Preston Gibson (May 15) and Richard Sugg (online May 15) make convincing cases for and against completion of the Denver Beltway/Northwest Parkway.However, neither side addresses the essential underlying issue: we should not be constructing ANY more highways because the private automobile will soon be a relic of the past.

The reason for this is the convergence of the oncoming dual crises of the 21 st century-global warming and Peak Oil. Human-caused (or human-enhanced) global warming is an established scientific fact, the early effects of which are clearly evident. Whether we as a species take the necessary action to protect future generations is an ethical issue, as well as economic and political. Peak Oil, the inevitable decline in petroleum production caused by the continuing drawdown of a finite resource, is likewise a scientific fact accepted by the geological community (details at http://www.aspo-usa.com/). We may or may not choose to take action on this issuebut the consequences are inescapable, as we can see by the almost-daily increases in gasoline prices.

The public, largely unaware of the Peak Oil dilemma, will probably support or oppose the Beltway completion based upon the usual factors-development vs. open space, maintaining the Golden quality of life, traffic congestion, etc.-but our elected officials should be leaders in educating the publicabout the challenging future we face. Building more highways at this juncture is plain folly. Instead we should be concentrating on sustainable transport systems such as light rail, which can be powered by electricity from clean renewable sources such as solar and wind. We can complete the Beltway, no doubt, but by the time it is finished it will likely end up as a very expensive 6-lane bicycle path.

Steve Sargent

Golden