Jane Porter reported that the City of Raleigh was scrapping plans to make Six Forks Road wider and more bike and pedestrian friendly after more than 10 years of planning and $9 million already spent. Readers shared their thoughts.

From Reddit user CaryTriviaDude:

This needs to be investigated. We, the voters, approved the money for the project over a decade ago, six years for the study is absolutely absurd, and then they didn’t even start design or community engagement until 2020?!? This isn’t a new beltway cutting across peoples land, it’s a road widening and re-design process.

An excerpt from Reddit user Xyzzydude:

Did it take so long because….

There were a lot of changes to the plan from community input.

There were delays caused by fronting property owners who did not want to be affected and fought plans.

Did the city hold this project to wait for a bond election that bundled enough other projects together that they thought it had a better chance to pass?

Were there other, more critical road updates in line in front of this one?

What was the interest rate environment for muni bonds at various points during the planning?

How did the pandemic affect all this?

I’m just saying, “hurrr durr government incompetence” is almost never the real answer when the details are explored.

Jane also recently reported on the firing of two state troopers who lied about a chase preceding the crash that killed Tyrone Mason in Raleigh last year. Jane noted in her story that a Raleigh Police investigator also knew the truth but misled Mason’s family for months, which struck a chord with one reader.

From reader Emily Tyo-Barrera by email:

Upon reading the article written by Jane Porter which was published this afternoon, I was awestruck that the Raleigh Police Department continues to protect their own instead of providing a service to the people they can be proud of. Along with the sustained systemic racism of policing habits, not enforcing rules and proper behavior of the officers on their routes and districts makes citizens fear calling on those who have taken an oath to protect. It’s shameful that Raleigh has quietly been perpetuating an “us versus them” mentality instead of telling a grieving mother the truth and spending their budget paid by her and our tax dollars to attempt to cover up this terrible event. My heart goes out to Ms. Mason and I hope that her labor of having to pursue the truth on her own while grieving for her lost loved one is seen by the courts. Publicizing these important events makes our decisions as voters more informed when those who work in administration for law enforcement come up for reelection, and for that I thank editor Porter for their work. 

Last month, we published an op-ed from Walt Barron arguing for Major League Baseball to give Raleigh a professional team and relocate its research and development work to RTP. Readers really want that baseball team.

From Bluesky user punstiningalls: 

What a great idea. There’s nowhere in America better suited for @mlb.com to innovate through data analytics and real-world testing and market research than the Triangle.

And Bluesky user michaelcrawford:

I would do terrible, terrible things to get an MLB team in the Triangle.

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