The revenue hungry TxDOT is still seeking to toll roads we’ve already paid for in Austin (and Texas). AND THE MOPAC PLAN WILL ACTUALLY MAKE TRAFFIC CONGESTION WORSE.
MoPAC (loop 1) in Austin, a main public expressway (an existing freeway) is now under attack. TxDOT is slipping this toll plan in under the radar by calling them “managed lanes” - which is easier to sell than the drasted “T” word. Managed lanes are toll lanes. Period. Why can't TxDOT be honest for once?
The Statesman just informed us of the last minute meetings today. What ever happened to 30 day notices for public meetings? Read the whole article HERE, a quote from the article:
“(TxDOT) has proposed a way to cram eight lanes onto the same MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) footprint that now has six main lanes. The two new lanes would be "managed lanes," which probably would be free only to buses or perhaps cars with several occupants and would carry tolls for everyone else.”TxDOT has done a horrible job at solving our traffic congestion for decades. Now they want to move into the revenue generation business, by tolling freeways we've already paid for. See this video of the TxDOT chair saying he doesn’t want to keep toll costs down.
PROBLEMS WITH THIS DOUBLE TAX PLAN:
1) TxDOT wants to use our tax dollars and publicly owned MoPAC right of way (our existing freeway) to create a toll tax (managed lanes) - THAT’s A DOUBLE TAX! I SAY NO TOLLS ON ROADS WE’VE ALREADY PAID FOR!
2) Narrowing lanes will increase accidents and deaths.
3) The managed lanes will create more gridlock as people try to cross over 3 lanes to enter and exit the center managed lanes! See the gridlock for yourself - look at freeway 91 managed lanes ($1.00 a mile!) in California.
Go to the TxDOT meetings Tuesday or Thursday:
Tuesday, 4/10/0, 5-8 p.m.
O. Henry Middle School, Cafeteria - 2510 W. 10th Street
Thursday, 04/12/07, 5-8 p.m.
McCallum High School, Cafeteria - 5600 Sunshine Street
Tuesday, 4/10/0, 5-8 p.m.
O. Henry Middle School, Cafeteria - 2510 W. 10th Street
Thursday, 04/12/07, 5-8 p.m.
McCallum High School, Cafeteria - 5600 Sunshine Street
Go to the meeting, or/and send in a letter to the editor, or/and call your Sentator or Representative today.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Based on the recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report, indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now, without more toll roads.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Based on the recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report, indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now, without more toll roads.
6 comments:
Naysayers in Austin have been holding TX Dot back and stalling road infrastructure needed to keep up with our growing population for about 3 decades with it's riduculously failed theory "if we don't build roads, they won't come".
It's time for us to "work with" TX Dot, as the 2222CONA has, to come up with real solutions and the find way to pay for them.
It is clear that we need more capacity on MoPac.
The $$ aren't coming in through our gasoline taxes.
The only mechanisms that the our elected Legislature have had the guts to allow is tolls.
The MoPac ROW is state owned.
The ADDED lanes are NEW roads, and the construction cost would be paid by people paying to use them.
If Sal knew how to solve this basic problem, he should spend his energy promoting it rather
than bashing TX Dot.
It would have been hard for TxDOT to have made any less public notice about this.
I agree completely with your notes, Sal - I experienced "HOV lanes" in Seattle that were on the inside of the road - they caused more congestion than not by cars crossing back and forth - and were generally empty.
This is a horrible idea, generated by a money hungry agency with revenue generation, and not problem solving, in their eyes.
I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE MANAGED TOLL LANE BUREAUCRACY IS GOOD FOR SOME PEOPLE - THE ONES WHO PROFIT OFF OUR FAMILIES.
LIKE THE LIAR PUSHING FOR IT ABOVE.
To the Victors goes the Political Spoils and Taxpayers Treasure. The majority of Texans votes in a Unique Kind of Republican. This kind is neither a Fiscal Conservative, nor a limiter of Big Government. They Waste Honest TaxPayers Monies. They MisManage Everything they touch. Are incompetent and irresponsible and are not accountable! They Enrich themselves and their cronies with Self Serving projects. It is class warfare already. Their class has already disenfranchised the "others" that are not like them "Good ole Boys". They could care less about the 'others'. Indexing the gas tax is to simple and good of a solution and accomplishes all of Tex DoT goals!Ha! However, it has a catch!!!
It does it without new agencies, without more red tape, without more self-serving privates deals, without private foreign firms getting our resources and taxing the hell out of us twice and enriching themselves during this States so called transportation crisis. Governor Rick Perry and his kind, do not now how to govern! I feel disenfranchised again!!!
Ananymos who is for is either has his hand out to profit or has his head in the sand. Put your head in the sand and where does it leave your rear end.
We WANT roads in Texas. No one has a problem with that. The issue is that these measures increase our costs and are railroaded through without public input. Not only that, but why do all of the solutions involve tolls?
Build highways and infrastructure, but don't get greedy and PLEASE listen to us. They're trying toll roads we've already paid for, which doesn't do anything. Even with managed lanes, narrowing current roads just creates more worst traffic. If they get rid of the shoulder, the highway will be useless when a disabled car takes out a few lanes of traffic.
Let's exercise good government here.
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