Dear Editor: I recently read an article in The Cap Times about plans to add more lanes to the Beltline. With the daily traffic we face, adding lanes might seem like a good idea. But in reality, it would harm public health and safety without actually fixing the problem.
Highway expansions inevitably invite more driving, cementing a car-dominated city, raising air pollution, and increasing injuries from high-speed collisions. As a medical student, I see firsthand the consequences of these choices in my patients.
Poor air quality increases asthma and makes life harder for those already living with it. Children who live near the Beltline already experience some of the highest rates of asthma in the city, and this expansion would deepen that disparity. WisDOT has argued that widening the Beltline will improve safety, but faster highways are associated with more severe crashes. Several proposed interchanges would also increase vehicle speeds near residential neighborhoods…