The lead article in Nov. 19 issue of the Ballard News-Tribune explains how each of the eight options currently on the table to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct will actually increase travel time to downtown from Ballard, and in some cases, double it.

("Any change to Viaduct will increase travel times," http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/11/20/news/local_news/news01.txt)

The people of Ballard need to be aware that the next few months are a critical time to make our opinions heard on this vital issue that will have a dramatic impact on the quality of life in our neighborhood.

The underlying idea behind all the ideas being considered to replace the crumbling, unsafe, but effective Alaskan Way Viaduct seems to be to force people to use transit, bicycling and walking options if they want to get to downtown Seattle. It does not make sense to me that you would choke off a critical segment of a major state highway and replace it with one that has much less capacity.

While I would like to see pollution decreased, the honest truth is that not everyone is planning to or can give up cars anytime soon. A family with several children can’t go shopping downtown and bring back their items home on a bicycle.

There are other groups, such as the elderly or the handicapped, who might prefer to drive to their destination. Other groups who don't seem to be taken into account in this equation are Mariners and Seahawks fans, the industrial businesses along the docks that depend on the Viaduct to move their cargo, those who use Highway 99 to go from the north of the region to the south, and the communities adjacent to downtown like Ballard who depend on this roadway.

What does this all mean for Ballard? All of these new condos currently being built will soon house thousands of new Ballardites who want to get to work. If travel time downtown is increased, how will traffic keep moving in any direction?

I do not claim to be a transportation policy expert, merely a person who lives in Ballard who is concerned by the seemingly willful disregard for reality being displayed by the people who are planning our future daily.

I believe one of the keys to Ballard's continuing livability is to make sure that any transit and roadway plans that are adopted do not turn our neighborhood’s roads into a state of perpetual gridlock. I think that the best way to do this is to figure out which roadway option will keep traffic capacity at least the same as it is now or increase it while making sure that transit options are simultaneously improved.

I plan on reading up on all the options that the state has put forth and making my opinions known to them at future public meetings. The future of Ballard is being planned right now, and whether you agree or disagree with me I suggest you keep up with the plans for the Viaduct and make your opinions known before a "solution" that you do not like is imposed upon all of us.

Questions, comments, column idea? Please contact Brian Le Blanc at brianleblanc76@yahoo.com.