For reasons I’d rather not discuss—to keep my blood pressure in check and the language clean—my two children are attending summer camp at a place not near my home. Instead they’re at a camp several zip codes away in a part of town that’s exactly in the opposite direction of where I work.
Consequently, my life has become a commuter’s nightmare.
Every weekday morning, the children and I pull out of our neighborhood just off LSU’s campus and navigate through and around unsynchronized traffic lights, blockades created by vehicles waiting and waiting and waiting to turn left into one condominium or retail development after another and an assortment of road construction projects until we reach the Paula Manship YMCA, where my son and daughter spend their days playing kickball, swimming and turning paper bags into art. Upon safely dropping them off, I stop-and-go solo through more road construction and more whacked-out red lights until finding my way to our office downtown. On good days, what was a pre-camp, five-minute journey from home to work is now a 45-minute odyssey. On bad days, the trek can take as long as an hour and 15 minutes.
On good days and bad, when the only thing moving fast on the Mini is the gas needle, I’m driven to wonder, “How can anyone voluntarily do this day after day, year after year?”
I don’t mean taking one’s children to camp; I mean surviving the horror that is commuting in Baton Rouge.
I’ve been living this hell for a little more than a month and I already thank God on a daily basis that I don’t carry a gun. Otherwise an orange-vested construction worker, the one who halts rush-hour traffic so a bulldozer can cross the road at 1 mph, would pay the ultimate price.
Fortunately for all involved, my horror show will end in a few weeks. The children will be back riding the bus to school and I’ll return to my peaceful, easy River Road sojourn from home to work. [At least until our corporate office relocates from downtown to the hinterland on Jefferson Highway, just past Drusilla Lane, then we’ll be back to the “God give me strength” chants.]
Until now, the foundation of my decade-long campaign against sprawl has been that unplanned growth 1] does not pay for itself, forcing taxpayers in existing areas of the parish to cover the cost, 2] enables neighborhoods with existing infrastructure to die, 3] destroys an efficient street grid, giving birth to ideas like a loop, something that has a greater chance of worsening the problem than truly solving it and 4] promotes isolation over community.
Now that I’m living the nightmare, it’s painfully obvious the biggest problem with sprawl is this: It will drive you nuts.
The impact of unplanned growth is a serious mental health issue. In fact, I’m forming a nonprofit organization to study the problem and counting on a Rep. Hunter Greene-backed NGO to fund the thing.
Yet there are single-entrance subdivisions from St. Gabriel to Gonzales to Denham Springs and Walker that prove losing one’s sanity is a small price to pay for the joy of living in isolated sprawl.
But for how much longer? Could it be astronomical gas and energy prices will stop sprawl in its tracks?
Let’s not kid ourselves; the love affair with the suburbs, the ex-burbs and every other ’burb isn’t over, but there’s mounting evidence that Baton Rouge home buyers are, at least temporarily, being forced to consider a more urban way of life.
Not because they necessarily want to, but because the cost of commuting and cooling faux French Country McMansions during our oppressive, humidity-saturated summers is straining budgets across the region. Even mowing the lawn becomes an expensive proposition when tooling around on a green Craftsman tractor.
In the not-too-distant past, when the kids rode the bus to St. Aloysius and I shot down River Road to work, the Mini saw a gas station every three weeks. Now we’ve got a weekly appointment and the fill-up that once cost $32 checks in at just over $50.
I know I’m anxious to get back to a world where live, work and play happens within a 10-mile radius. It looks like others are being forced to want that as well.
Comments
Posted by por_deni on July 1, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In your 10 years of battling urban sprawl and promoting the tenets of smart growth, have you used the bus system to do your part to alleviate the number of cars on the road? $56 will get you on any bus at any time for 31 days--equivalent to one week's worth of gas.
Yes, it can be inconvenient at times, but, as you describe above, so is driving a personal car hither and yon on a daily basis.
If more commuters use our public transportation system, more revenue will flow in, and CATS will be able to invest in a better, more efficient system. We also need to put pressure on the City-Parish to invest more of our tax dollars into public transportation and hold CATS management accountable, starting with a full-time Controller.
Baton Rougeans need to stop making excuses for why they can't ride a bus and just do what is right for their wallets and our community.
Posted by richyb on July 1, 2008 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The unsynchronized traffic lights are a big problem. And there are not enough right turning-lanes (ex. Perkins-Acadian + many others) There is simply not enough traffic flow; to much "stop and go". All the widening of these major streets are greatly hindered by all of this.
Posted by pmccarron on July 1, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Our bus system never runs on time. And you got to go everywhere just to get from point A to point B. Replace the few buses with more frequent vans. Widen Sherwood Forrest, Drusilla, Jones Creek, etc. Also a narrow motorcycle or scooter "only" lane may be an idea -one less car benefits everybody.
