Thanks for the harsh but useful critique of the plan for I-75 ("Highway to Hell," issue of July 13-19). I and other elected officials who serve as unpaid trustees of OKI, the regional transportation agency, are among the people to whom John Fox's message is sent.

I speak only for myself when I respond that buying a de-congestant requires more cash than the electorate is willing to spend. OKI's creative ideas are many, as seen on the oki.org Web site; the leadership is in place to consider light rail once again, but the "follow-ship" just is not there.

In a republic, elected councils can do what the populace gives us the power to do, so our terrific planners and well intentioned managers can't go beyond what the actual vote count tells us. My Wyoming constituents shudder when I tell them the 2010-2030 congestion estimates for I-75. They brighten when we see the ODOT alternatives recently presented for public comment. But they frown at additional expenditures for what I consider an optimal solution, the option for light rail.

My efforts to preserve light rail as a future alternative were partially successful in the OKI long-range plan. Voters and tax decisions of the future will determine its fate.

I'm convinced that in the future there will be a light rail system here, but gaining followers among the county voters has proven an elusive and frustrating quest. It will take more than today's congestion and more than today's gas prices for the voters to tell us that they're willing to pay for the alternative. Please keep up the energetic reminders.

Keep Talking About Light Rail Ideas
Yes! Thank you! Someone in this city sees the benefit to light rail ("Highway to Hell," issue of July 13-19).

There are so many cities taking the light rail approach, including Portland, Ore., which isn't much bigger than this place. Cleveland! For God's sake, even Cleveland does! So do St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and others.

So many issues in this city seem to get swept under the rug by committees. For 80 years this place has been sitting on top of an unfinished subway system. The answer to the I-75 problem is right in front of everyone's eyes. Look at the covered entrances to the subway system that were never finished right along the highway. It's literally right along the highway! Come on!

A light rail system would fix the current and looming problems with both I-75 and I-71. It would link the suburbs to the already dying metro area, and it might even bring people back to the city of Cincinnati.

Unfortunately, this place ignores the obvious answers and instead throws them to the piles of various committees. I'll tell you what, though -- I'll move downtown just so I can vote "yes" on a new "Metro Moves" campaign.

Correction
Even though temporary worker agencies still refer to "Airborne" when seeking daily help sorting packages, as described in "Job for a Day" (issue of July 6-12), DHL has dropped the name Airborne Express since purchasing the company in 2003.