Boycott Complete Communities Live Stream on 1/27/2021

Once again, Bike Delaware and Sierra Club -- with support from the League of Women Voters among others -- are working in the interests of Developers and the Building Industry. "Complete Communities" is great click bait, except that these organizations are not talking about pathway connections between existing suburban subdivisions. It's all about maximizing developer profits with future infill projects, touting them as walkable-bikeable and/or transit-oriented and thus worthy of density waivers. This, on what few green spaces remain, particularly in New Castle County.

Home Rule governance, combined with non-existent development codes or land-use regulations over many decades time (since WW2) have all but ensured community disconnect and isolation in most cases. Most bicycle or foot traffic is forced out onto the nearest arterial road to make any kind of connection with neighboring communities, commerce and basic services. Bike Delaware, in particular, ignores any and all attempts to retrofit the built environment to accommodate them.

Unless the State is prepared to spend enormous sums and begin using eminent domain, safe connectivity for the "interested but concerned" to circumvent arterial roads and intersections as one less car will remain impossible. Govt would have to strategically condemn and raze private properties in order to install non-motorized pathway connections between developments, and designate their streets as bike boulevards. Doing so would draw the ire of adjacent residents, and trigger a frenzy of lawsuits. Except in a rare case or two, it isn't going to happen.

We urge our readers to see through the folly of organizations that purport to be environmental and alt-transportation advocates, yet their record (or lack thereof) speaks to the contrary. Send a clear message with your boycott of this and all events sponsored by them.