11/27/2007
11/26/2007
SH 130 TOLL: The Big Fat Texas Boondoogle (Thanks to Gov. Perry, Kirk Watson and others)
From TIME Magazine to a blogger called "Dead Dog Walking", just about every knows there's a problem with the new 130 toll road in East Central Texas. Except the Statesman has yet to report the issues of low traffic and the fact that SH 130 toll has already failed based on the official statement for 130 bonds from 2002 (see below).
"Dead Dog Walking" Blogger takes the new Central Texas Toll Road 130 for a test run, and sees almost NO traffic and $9.00 a day taken out of his pocket for the round trip cost. I did the same test run last week, and saw shockingly low traffic, and it was 5:10pm on a weekday! "Dead Dog Walking" says:Austin has decided to add toll roads to ease the congestion on the I-35 corridor from just north of Georgetown to south of Austin. Toll road 130 now runs from Georgetown to hwy 71... Just north of downtown where all the congestion actually is. Well the good news for me (or so I thought) is that I live just west of where the toll road stops, so maybe I could save time and headaches....
And most people have NO IDEA that Sen. Waton's Prop 1 from the year 2000 diverted $67 million bond dollars (promised for freeways) into the 130 and 45N toll roads. The other tolls across Texas also spend our tax AND Bond dollars (that were promised to be spent of free roads!).
and...Third toll booth... $1.50. Now I'm scrambling in my cup holders and on the dash to find enough change. Not only that but I'm up to $4.50 each way. That's $9 round trip. That's almost double what I spend on lunch.
I work six days a week. That comes to $54... About the same amout that I spend on gas in the same time period. Over $200 a month. That's more than my light bill... And I have an old, non energy effecient house.
Totaled up that is a whopping $2800 a year. I could buy a huge Plasma screen TV. I could fly home to North Carolina to see Ma every other month. I could go to Europe on vacation.
TIME Magazine did an article in 2004 about the $1.5 Billion dollar SH 130 called "The next wave in super highways or a Big, Fat Texas Boondoggle?".
Here's the real kicker about SH 130...
An Official Statement for SH 130 bonds from 2002 says the revenue forecasts in the Traffic and Revenue Report are based on the "assumption that motor fuel will remain in adequate supply" and "motor fuel prices will not exceed $2.50 per gallon", over the next 40 years.
Read that last sentence again, and you tell me what gas costs per gallon TODAY - not to mention what it might cost in the coming decades.
11/25/2007
Houston To Deploy Unmanned Spy Planes as Speeding Ticket Drones
by TheNewspaper.com
By June 2008, the city of Houston will use the same military drone aircraft currently used to hunt down terrorists overseas to write speeding citations on Texas freeways. Local television station KPRC exposed the Houston Police Department's plan by using the station's news helicopter to spy on what was supposed to be a confidential gathering of area law enforcement personnel where the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities were demonstrated. The test took place seventy miles northwest of Houston in Waller County.
While police have used aircraft to issue speeding tickets for years, the practice can be quite expensive. The cost to operate an aircraft such as a Cessna 182 can run beyond $200 an hour, which cuts into ticketing revenue. The UAV manufactured by Insitu, however, can stay aloft for up to twenty hours using just over a gallon of gasoline. While it only cruises at 55 MPH with a top speed of 86 MPH, its powerful onboard camera can zoom in on a vehicle from a distance of 60 miles with full night-vision capabilities.
Although Houston Police Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo told reporters that the main mission of the device would be homeland security, KPRC confirmed that the department's traffic unit played the lead role in the demonstration.
Read the rest of the article HERE.
"Do the lies ever end? Why are those who pretend to represent us always trying to use our tax dollars to create another revenue source?" —The Muckraker
Letter to Editor in Statesman
Friday's letter to editor. The state’s privatization contract with Cintra-Zachry for the 40-mile stretch of Texas 130 includes the option for the state to lower the amount of money that it could have to pay the toll operator in the future by taking measures to push traffic from free state roads to Texas 130.
More hurdles to road construction
Re: Nov. 6 article “Toll deal could reward state for I-35 speed cut.”
Is anyone else appalled that the state’s contract includes a provision to pay Cintra-Zachry if “state projects interfere with Texas 130 toll traffic over the next 50 years?”
In other words, if the state improves or builds new roads to alleviate congestion, and traffic on Texas 130 drops, taxpayers are going to pay even more money to private entities.
As if construction costs alone weren’t enough to prevent the construction of necessary highways, now we have penalties.
GREG GRAHAM
Austin
11/23/2007
11/22/2007
11/21/2007
Melinda Wheatley, State Rep. Krusee’s Mistress, Introduces Herself to Me.
The corruption of our state of Texas is prevalent, as our tax dollars are spent to shift our freeways to tollways.
From Republicans like Gov. Perry and Rep. Mike Krusee to Democrats like Sen. Kirk Watson, our so called representatives blatantly lie, in an effort to detract taxpayers from the fact that they profit by ignoring their fiduciary duty to the people. And if we look close enough, you’ll find that every time a politician ignores the will of the people, they personally benefit - note the details of a just a few ways Sen. Kirk Watson profits here.
The corruption these crooks cause along with the layers of bureacracy they create (to hide behind) and the billions they divert for pet projects seems to be limitless.
For years, the married Republican State Rep. Mike Krusee, the chair of the House Transportation committee, and lobbyist Melinda "Redkitty" Wheatley have had an intimate relationship.
