Dear Editor:

I am writing this letter to you as a concerned citizen of the Lehigh Valley.

I was moved to type my thoughts as the result of the continuing tragedies we are seeing on our roads, most of which are a result of unbridled development in our area.

Not only are we losing our open spaces all over our beautiful valley, but we are also seeing the increase of needless deaths as the result of our crowded highways.

We tried to stop Mr. Jaindl’s warehouse development a few years ago because we knew what the results would be. But, ultimately his money and power won.

Now, according to local traffic accident analysis, trucks are killing three of our residents a week on our local roads. Truck drivers are driven to fatigue with long overnight hours, arriving in our local area sleepy and worn out from moving their loads throughout the night.

As a result, we are seeing horrific accidents like the one last week on the Hamilton bypass.

I know Mr. Jaindl’s business is land development. I know “We can’t stop progress” either, but I ask him to consider what he has really accomplished by bringing these warehouses to this beautiful valley. Sub-standard, low paying jobs, crowded secondary roads, traffic delays and now brutal truck collisions every week. What is most frightening is only half of these warehouses are now operational!

The only way this message will hit home is when someone he knows or loves is killed by these murderous trucks. I certainly don’t wish that upon him or his family, but, I ask him to consider what he has brought upon us here in the Lehigh Valley.

Bob Rodale, probably our most significant, foreseeing citizen, realized how important open land and controlled development was to the health of our community. Every time I ride through Rodale Park I thank Mr. Rodale silently for his forethought in giving us his land to enjoy. I ask Mr. Jaindl to consider his legacy as well. “How much is enough?”

Edward Burke

Macungie