This one was posed at this meeting:
Kill this proposal for now or table it and have the RTA Referendum at the regular elections next April - then decide.
Given that: The Feds - FTA (Federal Transportation Agency) in charge of RTAs (Regional Transit Authorities) have as one (of many) criteria that they need to know if the local area supports commuter rail before they will fund it.
Both the County Exec and Madison mayor haved stated they will not build any rail system if the FEDS do not provide money.
Then why not have the commuter rail Referendum next April during regular elections? The county Exec has said it will be "years" before a final decision is made on this issue. If so, kill this resolution now (or table it) until after the April 08 Elections that would include the RTA referendum question.
Why spend time and tax dollars now setting up the Wisconsin Legislative initiative to get approval for a RTA and the FTA pitch for Federal dollars before you know if the people support it?
After the referendum you will know either way. Then, either drop it or move on with it depending how the vote goes. Why waste time, tax dollars ptiching this to the State Legislature and the Feds if you don't know if the public supports it?
Traffic congestion
Is one of the problems you are addressing with commuter rail and Trolleys Traffic congestion as stated several times in the recent City of Madison and the Dane County resolutions favoring the RTA?
Isn’t it true that the transport 2020 Report states that a Commuter rail system will INCREASE traffic congestion, not decrease it?
Isn’t it true that Commuter rail stopping traffic in both directions on all the highways it crosses during rush hour up to 13 times an hour will cause sudden and massive traffic jams at every one of those crossings?
Won’t it take a lot of time to disperse that traffic after each train crosses?
Won’t this rail route effectively shut down a great deal of the North to South internal Madison traffic also?
Do you really think the 90,000 car/truck commuters daily into the Madison area ( Mayor Dave’s numbers from the last meeting here in July) while waiting for the third or fourth train to cross will just smile, relax and say, (sweetly) “Who’s great idea was this?” or,
Will they say, (sarcastically) whose great idea was this? Then get on the cell phone to the Mayor or County exec’s office.
Fix the transportation systems we have now!
(Questions)
What is the largest most comprehensive Transportation system we have in Dane CTY? (Roads)
What transportation system have we invested the most money in over the last 50 years? (Roads)
What transportation system is used by about 96% of our Dane County citizens as well as tourists, travelers, businesses, manufacturers? (Roads)
Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend more money on roads for the 96% of the population that uses them rather than a billion dollars for a trolley and commuter rail system for the less than 2% of the population that are projected to use rail?,
What would you estimate is the total investment we have in County Roads only?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to upgrade our huge investment in roads and their proven mobility, rather than spend millions for a new, unproven system?
What condition would you judge our Dane County roads to be in?
Excellent- well maintained and built ahead of growth and usage, Excellent mobility at all times. (Free flowing traffic at all times very little traffic congestion)
Good – fairly well maintained and keeping pace with growth and usage.
Good mobility at most times. (Free flowing traffic with traffic congestion in rush hours)
Fair – not well maintained and barely keeping pace with growth and usage. Fair mobility some of the time (heavy congestion at rush hours)
Poor – poorly maintained, way behind in keeping pace with growth and usage. (Congestion can happen anytime)
(If the answer is anything but excellent isn’t that where we should be spending money?)
How many cars were there in Dane County 1856?
How many roads in Dane Cty in 1856?
Why build new transit systems - commuter rail and trolleys that are based upon 19th Century technology –surface rails that were not built for commuting (elevated or subways) but were cutting edge rail roads in 1856?
(And, that will only serve less than 2% of our population?)
Is this rail system going to be an elevated one or a subway like many of the cities you are comparing it with?
Pollution
One of the arguments you have offered is that commuter rail and trolleys will help cut pollution. If both or even one of these systems is built, traffic congestion will increase, not decrease due to the RR crossing main highway arteries and the 6 mph pace of the trolleys.
The fact that a Trolley will hog the middle of the street and be immobilized by any errantly parked delivery truck in their path will have a huge and immediate impact on traffic congestion as will all the train crossings for the Commuter rail.
Free flowing traffic means cars and trucks are running efficiently and not polluting anywhere near as much as when they are stalled in traffic congestion.
Today’s cars compared to those of 1960 run 98% cleaner. (Balaker and Stanley book)
50% of the pollution comes from 5% of the vehicles. Get the polluters off the road and you can reduce pollution markedly. (Balaker and Stanley Book.)
Do you have the kahunas to take away smoking jalopies from poor people to really reduce pollution? (That is the question.)
Choice
One of the County board members Supervisor Al Matano District 11 in defense of the Commuter rail and Trolley system said at the July 19th meeting, (paraphrased here) but V-tape available here "any one who can't see the advantages of commuter rail is guilty of 'primitive thinking' and “I walk, I bike, I take the bus. I drive my car, but I want to have the CHOICE of taking a train to a county board meeting”
My reaction was twofold
One: I would like the choice of a red head, a blonde or a brunette when I get home. But I won’t have that choice. Suck it up, put your big boy panties on and get used to not getting all your choices - particularly at other people’s expense.
My second reaction to him was; You paid for your shoes to walk, you paid for your bike, your bus pass, your car. Are you willing to pay $45 to $65 dollars to ride the train one way to go to a County Board meeting? If not, why should we have to pay for it.?
Need more info? Please see the book "The road more Traveled"by Balaker and Staley. New and used available online, and at Madison Public library.
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