Posted by superbeefinder on July 2, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why not send your kids to a summer camp closer to home? A quick visit to the YMCA website shows two that appear closer than the Manship location, including one on the way.
Strange that you missed that.Hmmm.
Posted by tigerterror51 on July 2, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great article! Mental health degradation is one of the many events we are going to face over the next couple of years. Would it be crazy to maybe ask for high speed rail or tram instead of a loop road? You know a train...it was mentioned in the LRA plan. When are we going to follow these plans?
Posted by amr2008 on July 2, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know, I hate the commute from Asc. Parish to downtown EBR every day, but I have learned to keep my cool. I've started listening to talk radio to get informed and just recently ordered the Rosetta Spanish instruction program on CD. I might as well make the most of my hour or so commute. As for taking the bus, who's gonna carry me over the parish line? And will the bus wait for me to pick up my little one from daycare every afternoon in South Baton Rouge? It would be nice to have an option of public transportation in the tri-parish area...but I won't hold my breath.
Posted by fourx5 on July 2, 2008 at 2:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Carpool lanes. Public transit with a real budget and a mandate to get people out of cars (instead of something for the "working poor" to use as a ride to work). Light rail or commuter rail instead of a loop. Public/Private shuttles and busses subsidized by large employers (Exxon? Hello?) Nah, it's just easier to complain about traffic instead of leapfrogging the problem.
Funny, Google shuttles something like 1/20 of their employees (keeping huge numbers of cars off the road) using private busses. Why can't your refineries and large employers (State of Louisiana, banks, etc.) do the same thing? Where are the carpool parking lots on I-12? I know you've all been outside of Baton Rouge and seen the benefits of these approaches in other cities. The city doesn't need elevated carpool lanes like Houston - bad ideas and expensive to boot - but all those people going the same direction every morning and afternoon might as well halve the traffic by sharing rides.
Who doesn't like a lower gas bill? You can't do anything about the falling dollar and rising demand from India and China, but you can find a friend to ride to work with every other day.
Kudos to you for at least driving a fuel-efficient car, J.R. The next time I hear a soccer mommy driving a Suburban with two kids in it (or any other 6+ cylinder solo driver who isn't a contractor) complain about the price of gasoline, I think I'll yell.
Posted by Diva on July 2, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great comments as usual, JR. No one wants to talk about the elephant in the room, though, which is that our mayor has accomplished little in his first term and supports every sprawl-generating idea coming down the proverbial pike, while ignoring progressive ideas that could easily be emulated by looking at those adopted by cities around the world.
Your loop comments are right on the money. A 20th century solution to 21st century problems.
Posted by jrball (JR Ball) on July 2, 2008 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To Superbeefinder: The YMCA closest to my home (the downtown Y) doesn't offer all day summer camp. The next closest, Southside, had a camp (which is where my children were registered) but it was transferred to Manship because of construction at Kenilworth Middle School. I don't want to say much more, because it's this situation, and the lack of notification, that I refer to in the opening graph (blood pressure and salty language). Long story short, I was notified while sitting in the Kenilworth parking lot on the first day of camp.
Posted by deda on July 2, 2008 at 3:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To fourx5 :
Its as if you are reading my mind. Your ideas are some of the very ones that ran across my mind. IF people would only listen to sane ideas (OURS) we would have this problem solved.
Posted by huskybee on July 2, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
JR, You allude to it, but too often this simple fact is overlooked: LAND USE is half of the equation! Carpool lanes, synchronized traffic lights, and more mass transit can only do so much when we continue to build low density sprawling communities that force us to make an average of 11 car trips a day. EBR's TND ordinance is a good first step, but with a minimum size of 50 acres, its major application will be on the (sub)urban fringe, still contributing to regional traffic problems. We need real leadership and action to reinvest in our existing communities, promoting infill and redevelopment, and at the same time make developing on greenfield and fringe sites less appealing to developers.
Posted by MarkEMartin on July 2, 2008 at 4:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's good to see so many people talking about transportation alternatives and non-sprawl development. Baton Rouge has been so closely tied to its sprawl development, single-user motor vehicles, non-connected surface street system, and little to no support for mass transit for so long it may indeed be too late to correct. I sincerely hope we will all pull together to help create a truly multimodal transportation system serving motor vehicles, mass transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Combining that with a concerted effort supporting in-fill and high-density developments in town and we may be able to avoid or at least ameliorate the worst problems facing us today and those coming over the next few years.
Posted by jrball (JR Ball) on July 2, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To huskybee and others: No question, land use and a lack of planning for future growth is a significant factor. Who controls land use and whether or not this city pursues alternative transportation proposals? In EBR it is the Metro Council. Not only do council members vote on these issues, but they are the ones who appoint members to the various commissions that deal with the related public policies. I can't stress how vitally important the fall elections will be. I know the presidential race will dominate, but nine of 12 council members won't be running, due to term limits or personal choice. Not only would I suggest asking candidates in your particular district where they stand on these vitally important issues, but also find out his/her position on at-large districts. Adding at least three at-large districts is crucial to ending the parochial thinking of our Metro government.
