Moser: Bi-County Parkway Idea Lacks Innovation

Opinion 

I first read about an Elio in an article that reported the purchase of a defunct General Motors factory in Shreveport, Louisiana. The factory had been closed after production of the Hummer ceased as Americans discovered just looking cool may not be reason to invest the price of a small home into a vehicle that guzzles gas like a sponge soaks up water.

I love restoration, repurposing, and reclamation. I also love technology and innovation. I am an early adopter, as evidenced by the number of products I purchase, usually at a premium price and often before the bugs are worked out. I trace that history back to a time when I bought one of the first digital watches for my husband as a gift. I paid an exorbitant price, only to follow that same watch for years as the price dropped lower and lower. Lots of other manufacturers began making digital watches, imports and knockoffs abounded and soon my exclusive gift was as common as icicle Christmas lights.

Many people hold off when a new product comes on the market. I try, but when I see something delightful like Leap Motion I can’t wait! I had to have that device, just like when Atari launched Pong in the early 1970s. (I sincerely hope the Leap device doesn’t join my Roomba in the closet of “I loved you briefly”)

So, I nearly understand the government when it comes to trying something new. America is behind in so many competitive markets because we test endlessly, launch expansive and expensive studies and often base decisions on outdated or no longer relevant data.

That pretty much sums up the way I feel about the Bi-County Parkway. I watched the Board of County Supervisors meeting and I heard the Virginia Secretary of Transportation as he explained how long this project has been on the books. I’ve read a zillion blog posts. I’m on an email list both for the “Say No to the Bi-County Parkway” and the NVTA.

I have to say I am opposed to the highway, not for any of the numerous, legitimate reasons I’ve heard or read. I oppose the Parkway exactly because the idea has been around so many years. I’m really tired of government basing decisions on outdated concepts.

What has happened to our ability to innovate and think creatively instead of modeling our future on the past? How do we keep planning roads, parking, schools and housing without including innovations or at least possible innovations like Hyper-Loop? What if instead of more cars on the roads, there are actually less? What if we are not commuting at all?

When you first saw a Smart Car did you really think anyone would drive them?

Perhaps not all innovations are keepers, but did anyone really suspect in 1986 (27 years ago) that a small company, (Cisco) with four employees, would be the vanguard of all routers in the world today? (FYI, I typed this on Word 2013 loaded on my Windows 8 touch screen, on an HP Envy 23 that I bought last year.)