NBCRG prez Ralph Heun ’s August blog gushed, “NBCRG supports common sense development in New Berlin” and presented a “solution” for area traffic--- “open” all 6 of Moorland Road’s lanes to thru- traffic. (They argue “Moorland Rd is a 6-lane road, but only 4 lanes are utilized.”)

In other words, NBCRG ’s “simple and cost effective solution” is to eliminate Moorland Rd’s shoulder/turning lanes-- thereby making that busy road less safe for bicyclists and motorists traveling on it.

If NBCRG's "solution" was implemented, getting to or from the shopping plazas, numerous businesses, post office, residences and subdivisions located along or off of Moorland, would be more hazardous.

Where's their concern for people's safety?

Heun/ NBCRG, who can’t stomach widening Calhoun Road from 2 to 4 lanes, evidently wouldn’t mind turning Moorland Rd. into a 6-lane superhighway that lacks shoulders/turning lanes and sidewalks--- and dumping a bigger chunk of the City’s increasing traffic onto it.

Changing our Moorland Road into something resembling Highway 100, may be NBCRG’s idea of “common sense development”, but I doubt if many New Berlin residents would agree.

Heun is free to present whatever goofy ideas and irresponsible “solutions” he wants.
But remember he is not a city traffic expert.
Fortunately, the City of New Berlin employs skilled professionals---our City engineering staff-- to advise it. They look at the whole picture and consider safety aspects. And both New Berlin’s and Brookfield’s staffs recommended widening Calhoun Road.

Here’s what the Journal-Sentinel's Sept. 24 editorial had to say about widening Calhoun Road:

“Traffic
Doing it the right way

A two-lane Calhoun Road in New Berlin no longer meets the needs of growing area businesses and families. What’s needed is a safer four-lane road with sidewalks.

Some New Berlin residents are understandably frustrated that the city has spent two years talking about whether to widen Calhoun Road and yet has been unable to come up with a plan for its reconstruction. And no doubt, some are frustrated that the Common Council was unable recently to override Mayor Jack Chiovatero’s veto of a plan that called for a two-lane reconstruction.

Nevertheless, the veto was the right thing to do, and the failure to override it will serve the city better than the two-lane plan would have.

Because of growing business and residential demands in the area, Calhoun should be widened to four lanes with sidewalks; a two-lane subdivision feeder simply can no longer meet the needs of residents and businesses in the area.

As Chiovatero said in his veto statement, the two-lane road design was unsafe for pedestrians, failed to meet the needs of the New Berlin Industrial Park and did not include provisions for stormwater management. He also stated that a two-lane design would meet traffic capacity on Calhoun Road for only about five years.

That should be unacceptable for residents as well as aldermen.”