Melinda Wheatley and Rep. Mike Krusee began working together on education issues in the late 90’s. In 2003 Krusee became the Chair of the House Transportation Committee after former chair Joe Pickett refused to go along with the unaccountable transportation legislation Gov. Perry wanted pushed. That same year, records show Wheatley began to lobby on Transportation issues.
TransCore, one of Wheatley's transportation clients, landed a multi million dollar contract in 2005 to produce 500,000 TxTAG's for TxDOT toll roads. According to the Comptroller report, "A Need for a Higher Standard", Wheatley also received NO BID contracts from the local tolling authority, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA).
Over the years, the Wheatley (12/6/1967) has kept many of the details of who she works for, and how much she gets paid, a secret.
Read all about Wheatley here.
And, in September, Wheatley was found to have violated state law and had to pay a $10,000 fine - after I filed a formal complaint the year before.
So, those links above will bring you up to date with what happened last week....
I parked in the underground parking of Whole foods downtown, to run in to get a loaf of Ciabatta bread.
As I’m walking from my car to the escalator, I pass a woman who I hardly notice, who maybe looks slightly familiar but I don’t think about it too much, since my mind is on my long “to do” list for that day.
Then I hear, “Sal, Sal Costello”, and I turn around smiling, and for a moment I can’t place her. I figure it’s someone who recognizes me, and I expect to hear a “Thank you” for the work I’ve done, which I’ve heard many times before over the past few years of being on the TV news for fighting freeway tolls.
“Hi, I’m Melinda Wheatley”, she says as she reaches out to shake my hand with a nice pleasant smile. The obsessive perfectionist in me notices a “dead tooth”, a slightly discolored tooth. One of the upper front centrals.
I remember, my overall reaction of the first moment was that she’s kind of charming.
Then in the same moment, my brain spins a 360.
I can’t compute why Melinda Wheatley would ever wish to introduce herself, since in the past months and years I’ve raked her over the coals by exposing her affair (and everything else - see links above) with the married Rep. Mike Krusee.
Then I get it. This is how politicians act, she’s playing politician, I'll just let her talk, I tell myself.
Then Wheatley takes the surprising introduction a step further, and says, “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve put me through”.
Yup, you read that right.
Wheatley surprises yet again by saying, “I pray for you”.
Well, isn’t that a sharp little backhand...oh she's a handful, I thought.
I say, “It’s never been personal, I’m just focused on getting something done”. While I continue to listen to Wheatley’s strange confession.
Wheatley tells me how my exposing her, made her realize that she was “just focused on making money” - her words, not mine. And she tells me that she’s a better person because of my work.
Wheatley also tells me that she used to be an activist, and she’s “getting into human trafficking”. I only assume she’s means that she’s working to stop it, not profit off it (but maybe I’m naive).
While she’s sharing, I consider asking her questions about Krusee, but at that moment I really don’t feel like playing reporter.
So, I remember I had wanted to get back to my day. I got bored, I told her to "take care", she says good-by and I go back to my quest for Ciabatta.
Now folks, if you know Rep. Mike "Freeway Toller" Krusee, make sure he reads every word of this article. There are a couple hidden keywords I placed so only Krusee and Wheatley would understand what's coming next week - on this blog. Happy Thanksgiving.
A BUNKER BUSTER MUCKRAKER EXCLUSIVE COMING SOON: A Married Republican State Representative and his Mistress advertise on a Swingers “Sex Swap” website.
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11/20/2007
Texas Police Seize Cars for Personal Profit
FBI investigates conflict of interest as Corpus Christi, Texas police officers get sweetheart deals on seized automobiles.
Toll Authority Execs Raise Toll Rates, Then Fly First Class at $7k a ticket To Party it Up in Vienna - On Your Dime! (A MUST WATCH VIDEO!)
This CBS news hidden camera report is the finest report I've seen all year! Reporter Bennett Cunningham and his CBS crew did a fantastic job! Click the arrow on the video above to watch it now. Or click here and read it.
The report gives a snapshot of how unaccountable and wasteful toll taxes really are - especially when they shift our freeways to toll ways using our tax dollars (TxDOT's latest trick)!
For the first time in US history, NTTA and TxDOT are in the process of shifting a public highway (SH 121) to a tollway. It's been reported that over $1 Billion in tax dollars and public right of way is part of this toll tax revenue scheme. When you toll a public expressway, you create a monopoly and the toll authority becomes an unaccountable taxing authority, since no person on the toll authority is elected.
Demand accountability! Contact your state representative and senator and ask that these employees be FIRED immediately!
TxDOT using threats AGAIN - this time to shift SH 161 freeway to toll road.
This Star Telegram editorial advocating State Highway 161 be shifted to a toll road to collect money to leverage more debt to build more toll roads is - insane. The editorial board fails to mention the most important group involved - the taxpayers.
Our tax dollars and our existing freeways should not be used as an unaccountable taxation scheme. The people who set the toll rates for our freeways converted to tollways are NOT even elected. AND the money collected goes into a slush fund to leverage more debt for more toll roads.
These shouldn't even be called toll roads, since a toll road gives the impression that the money you pay goes to pay for the road you are driving on. That is not the case here.
This is corruption at it's worse, and I'm shocked so many great state of Taxes editors have no clue when it comes to revenue accountability.
Lawmakers Differ on TxDOT Budget Cuts
by Harvey Kronberg
The Quorum Report
Key Senators say the cuts reflect transpoortation funding crunch, a House member says TxDOT using cuts to get their way on private toll roads.
TxDOT announced last week that it was proposing significant cutbacks in spending, mostly in what the agency spends on engineering consultants and acquisitions of right of way for future highway projects.
