--- In canroads@yahoogroups.com, "needbetterroads" <needbetterroads@...> wrote:
>
> Even with budget constraints, why would they not make it at least RIRO for the
Eastbound (which they haven't done) as well as Westbound (which they have done).
I can only imagine that some residents in that area will put up a real big stink
about that once the stretch opens all the way to QE-2
>
> ~needbetterroads

Alberta is good at doing these sorts of things as a systematic way of leveraging
change in a method of government funding, political initiatives, etc., by
getting the general public on-board their new 'methods'. In this case, the new
method is P3 funding to build highways.

The end user won't think much beyond all the pros and cons for any of this,
they'll just say, "Wow! It sure seems like the P3 funding/delivery of road
construction works so much faster AND better than the traditional government
funding! I mean why couldn't the government even afford a better interchange at
Shaganappi Trail??"

Basically make the alternative option seem so ludicrous by 'disinvesting' in it
so that everybody (most of them like blind sheep) subscribe to a new method (in
this case P3's) without much questioning/complaining.

Not saying this is bad in this situation, but you can see how applied elsewhere
in government affairs it could be perceived as an abuse of power. In this case
it just relieves the headache of ill-informed opinions and controversy from
public feedback, and the roads get built.

Another example of these systematic measures (not so much done by the Alberta
government, but the city of Edmonton) have also led to the decision this past
week by the city of Edmonton to shut down their City Centre Airport. By
implementing stricter and stricter measures of aircraft permitted to use the
runways and by not investing much in infrastructure maintenance, more of the
general public just wants the airport 'gone' now. A pretty effective way to get
people onside.

-0773|=\