CIN

Here is a wonderfully simple solution to all of the people whining about traffic on state Route 32 and the need for a relocated state Route 32 “Eastern Corridor” project to move forward. Ready? Move to Hamilton County or quit complaining.

You have selected to locate your home or business in Clermont County. God bless you. It is a fine place. You have lower taxes, a more rural way of life and all the elbow room a person could need.

I have chosen to live in Mariemont. I pay outrageously high taxes and barely fit two cars into a driveway on a postage stamp lot. I do have my convenience to the city and shared green space with my neighbors, and for that I am grateful.

I need someone to now please enlighten me on what gives you the right to pave over my limited green space so you can have an easier commute for yourself or your goods to the urban core from which you have chosen to distance yourself?There are many amazing residential and commercial properties in classic Cincinnati neighborhoods and more coming online routinely. We seem to have endless development opportunities within a 10-plus mile radius of Cincinnati and OTR on the rise.

I personally think the absolute worst thing we can do as a region is encourage more people to live/work 20-plus miles outside the city. We need to continue to pursue policies that bring people into the urban core which I will loosely define as Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky. Population density is a good thing, and public transportation even better.

If you want to talk about a rail option to serve the eastern suburbs better or widening existing state Route 32 a tad I am all ears. If you want to pave over my parkland to serve yourself and your desire for more land with lower taxes, well, I guess I would eschew the ears and give you a fist or a finger.

Suburban sprawl almost killed our city. Now that we have something good going we need to be doing all we can to promote and encourage this momentum. We do not need to make living 30 miles outside of the city easier; we need to make it harder (at least with cars on highways).

Don’t let people in Columbus or those that abandoned ship now control our transportation policies. Come join us in Mariemont, Madisonville, Kenwood, Over-the-Rhine, Oakley, North Avondale, Clifton, Northern Kentucky, etc. Locate your home or business here and enjoy what we have to offer. Or stay in Clermont County if you wish – perfectly fine.

Just no way you’re going to convince me that you have some constitutional right to an easier commute or trip to the Reds game. Deal with the traffic you helped create when you located there. I’ll deal with my neighbors.

Paul Haffner is a resident of Mariemont.