The logic is that with the federal government taking back transportation funds (what is known in the bureaucratic jargon as rescissions), the rising costs of construction materials and the increasing inadequacy of the motor fuels tax, many highway projects currently on the books simply won’t get built. So if no new funding is in the offing soon, TxDOT argues that it doesn'’t make sense to hire those engineers or to buy that right of way.
In the Legislature, lawmakers who were active in the highway funding debate last session were alternately dismayed or allayed by TxDOT’'s proposal.
House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) said he received no word of the impending cuts, claiming that he didn'’t know anything about them until a reporter called him for reaction. Chisum said such a move was "typical TxDOT. They don’t tell anybody anything; they just do what they want to do."
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), author of the original amendment last session placing a two-year moratorium on public-private toll road partnerships, told QR that she, too, was not notified of TxDOT’s proposed cuts.
Kolkhorst was skeptical of TxDOT'’s stated motivation for the cuts. She said that she thought the transportation agency was trying to put the squeeze on lawmakers to force them toward public-private toll partnerships.
The agency thinks it "imperative that they create the crisis so that you can solve the crisis their way," she said. She added that the Texas 161 project in Dallas County was another example of TxDOT creating a crisis to force a resolution favorable to its position in favor of expanded private equity.
Read the rest of the article HERE
11/19/2007
Toll Authority (CTRMA) Chair Benefits From Central Texas Toll Road 183A - Click here to Read "The Crooked Get Richer"
"The chairman of the CTRMA board (Bob Tesch) has a substantial interest in more than 254 acres of real estate within two miles of the proposed US 183-A right of way. He began making land acquisitions in the vicinity of US 183-A less than a month after the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) adopted plans for the road."
TxDOT Ineptness: Student Lives on The Line
For years in Denton Texas, TxDOT has placed children in danger, by not providing sidewalks. TxDOT has kids walk in the road with moving traffic, at times moving at 50 mph according to this Denton Record article. Numerous parents have complained that the students’ walk to school is not safe. TxDOT said it plans to add the sidewalks "someday".
11/17/2007
CBS BREAKING NEWS: Tens Of Thousands Of Bureaucrats Get Free Rides And Agency Wants To Raise Fares
NEW YORK (CBS) ― While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pleads poverty and says it has to raise your fares and tolls, a CBS 2 HD investigation uncovered tens of thousands of chosen bureaucrats who are getting a free ride.
It's an appalling investigation that led David Moretti, the head of the MTA's Bridge and Tunnel division to avoid being questioned by CBS 2 HD. Moretti was so anxious to get away from CBS 2 HD cameras, in fact, that he hid in a classroom for 45 minutes before a scheduled MTA fare hike hearing.
What was he hiding from? He's running from questions about free rides.
At a time when the agency wants to raise fares, it's giving free orange EZ passes to nearly 24,000 people to get across the MTA's nine bridges and tunnels.
That's 3.3 million trips.
"It's outrageous. It makes me completely angry," says Jana Glowatz of East Meadow.
Councilman Michael McMahon, D-Staten Island, testified passionately against the fare hike. He was stunned to learn of the free pass scheme.
"That's the most outrageous thing I've ever heard, and if it's true, whoever's doing it should go to jail," he said.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.
11/16/2007
TxDOT sitting on $1.2 M that Congressman Earmarked to help a Contributor Build a Road Through Golf Resort
This is par for the course in the corrupt world of Texas politicos being generous with our tax dollars. Pun intended.
Bureaucracy costs everyone more.
TxDOT is sitting on $1.2 million in federal funds that TxDOT may not ever spend, thanks to a special earmark from U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla who wanted to help a contributor build a private road through a golf resort he belonged to, which since has gone bankrupt. The rest of the story is here, in the Houston Chronicle today:The owner of the resort, Stephen Smith, donated $2,500 to Bonilla's campaigns, and Bonilla owned a membership in the resort — valued as high as $75,000 — that its Web site says is available only to property owners. Bonilla, who was voted out of office in 2006, owns no property in Lajitas.
And, surprise surprise, nobody wants to talk about it:
A call to Smith's cell phone couldn't go through. A call to his bankruptcy attorney, Mark Petrocchi, was not immediately returned.
Several attempts to reach Bonilla through his campaign treasurer were unsuccessful.
And this:
When you think of Bonilla and his corrupt ways, think of Perry, Krusee, Watson, Williamson and all the other crooks who are cut from the same cloth - who refuse to represent the people, and only look out for themselves.Andrew Wheat, a research director for the nonpartisan watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, said that Bonilla distilled "all that's wrong with American politics into a simple anecdote."
"Every civics textbook in Texas should tell the story of the congressman who services his big donor pals by earmarking a million tax dollars to pave one mile of a remote, desert playground for the rich," Wheat said....
...Since 1999, Smith has donated more than $300,000 to Republicans, according to Federal Election Commission records.In 2005, Bonilla's American Dream PAC spent more than $17,000 at the resort for a fundraiser, records show.
Short Green Times are Trapping Drivers at Red Light Camera Intersections
by TheNewspaper.com
The relation of short yellow timing at intersections and ticketing revenue has been at the forefront of public discussion of photo enforcement since at least 2001 when a congressional report raised questions about the practice.
This week, investigative reporters in two different states reported on shortened green time as a factor in red light camera ticketing. Lufkin, Texas motorist Nathaniel Shaw told KTRE-TV's investigative reporters about what he saw as a trap laid at the intersection of Chestnut and Timberland.
"I can guarantee you it does not stay on green when you cross over Timberland it does not stay on green more than three seconds," Shaw said. "More than five seconds at the most. Maybe three cars get through then all of a sudden you have to stop."
