New legislation was proposed in the N.C. House of Representatives on Wednesday to limit naming of highways to military personal and emergency responders who were killed in the line of duty.
This legislation would only apply to public highways, so cities would still be able to name roads after politicians. But it's an effort to curb the number of roads named for politicians — which Gov. Pat McCrory made a joke about in his State of the State speech.
Fear not if there was a worry that the legislation would be solely limited to highways. The bill specifically states that the naming protocol includes “bridges, overpasses and any other highway structure”.
The offense of a bridge named after a senator cannot be overstated. Out of the many problems this state is facing — from an education system that many critics consider to be underfunded to possible budget shortfalls and persisting healthcare issues — the people of North Carolina should rest easy knowing that such large strides are being made to combat the problem of road names.
With the gubernatorial race fast approaching it is time that McCrory found a platform to back, a cause to rally for.
Whether this legislation will pass through the N.C. General Assembly and become law remains to be seen.
state@dailytarheel.com
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