YOUR AD HERE »

The least of county’s problems

Vail Daily Editorial
Vail CO, Colorado

Eagle County has some inconvenience during rush hours at a couple of interchanges, and at the public high schools. But to label traffic a problem here is a bit silly.

You might have more of a case with parts of weekends during high seasons, when I-70 clogs up between Vail and Denver. But even so, you can drive just as fast as the State Patrol will let you other than a few hours.

Besides, how many more people can the forest bear in summer and the ski mountains in winter than pack our region now? And we want to make it easier to get up here from the Front Range? Really?



Traffic congestion does not come close to the challenges of housing that workers can afford or Eagle County’s labor shortage, which are intertwined. We should be so lucky to have traffic as a “problem.” You can solve that easier than some others.

Taking a couple of extra minutes to get on the freeway to drop Junior off at the high school does not constituted a crisis.

Support Local Journalism



Sure, we can always do a better job with planning off-ramps, making sure those residents in new neighborhoods can get to the highway in a reasonable time, providing public transportation options that encourage motorists to leave the car at home.

Ah, the fact we take the car and not the bus provides ample proof that as much as we might occasionally whine, we don’t really feel stuck in traffic.

If you do, a trip to any truly metropolitan area will drive home some perspective.

Eagle County may have a traffic problem in the future, if the labor shortage and lack of affordable homes don’t dampen our economy in the coming years.

Meantime, the leaders should put first things first.

” Don Rogers for the Editorial Board


Support Local Journalism