Although Texas Department of Transportation standards suggest the signal should stay green for a minimum of eight to ten seconds, KTRE timed the light at between three and five seconds of green. Shaw and others find this to be an inadequate time to clear the intersection, and each time someone fails to slam on the brakes in time, Lufkin will pocket $22.50, the state of Texas takes $22.50 and German red light camera vendor Traffipax earns $30. Officials say the timing results from programming designed to optimize traffic flow during peak traffic periods.
Read the rest of the article HERE
CAMPO Has No Accountability System For Spent Money
KXAN-TV (Austin, TX)
It approves billions of dollars to build roads in Central Texas, but the Capital Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, has no way to track the money it hands out.
An open records request found that CAMPO spent nearly $2.3 billion since 2001.
The organization, however, does not keep a complete list of finished road projects to present to board members on a regular basis.
Read the rest of the KXAN story HERE
Your TxDOT Dollars At Work!
Blogger Dicky Neely of Corpus Christi says TxDOT's poor design of South Padre Island Drive has caused numerous car accidents. And, now TxDOT is trying to fix the mistakes they made with ramp reversals and more:
South Padre Island Drive has suffered from poor design and planning from the beginning. TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) has recently embarked on an ambitious program to move, reverse and alter many off and on ramps to correct errors inherent since the earliest days of the freeway.
Their success has been mediocre at best and has caused many chain reaction, multi car crashes. Who knows how long this will go on?
11/15/2007
North Texas Tollway Auth's Rev Bonds for SH 121 Downgraded; Rating Watch Negative
A diversion of nearly $1 Billion tax dollars (intended for free roads) subsidize this state highway to tollway conversion in Dallas.
Is Gov. Perry's TxDOT Backing Down?
Pro Toll Guru and editor of TollRoadsNews.com Peter Samuel says that the Perry/TxDOT Trans Texas Corridor 69 plans just unveiled is a definite retreat, as the TTC 69 plan pretty much abandons the new corridor concept and instead expands existing highways:"This is a major political retreat. It may be a necessary one given the way the legislature rolled TxDOT policies on concessions with the moratorium written into SB792, but it is a retreat nonetheless."
I agree this is a small win, but even if TxDOT proceeds with this plan, there are different problems. Under this model TxDOT would not steal private rural land, but instead, it would steal existing right of way we’ve paid for with our tax dollars over the years and decades, and the new lanes would be built with our tax dollars, just like Sen. Watson's double tax tolls vote in Austin last month which diverted $910 million tax dollars to build toll roads. This model is a Double Tax.
Samuel also says there could be less tolling with this type of TTC 69 plan:"Upgrade will likely reduce the role of tolling since tolls are more difficult to pitch to the public for an upgraded existing road than for a new one."
IS TXDOT RETREATING?
Perhaps this is another sign. A source told me that TxDOT’s chair, the chemically imbalanced Ric Williamson, has become too much of a political liability:
“Williamson is about to get the boot, too. Or should I say "re-assigned."In Central Texas, Rep. Mike Krusee became too much of a liability as he was at the forefront of shifting existing Austin freeways to tollways on CAMPO for 2.5 years. Sen. Kirk Watson was brought in to replace Krusee as the lead in January 2007 and Krusee didn’t say another word as a board member. By October, Watson had his double tax toll votes lined up and CAMPO voted to spend nearly 1 billion tax dollars to shift existing freeways to toll ways.
So, is this a retreat or just musical chairs?
11/14/2007
Rep. Mike "Freeway Tolling" Krusee to retire?
In the last couple of days, I've heard whispers from sources saying that Rep. Mike Krusee will retire. Eye on Wilco and Capitol Annex are also reporting the same.
And WilCoWise blog says this about Krusee possibly getting a promised appointment at TxDOT in exchange for him stepping down:What sort of “state transportation job” would he be qualified for? Is there an office for selling pigs in a poke somewhere in TxDOT? Well, uh, now that we think about it, there might possibly be one over in their toll road marketing section. Fer sure, there must be a spot for Squeaker over in the Cintra - Zachry contract negotiation section. What more could they possible want — we gave them the baby and the bathwater, with the horses and the barn thrown in for good measure.
My sources say R's want Round Rock Mayor Nyle Maxwell (one of the "Sleazy Six") to run in Krusee's place.
More to come...
TxDOT Mows Down Signs Honoring Veterans
Just a few days before Veterans day, TxDOT landscapers mowed down nearly 100 signs honoring South Texas Veterans.
The signs are part of a yearly “Highway of Honor”. Proper permits were obtained from TxDOT in advance by the American Legion and a local church - but that didn't stop TxDOT from the disrespectful destruction.
The signs were shredded and turned into countless fragments of trash as they were spread along 20 miles of FM 2100, North East of Houston.
KTRK (ABC news) in Houston has the story:
Past American Legion Commander Anselmo saw the crew mowing right over the signs Friday morning. He says he tried to stop them, but the crew didn't speak English.What is the solution to change this rogue agency?
Anselmo, who served two tours in Vietnam, ran up ahead to grab his sign and those of his five family members. He saved those, but says he couldn't save many others or the respect that each soldier or Marine is due.
Anselmo laments that he now once again has that empty feeling that he felt upon returning from Vietnam.
"Whenever I got off the plane and they were spitting on me, I felt like I was being spit on again," he said.
Make it accountable to the voters. Top TxDOT leadership should be elected, not appointed.
Currently Ric Williamson, the chair of TxDOT who is a Gov. Perry appointee, is a holdover.
