Sarah Bennett’s essay is required reading!

Erie Times News / October 14, 2020

We must treat Erie's bayfront as the prime asset it is

There are extensive plans for development along Erie's bayfront, including changes to the Bayfront Parkway. In order to ensure that the bayfront continues to be an asset, water quality and equal access to the waterfront must be protected. To do so, this plan — and others connected to it — should be carefully and thoroughly evaluated so that decisions are well-informed, environmentally sound and inclusive of all of Erie’s communities.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's current plan for the parkway includes two-lane roundabouts at the Holland and Sassafras streets intersections and separate lanes in the Bayfront Parkway to allow some traffic to move under and other traffic to intersect with State Street. These plans will increase paved surfaces along the bayfront, which is already covered in surfaces that are impervious to water.

Impervious surfaces prevent precipitation from being absorbed by soil and vegetation and instead allow it to rapidly run off into Presque Isle Bay, carrying with it pollutants from vehicles, road salt, litter and fertilizers. Flooding also increases when the ground and vegetation cannot absorb precipitation fast enough.

Initial planning for the Bayfront Parkway project indicated that traffic is likely to increase along the parkway over time. What has not been evaluated are the effects more vehicles will have on stormwater runoff and ground level air pollution. It is especially important that ground level air pollution be assessed because the residents living closest to the bayfront have already been exposed to air pollution from Erie Coke Corp. for decades.

This project also doesn’t reflect well on Erie County’s recent declaration that racism is a public health crisis. The neighborhoods surrounding the Bayfront Parkway include many people of color. The county’s declaration means it is imperative to meaningfully consider potential impacts to these communities, include and consider those communities throughout the planning process, and address all negative impacts to these historically burdened residents. The Bayfront Parkway project has not done this. Addressing racism requires that we change the way things are done and work to ensure that everyone has an equal seat at the table.

A good example of this lies in thoroughly considering the impacts to pedestrian access. Residents can currently cross the street when traffic is stopped at all intersections. The planned roundabouts would mean that traffic does not stop at these intersections. Three pedestrian overpasses have been proposed but only one is planned for the initial phase of construction.

Will residents be safer with the proposed plans for pedestrian access? Will it take longer for a resident living along the bayfront to cross the parkway using a pedestrian overpass? What evidence supports these decisions? U.S. Census data indicates that many people in the neighborhoods surrounding the bayfront do not own vehicles and their primary access to the waterfront is by foot or bicycle. A truly equitable process would consider these facts and develop a plan that ensures equal access to the bayfront regardless of transportation mode.

For the reasons addressed above and several others expressed by residents, Erie City Council has twice tabled the decision to approve moving railroad tracks along the bayfront, a necessary step in the project. The goal has been to ensure that residents had a chance to weigh in on the environmental and health impacts caused by the change, as well as whether this is the right plan for the city of Erie. This is their job as officials elected by the residents of the city of Erie and they did it well.

Erie will not be able to address issues caused by poor decisions of the past by conducting business as usual. Too much paving has led to water pollution and flooding. Building a highway through the city has created barriers for city residents. Inviting polluting industries to the city has resulted in land, air and water pollution and systemic racism has led to a public health crisis.

It is time for Erie to demand more for itself and have meaningful conversations about the path forward. Plans for the region’s development should be re-examined to ensure that each protects our environment, does not disproportionately impact people of color and people living in poverty and takes steps to improve conditions for these communities.

Decision makers should ask questions such as: Whom will be impacted? Who is at the table? Who needs to be at the table and how do we get them there? How does this plan address the declared public health crisis of racism? Decisions must be made in inclusive and thoughtful ways to ensure an equitable, environmentally sound and sustainable future for Erie.

Sarah Bennett is the campaign manager for clean water advocacy for PennFuture.