Make a Wise Investment in Public Transportation

By Ted Theodosa

The need for the environmental protection of Silver County Forest, coupled with growing demands for commercial and retail development is forcing planners to make tough choices between important causes. They should heed my advice: One cause merits investment not just because it is worthy in itself, but because it improves the quality of life in the region in addition to protecting the environment.

That investment is public transportation. Public transit creates jobs, protects the environment, enhances quality of life and makes it easier for employees to get to work and consumers to get to local businesses. For those reasons, it should be a top priority of the region’s economic development strategy as opposed to building more roads or expanding existing ones.

Upscaling the public transportation system in the Silver County region would generate economic and environmental benefits for several reasons. It would reduce the congestion and air pollution resulting from the increasing automobile traffic in the area, thus keeping Vermillion and Silver City attractive places to live.  It would also making commuting to and from shopping establishments less of a headache, thus enhancing business viability. 

Better public transportation would also improve the quality of life in the region as well. It would cut down on the time drivers spend in stopped traffic, which can reach as much as 60 hours per year in Vermillion.  Meanwhile, while all those cars are idling in traffic, they’re also pumping pollutants into the atmosphere of Silver County. Public transportation, on the other hand, cuts down on the emission of hydrocarbons, which cause smog, and nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory illness. It conserves energy, by exponentially reducing gasoline consumption, and eliminates wasted time in stopped vehicles.  In addition, it reduces road run-off from further polluting our water and our soil.

All of these benefits help explain why planners that care about the economic and environmental vitality of the Silver County Forest and its surrounding communities should focus on expanding and improving our current public transportation system, rather than building new roads and widening existing ones. It is crucial that the Silver County Forest Planning Team deny the development of the proposed road that would cut through pristine forest land. 

Public transportation makes for a more livable community. So do the green, open spaces of Silver County Forest -- which will be saved through the development of a better mass transit system.