Ric Williamson is a key problem with TxDOT. TxDOT under Williamson's leadership, is stealing our roads and our land to double tax Texans. This YouTube video of Williamson proves he doesn't care how much it costs our families.
One Man Stops Gov. Perry from Destroying Public Records
Gov. Perry (Mr. 39%) has been destroying the public record for years, and one man has put a stop to it.
I've submitted hundreds of information requests to TxDOT, MPO's, RMA's, County and City governments in the past 3.5 years.
I also recall asking Mr. 39% for his emails, and the response was - he didn't have any. This guy isn't even a Texan, and he's stepping up to fight corruption. Ask yourself this - what can you do for Texas today?
From the Austin American Statesman...
After learning that Gov. Rick Perry has his staff destroy e-mail records after seven days, a political activist decided last week to do what he can to stop the practice. John Washburn, a Milwaukee-based software consultant, programmed his computer to automatically send out two requests a week for all government e-mail generated by Perry staffers. Under state law, records aren't supposed to be destroyed once somebody has asked for them.
"I've kind of put a stick in the spokes of the wheel," Washburn said.
"The whole point of public records is to make those ongoing transactions and government policy decisions more transparent to the public. If they're gone, by definition, that's about as opaque as it gets,"
Read the rest of the article HERE
11/13/2007
Revenue Hungry City Council Votes FOR Red Light Camera Profits Over Real Safety.
The City Council of Austin unanimously voted to install 15 red light cameras for downtown intersections just days ago. The $15.8 million contract went to Redflex Traffic Systems.
How does the red light camera scam work?
1) Slippery politicos say that Red Light Cameras create safer roads while numerous studies across the country prove they cause MORE accidents.So, is there a real way to reduce accidents and red light runners?
2) Once the camera's are installed, and the key council members like Jennifer Kim get campaign contributions from the Red Light Camera company profiteers, they shorten the timing of the yellow light to make more money (SEE BELOW!).
3) The Contractor and Politicos gets paid first. Taxpayers pay for the machines and maintenance. Taxpayers also pay via tickets and more accidents after the timing of the yellow lights are reduced.
YES, It's simple, but NOT profitable. Lengthening yellow lights to 5-6 second does more to reduce accidents than Red Light Camera's.
AND, remember when Legislators pushed for half the funds of RLC's were to go to emergency rooms and trauma centers? That money is being diverted too, says many new reports!
Also, read this new article below...
Dallas, Texas Cameras Bank
on Short Yellow Times
By TheNewsPaper.comon Short Yellow Times
A local news investigation has found that the city of Dallas, Texas depends upon short yellow timing to maximize red light camera profit. Of the ten cameras that issue the greatest number of tickets in the city, seven are located at intersections where the yellow duration is shorter than the bare minimum recommended by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), KDFW-TV found.
The city's second highest revenue producing camera, for example, is located at the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Mockingbird Lane. It issued 9407 tickets worth $705,525 between January 1 and August 31, 2007. At the intersections on Greenville Avenue leadding up to the camera intersection, however, yellows are at least 3.5 or 4.0 seconds in duration, but the ticket producing intersection's yellow stands at just 3.15 seconds. The yellow is .35 seconds shorter than TxDOT's recommended bare minimum.
"For 30 miles per hour, if your yellow time was less than three and a half, you would not be giving that driver enough time to react and brake and stop prior to getting to the intersection," TxDOT Dallas District office transportation engineer supervisor Chris Blain told KDFW.
A small change in signal timing can have a great effect on the number of tickets issued. About four out of every five red light camera citations are issued before even a second has elapsed after the light changed to red, according to a report by the California State Auditor. This suggests that most citations are issued to those surprised by a quick-changing signal light. Confidential documents obtained in a 2001 court trial proved that the city of San Diego, California and its red light camera vendor, now ACS, only installed red light cameras at intersections with high volumes and "Amber (yellow) phase less than 4 seconds."
Read the rest of the story HERE.
TxDOT Was Happy With Contractor That Refused to Do It's Work
Problems from start with ferry screening
| | |
GALVESTON — Seawolf Marine Patrol employees have long been accused by ferry passengers of sleeping on the job, leaving their posts vacant for hours and refusing to screen cars, among other things.
State records reveal the Texas Department of Transportation found enough merit in the allegations to warrant numerous reprimands against the company in its 15 months of service.
Seawolf Marine Patrol security officers charged with screening vehicles at the Galveston-Bolivar ferry landing walked off in a pay spat in late September. The state had to find another company to take over the job.
Two days before that, transportation department officials said the pay issue had been resolved. “We are satisfied with the service the company is providing,” said (TxDOT) department spokesman Norm Wiginton.
Meanwhile, Seawolf CEO Mike Fletcher said the company was not in financial trouble.
A month ago, The Daily News filed an open records request requesting all complaints filed with the transportation department about the security company.
Those records revealed Seawolf Marine Patrol was generating complaints and receiving reprimands the entire time it was in charge of screening.
11/08/2007
TxDOT Paves a Simple 2 Lane Road Correctly - the Second Time Around.
After nearly 1 year of community pressure, and wasting money to do the job twice, TxDOT finally properly resealed a 2 lane highway in SW Central Texas.
TxDOT tried to repave FM 1826 from Driftwood to Oak Hill with an unacceptable, unsafe and unprofessional “cold mix” that made the road worse than before the reseal. The tar and rocks made a ton of noise, messed up your car with tar, and would make your car slide if you had to stop fast. Trust me I drove on that mess a few times.
