A proposal to build a new Wal-Mart store that would attract approximately 10,000 people daily is crazily being opposed by many local residents here in Northridge.

But realistically, why wouldn’t a store like Wal-Mart, with its ability to attract such a large amount of customers, want to build and expand?

In February, Wal-Mart presented its plans to the Northridge Neighborhood Council. Many residents immediately opposed the idea, and even started a petition to stop the proposal. If the proposal is realized, the San Fernando Valley will see its fourth Wal-Mart built at the intersection of Tampa Avenue and Nordhoff Street.

Many local residents oppose the plan because of the heavy amount of traffic that the new store would likely bring to the neighborhood. Many feel the area is already congested. Adding a new store like Wal-Mart would only make traffic flow in the area worse, they say.

Additionally, noise and car pollution are other major factors that concern the residents.

But no matter where any store is built, it is always going to cause noise and air pollution. There exists no business that doesn’t produce noise. Even if Wal-Mart isn’t built there, noise and car pollution will still flood the area.

Either way, the problem will persist, so why fight it?

Shouldn’t we be supportive of the fact that our community is growing in a way that will provide residents with a nearby store that is very well liked by the 10,000 people expected to visit it on a daily basis? Isn’t this a better solution than making local residents drive to another Wal-Mart on the other side of the Valley, to places like Porter Ranch?

The construction of a new Wal-Mart is better because this way, people aren’t filling up the air with dirty emissions and smog pollutants that vehicles give off.

(It’s interesting to see how people who dislike an idea suddenly become incredibly concerned with the environment and what we’re doing to it.)

Yes, maybe there will be more traffic, but if the idea of more traffic is so bothersome, residents should consider taking alternate routes to their destinations.

Perhaps the real issue with potentially heavy traffic at this intersection is not so much what store is placed there, but instead how effective traffic lights there can be. Maybe this is a key issue that should be looked into to help reduce the traffic problem before the proposal is opposed.

It is more than obvious that something, whether it be a Wal-Mart or another store, will be built at that highly visible location across from the mall.

Growth in this community is not going to stop. The problems voiced here are issues that will never go away, because they come come with any store that opens. People should worry about more important things than how long it’s going to take them them to get to work in your their air-polluting vehicle. Some people do not even have the luxury of having a car. Those individuals depend on a bike or their legs to get them to where they need to be.

While people worry about how late they’re are going to be in their air-conditioned cars, the world’s heat-stroked bikers are not only worried about when their tiny little legs are going to give out from pedaling, but also about whether they’re going to be struck by a road-raged driver.