RTM advances Greenwich's bike path to nowhere

Dumb, dumb, dumb (or should that be “vocally diverse”?)

RTM APPROVES FUNDING FOR A PRELIMINARY STUDY PLAN OF A BICYCLE PATH FROM OLD GREENWICH TO STAMFORD’S SOUTHSIDE VILLAGE SHOOTING GALLERY

Brooks Harris, said his Finance committee [which voted against the project — Ed] … noted rhat “Some members were concerned that the chosen endpoint of Boccuzzi Park may have too much crime, given that someone was murdered there earlier this year,” Mr. Harris said [but ]“[DPW Deputy Commissioner Jim Michael] reminded us that the final path was subject to review and could be quite different. The ultimate end-point could potentially be a location that had no murders at all,” he added, to awkward laughter.

Harris said there were questions about whether the new sidewalks in Old Greenwich might need to be removed to make way for the path, or whether stone walls, bridges and other impediments might need to be removed in places where Sound Beach Ave was narrow, and whether eminent domain might come into play. He said Mr. Michel’s reply had been that the path in the explanos (Sound Beach Ave and Shore Rd) was not necessarily the one that would be used, and that some of the funds could be used to pick an alternative path that did not require use of eminent domain.

So, nothing is set in concrete, according to Michel, yet according to the testimony of Lucia Jansen, chair of the Budget Overview Committee [which also voted against it] … that same individual from DPW told them that the endpoints at Binney Park and Boccuzzi Park were “non-negotiable.” Was Michel lying then, or when he spoke to the Finance Committee?

And, while I don’t want to pick on high school kid, this child’s plea to the RTM does reflect what he’s being taught at Greenwich Country Day School — it’s no different from what our public school students are being taught, or for that matter, what too many adults in Greenwich believe:

[ ] … a junior at GCDS and member of the Earth Rise Club described the project as a crucial step toward climate action in Greenwich. “The creation of a dedicated bike path in Greenwich is not merely a request for funding. It is a call to action in the face of the global climate crisis,” he said, adding that the path would be a tangible step to reducing the town’s carbon footprint. “Imagine the impact of fewer cars on the road,” he said. “This project is an investment in educating our community about the importance of sustainable living.”

Pablum for morons. It’s all about symbolism and meaningless, inconsequential actions, and the RTM’s vote sets the town on a path to a $4 million version of the equally useless symbolic ban on plastic straws that was so popular among school children of all ages a few years ago.