As I just said to Mr. Merzbach over on Facebook: Hill Boss, when he first ran for Select Board, thought "Paving Mill Lane" would be a great platform...until he actually asked his neighbors who live on Mill Lane.
Not a single one wanted it paved. And in Amherst, Hell hath no fury like NIMBYs scorned.
How ridiculous can you get. The town does stuff to the roads or around the roads that people don't like all the time. It's time the town had a little more backbone.
When I moved into Amherst almost 30 years ago, I asked about why Mill Lane was not paved. I was told that it will never be paved, just like Pulpit Hill Road.
Further, the connector between Eastman Lane and North East Street will never be built, nor will Pomeroy Lane or Mill Village road be improved to shift some of the traffic off Rt 9.
More recently like Form-based zoning is dead in the water unless it says no student rentals.
I think we should rip up the paving on all the roads in Amherst. Just think how slow everyone will drive if that is done!!! Or maybe I'll call the town and ask them to rip up the paving on my road!
This town is beyond ridiculous. And, foolish because I am sure it costs more to maintain those unpaved roads then it would if they were paved.
"I am sure it costs more to maintain those unpaved roads then it would if they were paved."
Are you really sure that's the case? I am not sure, as I'm not a road engineer, but I grew up- well, all over the place, but I lived in some small Vermont towns where almost none of the roads were paved (I think that the only paved roads in at least one of the towns I lived in were maintained by the state.)
These towns had budgets mostly supplied by the residents, and yearly town meetings where people grilled the town engineer over the cost of everything. I would be surprised to find that they were overlooking cost savings to be had by paving roads, particularly because paved roads would have saved almost everyone a lot of heartache during mud season.
Paved roads buckle and warp in this climate, and require a great deal of maintenance. Dirt roads just need to be graded every once in a while. But, like I said, I'm not an expert on this subject, so if you have some evidence that says that paved roads are cheaper than dirt roads I'd be happy to look at it.
Note that I'm not arguing that this particular road shouldn't be paved- there are clearly benefits to paving roads that have nothing to do with the cost of maintaining them.
Now if they would only pave that road.
ReplyDeleteAs I just said to Mr. Merzbach over on Facebook: Hill Boss, when he first ran for Select Board, thought "Paving Mill Lane" would be a great platform...until he actually asked his neighbors who live on Mill Lane.
ReplyDeleteNot a single one wanted it paved. And in Amherst, Hell hath no fury like NIMBYs scorned.
How ridiculous can you get. The town does stuff to the roads or around the roads that people don't like all the time. It's time the town had a little more backbone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved into Amherst almost 30 years ago, I asked about why Mill Lane was not paved. I was told that it will never be paved, just like Pulpit Hill Road.
ReplyDeleteFurther, the connector between Eastman Lane and North East Street will never be built, nor will Pomeroy Lane or Mill Village road be improved to shift some of the traffic off Rt 9.
More recently like Form-based zoning is dead in the water unless it says no student rentals.
I think we should rip up the paving on all the roads in Amherst. Just think how slow everyone will drive if that is done!!! Or maybe I'll call the town and ask them to rip up the paving on my road!
ReplyDeleteThis town is beyond ridiculous. And, foolish because I am sure it costs more to maintain those unpaved roads then it would if they were paved.
"I am sure it costs more to maintain those unpaved roads then it would if they were paved."
ReplyDeleteAre you really sure that's the case? I am not sure, as I'm not a road engineer, but I grew up- well, all over the place, but I lived in some small Vermont towns where almost none of the roads were paved (I think that the only paved roads in at least one of the towns I lived in were maintained by the state.)
These towns had budgets mostly supplied by the residents, and yearly town meetings where people grilled the town engineer over the cost of everything. I would be surprised to find that they were overlooking cost savings to be had by paving roads, particularly because paved roads would have saved almost everyone a lot of heartache during mud season.
Paved roads buckle and warp in this climate, and require a great deal of maintenance. Dirt roads just need to be graded every once in a while. But, like I said, I'm not an expert on this subject, so if you have some evidence that says that paved roads are cheaper than dirt roads I'd be happy to look at it.
Note that I'm not arguing that this particular road shouldn't be paved- there are clearly benefits to paving roads that have nothing to do with the cost of maintaining them.