Cutting Roadside Trees
originally titled: Trees
Kevin Clearing is the engineering manager for the Verdant
County Road Commission (VCRC). VCRC has primary responsibility
for maintaining the safety of county roads. Verdant County's
population has increased by 30% in the past 10 years. This has
resulted in increased traffic flow on many secondary roads in
the area. Forest Drive, still a two lane road, has more than
doubled its traffic flow during this period. It is now one of
the main arteries leading into Verdant City, an industrial and
commercial center of more than 60,000 people.
For each of the past 7 years at least one person has
suffered a fatal automobile accident by crashing into trees
closely aligned along a 3 mile stretch of Forest Drive. Many
other accidents have also occurred, causing serious injuries,
wrecked cars, and damaged trees. Some of the trees are quite
close to the pavement. Two law suits have been filed against
the road commission for not maintaining sufficient road safety
along this 3 three mile stretch. Both were dismissed because
the drivers were going well in excess of the 45 mph speed
limit.
Other members of VCRC have been pressing Kevin Clearing to
come up with a solution to the traffic problem on Forest Drive.
They are concerned about safety, as well as law suits that may
some day go against VCRC. Clearing now has a plan -- widen the
road. Unfortunately, this will require cutting down about 30
healthy, longstanding trees along the road.
Clearing's plan is accepted by VCRC and announced to the
public. Immediately a citizen environmental group forms and
registers a protest. Tom Richards, spokesperson for the group,
complains, "These accidents are the fault of careless drivers.
Cutting down trees to protect drivers from their own
carelessness symbolizes the destruction of our natural
environment for the sake of human 'progress.' It's time to turn
things around. Sue the drivers if they don't drive sensibly.
Let's preserve the natural beauty and ecological integrity
around us while we can."
Many letters on both sides of the issue appear in the
Verdant Press, the issue is heatedly discussed on local TV, and
Tom Richards presents VCRC with a petition to save the trees
signed by 150 local citizens.
Discuss how Kevin Clearing should proceed at this point.