TxDOT claimed they did the reseal job the first time for safety reasons. WORD OF NOTE, WHEN AN AGENCY OR A POLITICO USES THE WORD "SAFETY", it should raise a red flag that they are coming after your money, and and they have something in mind that has safety problems.
No thanks to that lying snake Rep. Patrick Rose, who tried to claim the victory, the job got done right. Special thanks to Dr. Peter Stern for helping the community to keep the pressure on via his blog as he called the cold mix a "an obvious con job by TxDOT".
What...were y'all, DRUNK?!?!
by McBlogger
The results of the election on the Constitutional Amendments are here. I seriously don't get this...some of you need to stop huffing gold spray paint. I very clearly told you to vote against the Governor's 'Cancer Research' slush fund and TXDoT's 'Bend over, baby' bond issue. Some of you clearly got confused. Which makes you stupid.
Read the rest of the article HERE.11/07/2007
Money Making Red-light cameras on Austin council agenda
The Statesman reports that"the Austin City Council will consider a 15-year, $15.8 million contract with Redflex Traffic Systems that would put — in the beginning — camera systems on 15 intersections."
Slippery politicos say that Red Light Cameras create safer roads and they are not for revenue purposes, but numerous studies across the country prove they cause MORE accidents and they give cities lots of additional revenue.
A 2001 report by the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives found:"The changes in the yellow signal timing regulations have resulted in the inadequate yellow times. And these inadequate yellow times are the likely cause of almost 80 percent of red light entries."
Thenewspaper.com states this:
"There's a hidden tax being levied on motorists today. In theory, this tax is only levied on those who violate the law and put others in danger. But the reality is that the game has been rigged. And we're all at risk.
We are told to accept the idea that our laws should be administered by machines-not human beings-because it is a matter of safety. We must accept this expansion of government and this Orwellian threat to our privacy because cameras are the solution to the so-called red light running crisis."
But why have so many people become wanton red light runners all of a sudden? The answer seems to be that changes made to accommodate camera enforcement have produced yellow light times that, in many cases, are shortened to the point that they are inadequate. And when people come upon an intersection with inadequate yellow time, they are faced with the choice either of stopping abruptly on yellow (risking a rear end accident) or accelerating. The options for those confronting such circumstances are limited and unsafe. But each time a driver faces this dilemma, government increases its odds for hitting the jackpot.
URGENT REQUEST - READERS, I NEED YOU!
Do you (or someone you know) drive the hellish 183/Lakeline mess in the morning traveling south towards downtown Austin? The new traffic signal for the 183A toll road created huge backups on 183.
I need drivers that have experienced that nightmare to email me ASAP at Sal at TexasTollParty.com (with your phone number). Thanks!
Controversial Trinity toll road squeaks by voters…BIG MONEY wins again
Special Interests had 8-1 campaign fund advantage.
Constitutional Amendment Election: Special Interests Get Massive Credit Card
Texas voters gave state lawmakers a massive credit card Tuesday night, authorizing nearly $10 billion of future unaccountable spending (future tax hikes) on highways, cancer research, prisons and more.
The election marks one of the largest expansions of state debt ever.
Some blame uneducated voters, others blame the special interests who profit or the more than 90% of the registered voters who didn't vote (which allows the small percentage of special interest votes to dominate).There's plenty of blame to go around.
The other problem is the news media, often part of the special interests, fails to inform and educate citizens. The major newspapers are tight with the City Chambers, where most of their ad revenue comes from, and too many TV news reporters don't have the time or expertise to get the story right.
I'll tell you that NOT ONE major paper in Texas allowed my OP-Ed opposing Prop 12 to be published this year. All of those papers supported the $5 Billion gift to TxDOT which will continue it's freeway to tollway conversions. The same major papers printed my Op Ed in 2005, which opposed Prop 1 and 9.
Count on more tax and toll tax diversions, more unaccountable government and more lies folks. That's what Texas voters fall for most of the time.
So, when you hear people complaining about paying their bills, or taxes being too high, or not being able to buy a house or a car, ask them if they ever went out to vote against tax increases, otherwise known as "bonds".
11/06/2007
Large Hole opens in Houston Freeway, TxDOT clueless.
The actual hole on Hwy 59 - from above and belowVarious media outlets have reported on the large hole that opened on the West Loop in Houston yesterday (three-lane exit ramp that goes from the 610 West Loop to the Southwest Freeway (U.S. Highway 59), creating a major hazard for drivers. TxDOT doesn't know what happened:
“We are not sure what happened. We’re going to have to investigate that,” said Karen Olthon of TxDOT. “Our maintenance supervisor just happened to be in that area today at 11 o’clock this morning and drove over that lane and did not notice anything.”And police took 30 minutes to arrive and shut down the street.
Read about it HERE.
GET OUT AND VOTE NO ON PROP 12 TODAY!
Turn out for early voting for this statewide election was super low, so your vote counts a bunch!
Proposition 12 is carefully crafted to trick Texans to vote for debt, future tax increases and toll roads paid for with our tax dollars (an unaccountable double tax). Prop 12 is TxDOT seeking taxpayers approval to take on $5 Billion of debt - it's a future tax increase
TxDOT has claimed they’ve run out of money, while they spend billions of our tax dollars to shift freeways to toll roads (Dallas - SH121, San Antonio - SH281, Austin 71, 290 and 183) and to create the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC). The State Auditor caught TxDOT inflating it’s needs by $45 billion dollars this year and TxDOT continues to ignore the public by spending millions of our tax dollars on an ad campaign to sell us toll roads and TaxTags.