Posted by Diva on July 2, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here, here! Right on again JR. The Metro Council elections are key to the future of this city, as are at-large districts.
One thing not mentioned is mandatory flex schedules for all government employees - state and local. Having employees' work schedules spread out over several hours' time would help traffic greatly, as would 4-day work weeks (again spread out over different days). I asked each candidate about this during the last campaign and all pledged to make it happen. Of course Holden has done nothing about it. And no one can even get to Jindal to suggest it. It's the easiest, most immediate and most economical way to mitigate some of the traffic snarl during so-called rush hours.
You can expect more sprawl and more traffic hassles once Pinnacle gets built. I wonder how many people voted for the Pinnacle project without realizing exactly where they plan to build that monstrosity.
Posted by carless on July 2, 2008 at 10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Too bad you couldn't get your children in the AC Lewis YMCA Branch for Day Camp; perhaps that would have shortened your commute.
Regarding smart growth and traffic, I believe alternate transportation, as well a change in the public attitude towards it, will be integral to a truly functional city. This goes hand in hand with a functional public education system so parents don't have to send their kids to a private school or move outside the city limits to get their kids into a better school system.
Posted by CraigBayer on July 2, 2008 at 10:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The high gas prices might be the best thing to happen to us. Traffic has been horrible for years but Baton Rouge has still refused to look to public transportation. Hopefully $4.50 to $5.00 a gallon forces a change.
Posted by huskybee on July 3, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Speaking of the fall Council elections... Look for the local sections of the American Planning Association (APA), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), American Public Works Association (APWA), and others to host a "meet and greet" late this summer where all will have a chance to address these very important issues with the candidates.
Posted by Julie_Baron_Sheffield on July 3, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
JR, I was in the same boat as you last week and had similar thoughts. I live near the Perkins Rd overpass and normally have an easy commute to my job near the old bridge. I have no one to blame but myself for enrolling my child in Highland Road Observatory camp; thankfully it was only one week (and she loved the camp, btw). I was grouchy every day by the time I arrived at work a full hour after leaving home and thought "I can't believe people do this every day!". If you haven't done so already, next summer check out Tigers Den at LSU Rec Center.
Posted by lsupride on July 7, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Welcome to my world, J.R. I've been traveling from upper Central for 16 yrs and have gone from a 25 minute commute to a 55 min - 1 1/2 hr commute - both ways. I sit through so many red lights I can polish my nails on the way to work! Planning commission? What planning commission - especially for anything north of Florida Boulevard. I did look into using the bus system - parking at Cortana, and catching it there. But there is no bus line on Essen Lane - even the bus company doesn't want to go down Essen Lane! The loop they're proposing won't do anyone who needs it any good. (It's possible it will go through my back yard, though!) And by the time they finish the Central Thruway, I'll be retired and won't need it. I vote for what the other poster's said - commuter rail and large companies providing transportation for their employees.
Posted by pmccarron on July 11, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The cost of infrastructure (roads, sewer, water, electricity, cable, bus, police and fire, etc) for compact, mix use areas is a fraction to provide these same amenities over sprawling distances. Smart Growth does save energy and time. When you can work, play, sleep, and interact with your family and friends all without getting in a car that saves energy and time.
Posted by TheSwamp on July 13, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To CraigBayer, I think you make a very interesting observation. At what price for gas will the average Baton Rouge driver begin to make real life changes when it comes to driving all over the place? Gas is high right now, but not high enough to get anyone off the road. No one wants to pay $4 a gallon, but they will pay it if it means being able to live on the roads as most people here seem to love to do. People here burn gas like it's a nickel a gallon, but at what price point will even a Baton Rougean finally park the car for any span of time? A lot higher than we are paying at the pump at this time, that's for sure.
Sadly, Baton Rouge has always been 20 years behind where it needs to be as a city. Arguably, Baton Rouge is now 30 years behind the curve. This is coming back to haunt us now in a very big way. The promise of cheap gas, which is what fueled all the monster sprawl we have now, has evaporated. The developers are still trying to develop every last square inch of Ascension Parish, and apparently won't stop until the entire parish is one huge tangle of traffic, strip malls, and 'burbs. Nowhere is there any talk of improving the roads so the traffic is not stall & crawl 6 hours a day. It's hard to get good mileage when the average speed of traffic is between zero to 5 mph. And no talk of public transit, either.
Baton Rouge has waited too late to try to solve any of these problems. The city has ignored the possibility that gas might not always be super-cheap, and now the chickens have come home to roost.
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