[RTC List] Telecom & County Planning Commission MeetingThursday 1/17

[Aaron Antrim]

Mr. Arkley:

Recently, I read an article about a suite of pilot projects that have  
received $15 million from Cisco Systems.  In Seoul they are working on  
a GPS-enabled "travel companion" to help commuters use transit and  
motorists avoid congested roads; in the S.F. Bay Area, they are  
working at improving wireless connectivity for municipal buses; and,  
in Amsterdam, neighborhood-located work and telepresence facilities.   
More here: http://weblog.infoworld.com/sustainableit/archives/2007/12/cisco_clinton_g.html

The General Plan is a 20-year document.  In 20 years, I expect to see  
climate change and traffic congestion become more pressing problems in  
Humboldt County.  I also expect that information technology solutions  
to address these problems will increase in number and viability.

Cisco is using climate change and congestion traffic challenges as new  
opportunities around which to create and deploy information technology  
solutions around the world  We can follow suit in Humboldt County if  
we take the right steps.

We both advocate for a telecom element because it will provide a  
planning basis which will facilitate public and private investment  
infrastructure.  I posit including language in the General Plan which  
supports use of information technology as a cost-effective  
transportation demand management strategy may also facilitate telecom  
infrastructure & services development.  I don’t see a reason not to  
work together where our purposes intersect.

In some areas our values obviously differ, but I feel very strongly  
compelled to respond to your assertion that my suggestions are "at  
best growth prohibiting."  I believe my suggestions would help  
Humboldt County grow, creating new economic and infrastructure  
development opportunities, while minimizing traffic congestion and  
environmental impacts. Recently, I can't help but notice a consistent  
rhetorical strategy to cast me and like-minded colleagues as "no  
growth," which is not accurate.   I believe growth can help us  
redevelop our urban areas to be more pedestrian, bike and transit  
friendly, whereas the flow of money out of the county to pay for  
imported cars and fuel inhibits economic growth.

Here's another example of this observed rhetorical strategy at work.   
My column, which you referenced, appeared in the Times-Standard under  
the headline of "Don't be so hasty on harbor project decision."  In  
the Eureka Reporter, it appeared as "Environmental groups oppose bay  
container port."  It appeared on the same spread as the Eureka  
Reporter's official editorial statement supporting aggressive  
container port development and calling advocates of alternatives  
advocates of "no growth."  Please stop using this inaccurate term in  
regards to me and my work.

Sincerely,
Aaron Antrim

--
Aaron Antrim
Principal Information Architect, Transit Information Solutions
www.transitinfosolutions.com
Outreach Director, Green Wheels
www.green-wheels.org
707.633.4464

On 17 Jan 2008, at 3:40 AM, Arkley, Rob wrote:

> Dear All,
>      I think that Aaron may be well intentioned, but his input goes  
> way beyond what I feel that Redwood Technology should go I its  
> input.  Mr. Atrim also has a advocacy piece about the Bay and it is  
> future.  Needless to say, he and I agree on little.  However, we  
> should all agree that we need more telecom and IT service.
>      Mr. Antrim's suggestions below are at best growth prohibiting  
> and simply go far beyond the real issues that I believe that our  
> group has in mind.  Let's stay focused on our goal and not become  
> broadly advocacy based with the exception of issues directly  in our  
> charge.  If we don't stay focused, we will lose our emphasis and  
> power which a broad based and coalition has.
>      I don't want to start a huge and vitriolic e mail chain, but  
> rather stay focused on our real goals, which are far more limited  
> and surgical in nature than the below comments suggest.  I am  
> convinced that if we stay focused and surgical, we will have much  
> more likelihood of success.
>
>
>
>                                                      vty,
>
>
>
>                                                      Rob .
>
>
> From: list-bounces at redwoodtech.org [mailto:list-bounces at redwoodtech.org 
> ] On Behalf Of Aaron Antrim
> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:25 AM
> To: list at redwoodtech.org
> Subject: Re: [RTC List] Telecom & County Planning Commission  
> MeetingThursday 1/17
>
> Tina-
>
> Thank you for your post about the General Plan Update process.  I  
> agree a telecom element would be a good stop towards improving  
> infrastructure on the North Coast.  I would look forward to seeing  
> comments you or any other RTC members have on the existing parts of  
> the General Plan draft that relate to telecom.
>
> I think one area where telecom could be better addressed is in the  
> Circulation Element (that's planese for transportation element).
>
> Currently, traffic flow conditions are rated by criteria called  
> Level of Service (LoS for short).  The General Plan states that LoS  
> should be maintained at a C or better for roads in the county.   
> Green Wheels would like to see specific language added to the  
> General Plan that specifies mobility management or transportation  
> demand management programs costs and benefits should be considered  
> and weighed against road construction projects as a way of improving  
> or maintaining LoS on county roads.
>
> These transportation demand or mobility management programs are, in  
> the words of a Nelson/Nygaard consultant, "trip-reducing programs,  
> policies, and investments (such as expanded pedestrian and bicycle  
> infrastructure, requiring new development to unbundled parking costs  
> provide free transit passes to residents and/or employees, and  
> carsharing programs)."
>
> I'd like to add that telecommuting programs can be considered as  
> transportation demand management as well, and I'd like to encourage  
> RTC members to take this opportunity to communicate the benefits of  
> information infrastructure as a basis for traffic congestion  
> reduction, and sustainable and balanced transportation.
>
> You can see more Green Wheels comments on the General Plan here:
> www.green-wheels.org/generalplan
>
> -Aaron
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