Denver City Council is considering a proposal to allocate $15 million to study congestion on Peña Boulevard for five years. The traffic on the road to DIA has increased significantly over the years, and the need to address congestion is clear. The study aims to evaluate possible solutions to alleviate traffic, including adding a frontage road, a bus-only lane, and other transit systems.
Critics argue that the study is unnecessary and a waste of time and money, especially when previous studies have already identified potential solutions. The current political culture in the country makes it difficult to build necessary infrastructure efficiently, with numerous regulations and obstacles hindering progress.
Journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson propose a new approach called abundance politics, which focuses on adopting a more proactive stance towards solving infrastructure problems by removing barriers to construction. The current environmental movement, while beneficial in cleaning up the environment, has also slowed down the process of building essential infrastructure.
There is a call for a change in political culture to facilitate faster project approvals and eliminate unnecessary regulatory hurdles. The excessive legalism in the country, with a high number of lawyers and lawsuits against the government, is seen as a major obstacle to progress. It is suggested that a shift towards a more outcomes-oriented approach is needed to overcome the current challenges in infrastructure development.
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