Transit headed in right direction
by Chris Woodhull
March 4, 2007
Every week, Knoxville families make hundreds of decisions, big and small. In the big ones -- such as balancing the needs of family members with paychecks -- parents struggle to make wise decisions that will increase the impact of their resources, getting more of what they want for less of what they have. This is one of the crucial roles of government: balancing the needs of its citizens in the face of limited resources and competing demands.
One of the key objectives for the current administration and City Council in our upcoming budget cycle is making wise decisions about limited resources while building a safer, healthier, more competitive city. A new downtown transit center clearly heads us in this direction. Vivid issues recently promoted in the media, however, disrupt our primary responsibility of making a wise decision.
It is worth noting that the discussion regarding the transit center has touched on many important issues ranging from the value of property to the difficulties of moving a business to the impact on nearby residents and workers. I am satisfied that Mayor Bill Haslam is doing everything he can to fairly and respectfully work with the displaced business owner.
Yet, to date, the public dialogue has not touched on the critical importance of the transit center for the future of Knoxville and the thousands of Knoxvillians who rely on public transportation to get to work, school, shopping and medical services every day.
A transit center near the heart of downtown will assist in providing a critical economic opportunity to those in the core of our community. With downtown booming, more and more jobs are being created. Reliable, safe public transportation provides an opportunity to further support the momentum of our growing city while reducing traffic congestion and the need for more parking spaces.
Many of the 3.5 million people who ride the bus each year are deserving of the safety and dignity that a transit center provides. They deserve to be protected from the rain, wind, heat, and cold when they transfer, just as those of us who more often travel in our cars. Direct access to our central business district, public buildings and trolleys will benefit not only those who ride the bus because of need but also those who ride the bus by choice.
The proposed transit center will replace the "temporary" site in front of the City County Building, where people have to brave the elements when transferring to their next bus. There is no bathroom, no ticket office -- only the most rudimentary seating area. Buses have to pull into traffic, and pedestrians are at risk.
While finding a site in the small downtown footprint has been challenging, the city has chosen an efficient location for the transit center with its plan to expand the Church Avenue Bridge, literally creating new real estate downtown. This location helps undo some of the damage done decades ago when East Knoxville was separated from downtown. It does not use any of the limited amounts of land in the downtown area at a time when downtown is booming. It is the least expensive of the available sites to build, and it puts the least burden on taxpayers to operate. It is close to downtown without taking a part of downtown. It negatively affects the fewest people.
It is critical that we all work together to place the final remaining pieces into the puzzle of our growing downtown and to do so without delay. Let's make a wise decision that is future-oriented and serves the greater good of people today and tomorrow. The downtown transit center at the Church Avenue site is a wise and responsible decision.
Monday, March 05, 2007
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1 comments:
Chris I wanted to pass the book title onto you, thought you might especially like to read it or get it into the hands of others at TribeONE.
Crisis in the Village by:Robert Franklin
-shalom
------ Article by Jim Wallis ----
Crisis in the Village
A new book just came out that you don't want to miss. It's by my good
friend, Robert Franklin, who is the Distinguished Professor of Social
Ethics at Emory University. He is someone I have come to deeply
respect as an insightful public intellectual and social commentator as
we've worked together over many years.
Last week, I was part of a panel discussion to launch Bob's new book,
Crisis in the Village. It's one of the best contemporary analyses of
the state of Black America I've seen. He pulls no punches in
describing the crisis, identifying three key institutions in the
community and what they now face. It's a "crisis of commitment" for
the Black family, a "crisis of mission" for the Black church, and a
"crisis of moral purpose" for historically black colleges and
universities. Bob calls these the three "anchor institutions" that
"are the bedrock of civil society." He cites alarming social
indicators that powerfully show how vulnerable the black community
still is, especially black children.
But, it is not a book of despair - it's a strategy for resolving the
crisis. The subtitle is "Restoring Hope in African American
Communities," and that hope is where he focuses. Bob wrote the book,
he said, "because I have seen an abundance of books out there that
describe the problems of the African American community ... but there
are fewer than you might think that offer practical visions and
strategic thinking about how to move forward." And, he added, the
reversal of the crisis "begins with personal renewal and commitment to
community uplift."
Also on the National Press Club panel were journalist E.J. Dionne,
Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman, former
National Urban League President Hugh Price, and Professor of Christian
Ethics at Howard University Cheryl Sanders. Cheryl talked about how
much sense this book made from the perspective of the street, where
she lives as pastor of the Third Street Church of God in Washington,
D.C. Marian spoke passionately about how the future of black children
is at stake in the issues raised in Crisis. Hugh Price said the book
cuts through so much of the confusion about these issues in the black
community, and E.J. Dionne showed how Bob's ethic of combining
personal and social responsibility also cuts through our polarized
political debate. I recalled a book by Abbie Hoffman, Steal This
Book!, which was memorable only for its title, and suggested that this
one should be re-titled Read This Book! Bob Franklin always cuts
through the morass of blame and despair to offer us a politics of
solutions and hope. This book is Bob at his best. He transcends left
and right, and helps us understand what is right and wrong. Then he
points the way forward. We had a lively discussion about the book, and
the importance of realizing that the crisis and its solution must
involve all of us.
Read this book! Crisis in the Village is one book I really do urge you
to read. Bob's challenge calls us all to deeper reflection and more
serious action. His passionate vision for change and prophetic call
for commitment are for everyone who cares about the black community
and about America. At the Press Club, Bob left us with one of his
favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which I have often
heard him use. It has now become a favorite of mine. "This hour in
history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. The
saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the actions
of a conforming majority but from the creative maladjustment of a
transformed minority."
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