Comments on: Infrastructure Bank Plan Gaining Attention and Momentum http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/05/26/infrastructure-bank-plan-gaining-attention-and-momentum/ Covering San Francisco's livable streets movement Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:20:47 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Todd Edelman http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/05/26/infrastructure-bank-plan-gaining-attention-and-momentum/comment-page-1/#comment-5787 Todd Edelman Wed, 27 May 2009 08:07:13 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=2243#comment-5787 Right... how about a "Sustainable Infrastructure Bank"? Right... how about a "Sustainable Infrastructure Bank"?

]]> By: Charles Siegel http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/05/26/infrastructure-bank-plan-gaining-attention-and-momentum/comment-page-1/#comment-5770 Charles Siegel Tue, 26 May 2009 17:07:46 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=2243#comment-5770 Note that Bob Herbert called for spending more on "roads and bridges" - always the favorite mantra of those who don't think about the environment. He also called for the infrastructure bank as a way of dealing with unemployment caused by the current recession, which is an obvious error. He said that the recession would keep increasing unemployment until late 2010 or 2011. But he doesn't seem to realize that it takes several years to plan infrastructure projects, and if a new source of funding appeared now, the projects would not be able to begin until after the recession is over. We have already had a scramble for "shovel-ready projects" to spend stimulus money on, and the great majority of the projects that were already designed and ready to go were - no surprise - roads and bridges. Note that Bob Herbert called for spending more on "roads and bridges" - always the favorite mantra of those who don't think about the environment.

He also called for the infrastructure bank as a way of dealing with unemployment caused by the current recession, which is an obvious error. He said that the recession would keep increasing unemployment until late 2010 or 2011. But he doesn't seem to realize that it takes several years to plan infrastructure projects, and if a new source of funding appeared now, the projects would not be able to begin until after the recession is over.

We have already had a scramble for "shovel-ready projects" to spend stimulus money on, and the great majority of the projects that were already designed and ready to go were - no surprise - roads and bridges.

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