Letter to the editor: Paving not needed

To the editor:

In your Oct. 25 editorial “Homebuyer’s Responsibility,” you state the Queens Road benefit district is “desperately needed” due to the growing number of residences and apartment complexes adjacent to the road. What’s missing in all the debate is with George Williams Way .5 miles away and Wakarusa Road intersecting with Queens, paving of Queens is not needed and is a waste of $4.8 million, no matter who pays for it.

Has the editor been to the newly constructed Queens and Wakarusa traffic circle? Very few residences and apartment dwellers are using the Queens option from the traffic circle, nor will they, after $4.8 million is spent to pave it.

From Wakarusa and Queens, there are three options to get to Sixth Street. Choose the Queens Road option and you will see there are very few destinations on Sixth Street between Wakarusa and George Williams Way that would cause motorists to use Queens.

Was Wakarusa and George Williams Way a consideration when the benefit district was created 18 years ago? Those roads make paving of Queens Road unnecessary.

With the other roads now completed, have there been any traffic studies that predict how many vehicles will use Queens?

The comment at one of the City Commission meetings that made the most sense was to turn the road into a pedestrian path. I implore the editor and the reader to go to the Wakarusa/Queens traffic circle, drive all three options and decide for yourself if it’s worth paving Queens Road for $4.8 million.

Jeff Price,

Lawrence

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