Open forum: In search of intelligence in Annapolis

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Open forum: In search of intelligence in Annapolis

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If the Intercounty Connector were built, the direct result would be 700 million vehicle miles traveled, according to the March 12 letter, ‘‘ICC, climate don’t mix.” Seven hundred million VMT, not counting induced growth and the traffic that causes.

How far is 700 million miles? Let’s see, 93 million miles to the sun, right? That’s almost 4 round trips to the sun. And light takes 8 minutes to get here from the sun, so, 8 minutes times 2 (since they’re round trips) times 4 round trips = 64 minutes.

Wow! So the ICC will result in one light-hour of internal combustion engine travel per year when we are experiencing global warming, approaching or at peak oil, and have an economy that is nearly economic wreck. The words of the governor and some legislators express true concern about the environment. But look at the actions!

Why isn’t there more intelligence in Annapolis?

Roger Metcalf, Gaithersburg