a neighborhood proponent/activist back in the Curtis Road Extension days. I guess neighborhood issues only matter when it’s her neighborhood.

It’s hard to argue against all the bike lanes and pedestrian friendly walkability, but there’s very little walkable and pedestrian friendly about Whitewater Parkway unless you’re going north/south. Go ahead, try to cross it on foot east/west even with the hawk signals.

Politicians talk a big line about bikes and walkability but Whitewater Parkway is as suburban as it gets. The bike lanes make it wider which facilitates cars going much faster than they do on Harrison, a similar arterial. And all for what? 10 bicyclists a day? Sorry bikeboy, I’m on your side, but from a crossing perspective, WWP kind of sucks. There are many other situations like this throughout the county.

Comments?

I don’t see why we need to expand any more roads in size as Tracy suggests. Building more car-centric infrastructure encourages more growth. We need to curtail growth rates. There are tons of people that have finally lived enough “California lifestyle” and discovered the solitude of the Boise area. We agree with their motivations, but to keep our solitude, we need to send the signal that OTHER towns and cities need to step up and attract those that have finally had it with the California Kremlin. It’s better for us all. We don’t want to become what everyone else is running from.

I am in agreement with the flashing yellow arrow lights because they DO keep traffic moving…can’t understand why anyone would have an objection and if there is one, please state it.

In addition, one of my biggest peeves is there is little consideration given to right hand turn lanes at intersections, even with roads being widened, etc. There too is an opportunity to provide better flow of traffic, when so many cars could be moving along vs sitting in line. No one ever seems to have an answer as to “why not”…