There was an odd little comment made by Polk County Commissioner Jack Myers last week. it was ably reported by the Ledger’s Tom Palmer:
Just seconds before the Transportation Planning Organization adjourned today, County Commissioner Jack Myers blurted out something about living not far from the CSX tracks in Auburndale and not being bothered by the sound of the passing trains.
That caught County Commissioner Jean Reed,who lives not far from the proposed CSX freight terminal in Winter Haven, by surprise. She could be heard saying she wanted to respond, but by then the microphones had been turned off. — CSX fun and games
You might wonder how far Myers lives from those tracks? What about Reed? Polk County election records, property appraiser’s records, and 10 minutes with Google maps and I can give you an approximate answer:
Jack Myers’ home has nice thick walls.
(I’m guessing. I’ve seen it only on a satellite photo.)
Myers lives near the interchange where the CSX S-Line and the A-Line converge. He is approximately 3400 feet from that intersection, but closer to the A-line at 2160 feet. Now, if the commuter rail plan goes through, A-Line traffic will reduce, if not dry up, near Myer’s home.
Commissioner Reed? She is approximately 2142 feet from the CSX tracks. Reed is also about 8.5 miles closer than Myers to the proposed Winter Haven Rail Center.
What can we conclude from all this?
How did a discussion about trains blocking traffic become one about noise?
Click that link and you’ll find an article I wrote 14 months ago. That makes one still wonder: why do rail proponents keep mentioning “noise” when opponents bring up “traffic?”
It’s an old tactic best known as a Red Herring. You might call it a smoke screen. By either name it is a fallacy of logic. It’s an effort to direct attention away from the true argument:
The Winter Haven Rail Hub will negatively impact auto traffic on State Road 60 and miles away in Lakeland, Ocala, and other Florida communities. Moving freight traffic from the A-Line to the S-Line will negatively impact auto traffic in many communities.
I’d call that a “regional” impact? Wouldn’t you?
photo credit: shadeofmelon
Bio: The short line? Father, husband, writer. My online presence is primarily through as the editor, writer, and occasional photographer for the news sites, Lakeland Local, a sampling of the news, concerns, and events for Lakeland, Florida, and Metro i4 News, which covers the Interstate 4 corridor in Central Florida. Both sites feature the work of myself and other contributors. As a hobby, I manage a forum and some web sites that feature a pulp fiction series written by Lester Dent -- Doc Savage Organized, Doc Savage Info, and Flearun.
