Correction to previous article
Sunday, March 2, 2025
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| Frank Lumber The Door Store |
In fact, Sims has sold his business to long-time employees.
The previous article also claimed Sims had opposed pedestrian safety projects over concerns they would harm Frank Lumber’s business. Sims and the current owners of Frank Lumber dispute this claim and said they support traffic safety measures, and disagree that road diets will make the North City neighborhood safer.
The article has been updated. Our apologies to Mr. Sims
--Editor Diane Hettrick
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3 comments:
Thanks for the correction!
"Sims and the current owners of Frank Lumber dispute this claim and said they support traffic safety measures..."
Great! Now we can move on with the road diet since those are well known to improve traffic safety! I'm glad we're all on the same page.
I don't see why either of those things are relevant. Sims was the one who made the comments opposing the 15th Ave NE project, which are on the public record. Sims, as far as I know, is not a traffic engineer and has no basis to comment on the technical aspects of the project, including safety. There's plenty of research demonstrating that changing the lane configuration in that manner usually does improve a road's safety record.
That said, it was 20 years ago. It's probably time to leave this behind us, but to any current business owners who wish to follow in his footsteps: think about the people who live in the neighborhood before lobbying for or against changes that affect them. Look at the bigger picture, not just how many cars can drive past in an hour.
The smug credentialism from road diet boosters never fails to impress. If one isn't a traffic engineer, how dare that person speak out against a reconfiguration that promises to be a major disruption.
Here's the truth. Traffic engineers in our area act as the "scientific" stamp of approval for anti-car policies sought by local jurisdictions. Governments only hire car skeptics and therefore render car-skeptical decisions. Anyone who disagrees is marginalized from what functions as an insular guild.
Pushing everyone to drive 20 on every arterial is policy from the top, supported by studies with skewed priorities. Don't make the mistake of calling it science.
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