Proposition 12 is the largest proposed new debt on the ballot this year. It would authorize up to $5 billion dollars of state road debt to be repaid with general revenue, instead of dedicated transportation funds. Yet another accountability breech.
In 2001, Prop 15 (the first Tax Wolf in sheep's clothing) was put on the ballot and politicos promised it would help solve our transportation crisis by establishing the Texas Mobility Fund. Prop 15 became a constitutional amendment. Much like this years Prop 12, Prop 15 did not openly inform voters that TxDOT would use Texas Mobility Fund exclusively to shift our freeways to toll ways. Prop 15 took accountability and the will of the people out of the equation - so special interests could seize OUR LAND and OUR ROADS for profit.
Don’t be fooled again, help stop the tax wolf and vote NO on Prop 12, Tuesday Nov 6th! Get others to do the same.
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11/05/2007
SA EXPRESS NEWS: Slower I-35 part of deal on TTC toll road
The privatization contract for Texas 130 from Austin to Seguin, cutting a parallel path east of I-35, was quietly signed in March amid a legislative furor over whether to freeze such agreements. It includes a controversial clause that penalizes the state for widening or building competing roads. If a project over the next 50 years — with some exceptions — interferes with Texas 130 toll traffic, the Texas Department of Transportation would have to pay Cintra of Spain and Zachry Construction Corp. of San Antonio for their lost profits. But the state can also get credit, though not payment, for driving traffic to the tollway, including by lowering posted speeds on I-35.
A recent toll road contract that shoehorns market incentives into a government monopoly would reward the state for lowering speed limits on Interstate 35, effectively steering drivers to the toll road.
11/04/2007
TxDOT Builds Bridge That Floods Water and Trash. TxDOT says It's Not their Problem
Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas - North West of Dallas has a special new bridge that floods water and trash because it was built at least 4 feet too low - all courtesy of TxDOT.
The TimesRecord News reports yet another TxDOT design failure:
TxDOT's response? Adele Lewis, TxDOT public information officer said they didn't know about the problem and said they never received any communications. The article reported that Lewis's statement was false - the letter was found."The Texas Department of Transportation built the bridge as part of a $1.4 million project that included two pedestrian bridges, a walkway around the lake, bathrooms and gazebos.
But it's 4 feet too low and must be raised at a price of $86,000, Sandoval said.
His attempts to get TxDOT to help have been rebuffed, he said.
"I sent (TxDOT area engineer) Mr. James Kelley a letter June 15 (2006) indicating that we had some concerns about the bridge," Sandoval said Friday. "(Bridge engineer) Mike Beaver responded and indicated that they had done some work with the flood plane administrator that worked for Wichita Falls. They had squared it with him, and it seemed the appropriate height."
Sandoval took that 2006 letter as a "no" to TxDOT providing any help or financial assistance, and MSU hired another engineer to address the problem.
"I don't need to be an engineer to tell you the height is not adequate," Sandoval said Friday. "When it rains, it floods. It picks up all the trash around the creek that empties into that. Visually, it's not quite right. We need to raise it four feet."
TxDOT told the University it was their problem, says Juan Sandoval, MSU vice president for administration and finance:
"They basically said it's a university issue."
11/03/2007
HOUSTON CHRON: Lawmakers take aim at TxDOT advertising (click to read)
A clip from the Houston Chron article:
"My concern is that Texas agencies, including TxDOT (the Texas Department of Transportation), have exceeded the proper role of state government and, potentially, their legal authority provided by state law," Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said in a letter this week asking Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to assign a Senate committee to study the matter. His request followed one by Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, to House Speaker Tom Craddick."We (lawmakers) are potentially curtailing their (TxDOT's) ability to do tollways and maybe push forward the Trans-Texas Corridor," Paxton said. "It appears that now they are trying to lobby the public to be favorable towards these particular issues, and I'm not sure that's a really good use of taxpayer money."
Give them an inch and they will take a foot - and the food off your famlies table.
Construction of three stretches of major east-west roads approved by Travis County voters in a 2005 bond election have stalled because developers have not put up their share of the money.
Voters said yes to a bond election that stated the costs were to be shared with developers that benefit from the roads. The developers didn't pony up the money and now most of the $7.4 million approved for the roads have been diverted.
Now Travis County Commissioners want the tax payers to pay ALL of the costs, even though we voted to only pay 50% of the costs for Wells Branch Parkway, Howard Lane and Slaughter.
I think it's wrong for County Commissioners to have us pay all of the costs without holding another election. Why do we always pay more and have our taxes raised again in the future? They must ask voters to pay for the whole cost.
This from a Statesman article today:
"If private interests do not agree to pitch in, the county could pay their share as well — a step that could triple the price tag because of rising construction costs, but one that some county officials say they must consider.
"While it's never pretty to ask voters for more money to finish a project," said County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt, whose precinct includes Wells Branch Parkway, "I think the reasons for the change in numbers are exceedingly reasonable."
Sal Costello, a critic of Central Texas road planning, disagreed. He said that the 2005 ballot language led voters to believe that those roads were going to be built with developer help and that voters will be less likely to support future bond projects "because of this kind of bait and switch."
The Wells Branch Parkway and Howard Lane extensions were among the bond package's seven "public-private partnerships," in which the cost would be split about 50-50 between the county and private interests who stood to benefit from the roads being built.
The partnerships, which are done around the country, are a mechanism intended to save taxpayer money..."
The article says the county will now ask CAMPO for the additional tax dollars.I believe Sen Kirk Watson, Chair of CAMPO is also a Lobbyist (on the payroll) for one of the developers (Goodnight Ranch - Goodnight Tract) that didn't pay up. Can you say conflict of interest?
