To the editor:

The scramble for parking near the ferry and hardship for the passengers to Prudence Island is just another “unintentional consequence” of the ill-conceived Robin Rug development. There will be many more.

This in no way rates with the horrible disaster in Turkey where I worked for the Turkish geological survey, but the thought process is similar. The push for housing led the government to excuse developers, for a fee, to forego the sensible seismic hazard regulations to build in one of the most dangerous places known in the country. This in an area that has an over 2,000-year record of many disastrous earthquakes. Now, it is said to be destiny, some unintentional consequence of building there.

Bristol has its share of little unintentional consequences. The loss of the fine historic house on Ferry Road was the unintentional consequence of allowing a second house being built on a property only zoned for one. Yet the second house was approved and the first demolished.

The repeated flooding of the Silver Creek Bridge is the unintentional consequence of looking the other way while a substandard new bridge was planned. One that poses a public safety hazard in evacuating during floods or hurricanes.

In these examples the problems were well known, but ignored for some perceived benefit while hoping for the best. Robin Rug was zoned for only a small percent of the final number of units approved for a building subject to hurricane damage in a designated flood zone. A zone also subject to sea level rise. The cars of tenants and visitors will make a parking nightmare. Local homeowners then would fight for resident only parking that will make the situation worse across downtown. Will this be cited as just another example of an unintentional consequence where no one is to blame?

In this case the solution is simple. Tear down Robin Rug and use a portion of the open land for parking. Let this be the unintentional consequence.

Patrick Barosh

103 Aaron Ave.