It’s time we all get in the loop

Over the years there’s been lots of talk, endless reports, roundtable discussions and some studies of a traffic-relieving loop for the Baton Rouge region. Lately I’ve been hearing some people excited that finally someone’s taking action toward making it a reality. But I’ve also heard some cynics with a negative bent on the idea.

I’ve listened to many pros and cons. The fact is we should have built a loop 20 years ago with growth in mind, like many other U.S. cities.

Mayor Kip Holden and the region’s parish presidents have been working on a master plan that includes location, funding and land-use planning. But ultimately the loop is about mitigating traffic congestion.

As we all know, even before Katrina, our region was already growing. Today, traffic congestion remains a source of immense frustration on highways and major roads around the Capital Region. What’s interesting is that in today’s information-intensive economy, the cost of information is often zero, and the speed at which it moves is virtually instantaneous. Meanwhile, the users who use and rely on that information travel ever more slowly—and at ever-greater expense—to jobs where they produce goods and services.

Ultimately, congestion slows down life—not only economic life, but social life as well. When we think about profitability of businesses, we need to remember that getting resources to market—as well as getting people to their jobs and getting people to their errands as quickly as possible—enhances efficiency and makes us more productive. Smooth transportation not only increases our standard of living—we can produce things more cheaply—it also enhances our quality of life. We get to do more things with our time, rather than being stuck in traffic. When you think about traffic congestion’s immediate and indirect economic costs—not including lost serenity, family time and civic engagement—simply begin with fuel and wear-and-tear on vehicles. We must add new highways and new lanes on some old ones.

The loop is not only about the congestion we have today. It addresses the fact that— whether you live in Central, Livingston or Ascension—everybody will find travel more difficult in the next 20 or 30 years unless we do something now. It’s no secret we have not paid enough attention to capacity and demands on the road system. Travel demand has increased dramatically, but we’ve not matched that with adequate new road capacity. It’s the most important problem most growing cities face.

The loop is not a magic bullet that is going to solve all the traffic problems, but it is one of several initiatives we must attempt as a community if we are going to prepare for the future. One important element in having a loop is that each Parish should adopt strict building and zoning guidelines to manage and plan future growth in the region.

To help finance the project, our civic leaders propose using some toll revenues to fund bonds to construct the loop. I don’t mind. We’re all more in touch with the gasoline taxes we’re paying these days, but we don’t know what we’re buying, except possibly “bridges to nowhere” and other pork projects. At least with paying a toll in Baton Rouge I’ll know I’ll be buying something tangible, precious and scarce: time.

Cracks in the system

When a local minister recently approached the City of Baker School System seeking a contract to provide social services to some of the students, it caught the attention of freelance reporter and regular 225 contributor Chuck Hustmyre. He made some routine inquiries and quickly found that the man, Rev. Donald Britton, was convicted of stealing from a facility for the homeless.

Britton had also run afoul of state officials on other social service contracts, from failing to deliver promised services to operating an unlicensed facility. Yet Britton continued applying for and winning social service contracts from various state agencies. Hustmyre’s story—

through public records and interviews with officials and former employers—shows how the state continues to award social service contracts without conducting criminal background checks, which is common practice in other states. Read the story on page 43.

Ready or not, football season is here!

Hard to believe football season starts this month, and with the BCS trophy to defend, it promises to be another exciting season of sold-out games, all-day tailgating and bowl buzz. This month 225 takes a look at the upcoming season from several perspectives. Contributing writer Paige Dampf and photographer Aaron Hogan show us on page 37 some of the new styles, gadgets and gear you’ll see at tailgate parties this fall.

With expectations high, all eyes will be on Coach Les Miles to follow whether he can repeat his historic success. In this month’s cover story on page 50, writer Amy Alexander takes you inside the Miles family and introduces us to his wife, Kathy, their four children and the frenetic, busy and affectionate Miles family, and paints a vivid picture of Miles as husband, dad and regular guy. There’s also veteran sports journalist Lee Feinswog’s forecast for the season.