Careful what ?you wish for

It’s good to be the king, but no one said it’s easy.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported recently that East Baton Rouge has become Louisiana’s largest parish, with a population of more than 440,400 people. Our parish added 10,000 people during a decade when New Orleans was losing more than 140,800.

Ready or not, we’re Louisiana’s major market now. But that means our leaders have to step up to tackle long-standing problems.

For most people, traffic is at the top of the list of chronic problems. A recent annual Urban Mobility Report found Baton Rouge has become the worst city in America its size when it comes to rush-hour congestion. Local drivers spend 37 hours a year in traffic delays, roughly the same as for drivers in Philadelphia or Detroit. The problem of traffic congestion has been decades in the making, and all previous mayors, Metro Council members, local legislators and planners share some of the blame.

Any self-respecting city that considers itself a major market offers some sort of alternative to commuting to work via congested roads. Prosperous cities usually operate a robust public transit system that’s packed daily with lower- and middle-class people going to and from work. They also typically enjoy miles of safe, functional bike lanes and paths.

Here, there is much work to do, although we’ve seen some encouraging steps recently. The city-parish is now required to at least consider pedestrian and cycling safety when it tackles new road construction projects. Also, the Capital Region Planning Commission recently won a $400,000 grant to fund a public education campaign. Many local motorists—and a surprising number of cyclists—don’t even know the rules of the road. It’s important that the campaign spark some safety improvements, since our streets can be so hostile to anyone not driving a car.

Our public transit system, meanwhile, continues to struggle. Thousands of working-class Baton Rougeans rely on public buses, but taxpayers in general are unwilling to fund the system, let alone use it. Federal money is drying up, so the Capital Area Transit System will have to get creative, and quickly. And fresh thinking at CATS does not enjoy a rich recent history. Former CEO Dwight Brashear, who introduced progressive ideas—including coming up with the “Cats” nickname (we’re a city of Tigers and Jaguars, after all)—became disillusioned and left for California before his contract was up because he could not overcome the status quo.

Now that Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s largest market, we need innovation and cooperation from all our elected and appointed officials. They should start by coming to grips with recent news and data about our city’s problems, then use it to set clear, long-term public policies aimed two and three decades down the road.

It’s good to be No. 1, but our leaders must use the momentum and envision a better future, and they must find the discipline to set and maintain a course to get us there.