Watson is very familiar with diversions of our tax and bond dollars. Not only did he just vote to spend nearly 1 Billion tax dollars to shift our Austin freeways to toll ways on CAMPO, but his City of Austin Prop 1, of the year 2000, diverted a whopping $67.2 million of our bond dollars, intended for free roads, into the 45N and 130 toll roads Central Texans drive today!
The diversion of our tax dollars and bond dollars is a major problem with our government and the reason we keep paying more every year.
11/02/2007
Proposition 12 is "The worst of the worst" - GET OUT AND VOTE NO ON 12!
David Van Os is pretty smart. Van Os says "Vote NO" to the Constitutional Amendments. He says this about Prop 12:"I begin with Proposition 12 because it is the worst of the worst. In this proposition, we are being asked to amend Article III, Section 49 of the Constitution in order to permit the Texas Department of Transportation to sell 5 billion dollars worth of bonds. This is the same agency that today, this very day, is cynically and arrogantly using your and my tax dollars in a high-pressure marketing campaign, designed by a political consulting firm, to convince us that we want toll roads; in complete disregard of the fact that government is supposed to follow the will of the people, not the other way around."
Read the whole article HERE!
11/01/2007
TxDOT Program Placed Medicaid Patients in the Hands of Convicted Criminals and Unlicensed Drivers - Reveals State Audit.
UPDATED BELOW
A new State Auditor's Office report uncovers more problems for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
The Audit reveals that TxDOT’s Medical Transportation Program (MTP), created to transport primarily Medicaid patients to and from doctors appointments, has placed patients in the hands of convicted criminals and unlicensed drivers.
The Audit found that 16 percent of the 239 drivers studied had criminal backgrounds and 14 percent had invalid driver's licenses. On top of the blatant safety issue, TxDOT failed to follow government requirements.
The report focused on four transportation providers in the state: American Medical Response, Irving Holdings, LaFleur Transportation and East Texas Support Services. The audit also found some of the subcontractors hired for the program were not even on TxDOT's approved contractors list.
To date the program has transported about 200,000 Texans. The Texas Medical Transportation Program is a $100 million-a-year taxpayer-financed program.
San Antonio Express News also has an article on this issue today:
The state auditors office reported that transportation officials have been inadequately supervising the companies hired to provide transportation services. Auditors said the department had conducted no monitoring of transportation providers in the San Antonio and Rio Grande Valley areas.Just months ago, another State Audit report found that TxDOT overestimated it’s needs by $45 Billion dollars, to support the unpopular idea of shifting existing public highways to toll ways.
"Auditors visited four of the largest transportation providers and determined that a substantial number of their drivers had criminal backgrounds or invalid driver's licenses," the auditors said. "In addition, a large number of transportation providers' subcontractors did not comply with liability or workers' compensation insurance requirements."
U P D A T E:
This MTP program was transfered to TxDOT many months ago, is a result of Rep. Mike Krusee's HB 3588, the same legislation that makes it legal to toll our public highways.
And then there is the connection of convicted criminal Pete Peters and TxDOT District Engineer Bob Daigh reported here last year.
TxDOT is a rogue agency severely in need of some accountability. TxDOT is so focused on becoming a unaccountable taxing authority (through placing a toll tax on our existing highways) that it can't even administer the very basics of a simple program. The bureaucratic TxDOT needs to be totally restructured, beginning with the requirement that TxDOT commissioners are elected, not appointed.
Prop 12: Beware of the Hungry Tax Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
Prop 12: Beware of the HungryTax Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
Vote NO on Prop 12!
The revenue hungry "Tax Wolf" is rearing its ugly head again with Proposition 12, which is carefully crafted to trick Texans to vote for debt, future tax increases and toll roads paid for with our tax dollars (an unaccountable double tax).
In recent years, TxDOT has claimed they’ve run out of money, while they spend billions of our tax dollars to shift our public highways to toll roads and push the equally unpopular Trans Texas Corridor (TTC). Also to blame are Texas legislators, who have diverted billions of our tax dollars intended for transportation, into their pet projects, while they allow TxDOT, a rogue agency, to run amuck.
A chart on the diversion of highway funds:
The State Auditor caught TxDOT inflating it’s needs by $45 billion dollars this year and TxDOT continues to ignore the public by spending millions of our tax dollars on an ad campaign to sell us toll roads and TaxTags.
Proposition 12 is the largest proposed new debt on the ballot this year. It would authorize up to $5 billion dollars of state road debt to be repaid with general revenue, instead of dedicated transportation funds. Yet another accountability breech as TxDOT is eager to become an unaccountable taxing authority.
In 2001, Prop 15 (the first Tax Wolf in sheep's clothing) was put on the ballot and politicos promised it would help solve our transportation crisis by establishing the Texas Mobility Fund. Texans trusted TxDOT and legislators and voted for "mobility" and Prop 15 became a constitutional amendment. Much like this years Prop 12, the ballot language of Prop 15 did not openly inform voters that TxDOT would use Texas Mobility Fund exclusively to shift our freeways to toll ways. Prop 15 took accountability and the will of the people out of the equation - so special interests could seize OUR LAND and OUR ROADS for profit.
Don’t be fooled again, help stop the tax wolf and vote NO on Prop 12. Early voting begins Monday Oct 22. Election day is Nov 6th.
And get this horse shit, just like they supported tolling our freeways in 2004 and 2007, the Snakesman supports Prop 12! They never met a tax or debt scheme they didn't like. Place your comments at the Statesman online right now - HERE.
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