I am beyond the point of disgust with the sloppy coverage the media has given the Inner Purple Line story. No transit could mean no trail Those of us that are eagerly awaiting a solution to the traffic woes of our community eagerly look for coverage only to find focus on the silly little stories surrounding the trail.
I want to challenge the media to do a better job laying out the story of the Inner Purple Line.
On one hand, there is a rich elite of golfers, politicians (paid for) and country club debutantes ringing their hands incessantly about the fate of their lovely backyard oasis. They have seemingly limitless time to call and write the media. They invite staff to walk in their yards. They make it easy for media to produce copy on an issue that is important to a large readership.
On the other side, there is a more important and more complex story. A story of long bus rides, the stories about stresses commuting places on families and bus riders. We have traffic jams, air pollution and pedestrian deaths. We have car soot in our window sills that also lands in our lungs. We have Inner Purple Line supporters that are busy working, taking care of children and commuting. Is there any doubt that a large majority of the area residents support building the Inner Purple Line? However, no one in support of the project is going to hold your hand (the media) and take reporters on a bus rides at rush hour. The media are not going run weekly stories on thousands of East-West commuters that country club would rather pretend don't exist.
The media focus on trail vs. no trail is a false choice. There is no trail that runs between Bethesda and New Carrollton. The areas outside of Bethesda are islands of homes and apartment complexes that are fragmented by a dozen major commuter roads. These roads run though our communities. They make walking, running, roller bladding, biking and commuting a dangerous endeavor. Lets take reporters (with slow-strollers including the wobbly wheels) to make multiple crossings of Georgia, East-West Highway, Colesville, Connecticut, New Hampshire or 16th Street. Lets report on the daily stress that comes with dodging traffic. People are getting in accidents and people are getting killed.
Supporters of the Inner Purple Line are not against trails or trees. We like both. Most of us don't care about a land fight among the millionaires or about a development project in Chevy Chase. We are passionate about seeing the Inner Purple Line built because we know commuters. We cross these streets. We see police tape at accidents. We know family members that come home late because of traffic. We are sick of politicians, country clubs and "Save the Trail".
I challenge the media to consistently tell the truth about project. It is a good project. It will help our community and connect our neighborhoods to recreation and commuter trails. Everyone except the millionaires and those that have directly received money from them are in support of the Inner Purple Line.
The chambers of commerce, civic associations, labor unions, biking and environmental groups support the project.(support list) From Bethesda to New Carrollton, the majority of the population in the area supports the project. The Inner Purple Line creates useable trails (point A to point B). The project will create shorter commutes for rail riders. The project will connect economic centers, reduce air pollution and create jobs. The Inner Purple Line rail and trail would improve the quality of life and economic outlook for all of us.
Please start focusing on the insane influence that the elite country club neighborhood is exerting to stop this project. Publish a member list, dues they pay, lawsuits they filed (to block the trail). Expose the political contributions, connections to elected officials, financial support funneled into "Save the Trail" over the last ten years. The media need to reveal the dirty secret that is on the table. The Inner Purple Line is not built today because some of the rich elite in Chevy Chase oppose it. Every politician that is involved in delaying the project has taken money from the opponents.
Today, I blame the media for lack of community rage. People don't know the story because the media is lazily regurgitating the story as it is framed by the opponents. The Inner Purple Line debate is no longer about the merits of the project (all the facts support building the Inner Purple Line) but about fairness, moral conduct of politicians and honesty in our political process.
