DRTP's Agonal Respiration

It's appropriate for DRTP after all. It means the last gasp. One definition that I saw is "respirations that are somewhat of a strain, that is seen in a patient who is expiring."

We should not get too excited about the Star's Page 3 story and headline on Saturday: "DRTP refuses to die: Despite rejection by DRIC, tunnel proponents remain hard at work" It fulfills a purpose after all.

It's hard to take the Star too seriously on this issue since the story reporting the South Windsor DRTP meeting was buried on Page 5 on Friday in the "Area Briefs" section. From Page 5 to the top story on page 3 on the weekend with a major headline in only one day.

Wow!!! I can imagine the number of people in South Windsor who gasped when they opened up their paper on Saturday morning. I can also think of eleven people in Windsor who were smiling broadly.

You and I, dear reader, we understand what is going on. It is the typical Star tactic at work...Create a few "bogey man" news stories about an issue to scare the public ie "We did things that newspapers can do to bring about change, positive change. I think we got a lot of results this year and this now validates the results we got."

It will be followed by a "fuming" Mayor Eddie Francis anti-Federal Government tirade in a Henderson column (that is how he will tie the Manning Road deal into E C Row into DRTP without threatening a lawsuit). I would expect the nearly-invisible on the border over 3 years Councillor STOPDRTP, Dave Brister, to fulminate as well in the column to help him garner a few votes given the big name, Tom Lynd, who has decided he will run against him in Ward 1.

The culmination of the Star media frenzy will be a big announcement on the border. The last step will be another Star Editorial supporting whatever the Mayor says and demanding a new public bridge.

It's all so terribly predictable by now isn't it? We'll see the sloganeering that was being practised by the Councillors at the Labour Council meeting during the run-up to the elections and Eddie's new Plan.

And just so you don't think I am guessing, read the last two lines of the Star story, usually where the important bits of info are placed. The City is good at slogans isn't it (Whatever happened to "Love This Place"). Instead of tunnels and quality of life we now have "No trucks on City Streets" as we heard ad nauseum at the Labour meeting:

• "But Mayor Eddie Francis said the DRTP plan has "been ruled out" and city council is obliged to deal with "what's on the table now."
  
  He said council has been unequivocal in its desire to get trucks off city streets."

And just so you know, since the Star did not report it, David Estrin was in town last Monday briefing the Council on who knows what. I would think though that the Mayor and Council have created a strategy for being unified on the border until at least November 14.

Just in case you need some cocktail party chatter about why DRTP is on its last gasp and should not be taken seriously, here are some of the reasons why:

1. DRTP cannot provide the mega-billions needed for a tunnelled "Bigger Dig." DRTP could not afford to build its own original DRTP project without $150 million of taxpayer money. Now they must have taxpayers give them billions to make their private profit.
2. The City's Rail Lands by-law does not permit DRTP to be used for a truck corridor
3. The Detroit Mayor is opposed to DRTP
4. A 2-lane truck tunnel under the river does not meet the needs for future traffic growth
5. We need auto traffic border redundancy and not just a truck only route
6. A tunnel being built along the corridor would impact South Windsor negatively since property outside the DRTP right-of-way would be required.
7. The DRTP Customs plaza (located now on Highway 401) would be too far away from the border for CBSA's liking
8. It has problems where it "pops up" in Detroit. There are community issues and connection difficulties to the Interstate system.
9. DRIC Consultants have already shot down their Green Solution.