District 11 hopefuls cite need for traffic improvements

• By AMY WOLD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 18, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
• Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series about the candidates for the 12 Metro Council seats in the Oct. 4 primary. Due to coverage of Hurricane Gustav, the Metro Council stories are not being published in numerical order by district. The interviews were conducted before the hurricane hit Louisiana.

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The four candidates running for the District 11 seat on the Metro Council have different ideas about how to address many issues, including traffic congestion and crime.

The candidates — Republicans Alison Cascio and Scott Lemoine, Democrat Donald C. Hodge and independent Matt Watson — were asked for this story to address traffic, crime, economic development, and taxes and fees.

The candidates meet in the Oct. 4 primary. A runoff, if necessary, is scheduled Nov. 4. David Boneno, the current councilman, is not seeking re-election.

Taking on traffic
Cascio said some of the work the city-parish is already doing, such as the synchronizing of traffic signals, is helping.

“Another thing I’m a big proponent for is providing other options besides cars,” Cascio said.

Crosswalks are important, she said, noting that where she lives there’s a grocery store and other services just across the street, but it’s too dangerous to walk across the street.

“There is a demand for transit and that demand is going to grow because of our rapidly aging population,” Cascio said. “We have a bus system but many of the routes are so long that they become unreliable as to when they’ll show up to a bus stop and when they’ll get people to their destination.”

Hodge said possible solutions to traffic congestion include: expanding the Green Light Plan, which uses money from a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2005 for road construction and improvement projects; designing a “loop” highway that meets the needs of the parish and surrounding areas while helping relieve congestion along Interstates 10 and 12; and encouraging more use of public transportation.

Lemoine said traffic congestion can be reduced if the highway system is improved.

“If we can get our traffic flow on the interstate flowing more effectively we can clear out some of the surface streets,” he said.

Paying for that should come with the help of the Legislature, especially since the state has seen a budget surplus in the past several years, he said.

Watson said synchronizing traffic lights has already made a difference in some areas of the parish and more of that kind of work would help.

Money is available to help improve traffic congestion in other ways and it’s already in the city-parish’s possession, he said.