DECONSTRUCTING THE CAMPO 2025 TRANSPORTATION PLAN

WOW! The CAMPO 2025 Transportation Plan  doesn't really say that...or 
does it?

by Roger Baker, 4-10-00

 "Only a small portion of these (travel) surveys were available in time 
to be used in the 2025 Plan travel demand model that forecasts future 
roadway, bus, rail bike and walk trips by facility or mode." Chapter 2, 
page 2. 

In other words, we lack an accurate idea of current travel patterns. 
But this plan seeks to  extend these unknowns into the future to 
generate this plan. So we now use this clouded picture of  current 
reality and extend it forward on the basis of the highest population 
projections provided by the State Data Center and so push sprawl trends 
ahead a full 25 years into the future! And then you use this pile of 
accumulated errors to come up with something trying to resemble good 
financially sound planning. In fact this 2025 plan appears to eliminate 
all the projections of long range city and county costs found in the 
current CAMPO plan. 

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"The success of implementation of the CAMPO long range plan is 
dependent upon the development of a comprehensive financing program for 
major multi-jurisdictional projects, identifying costs by agency or 
jurisdiction, the time frames on which the funds are required, and 
identified sources of revenue on which to fund those requirements. The 
CAMPO long range plan requires the implementation of a series of a 
series of traditional and non-traditional finding sources...The 
region's needs can not be met if only traditional funding sources are 
available." Chapter 9, page 2.

In other words we can't afford to put a half million new sprawl 
residents in Williamson County as this plan assumes, without huge but 
unquantified new non-traditional taxes and public subsidies.  And in 
addition to this new forms of cooperative government will have to be 
established to benefit all this future sprawl.

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"New revenue sources have been recommended for agencies to pursue in 
order to eliminate any shortfalls...CAMPO will transmit the adopted 
CAMPO 2025 plan with the financial analysis and recommended new revenue 
sources to each of the CAMPO member jurisdictions with a request that 
they each agree to investigate and pursue the implementation of the new 
revenue sources, or else suggest deleting transportation projects from 
the campo 2025 plan" Chapter 9, page 6.

But wait the shortfalls assigned to the city of Austin are nowhere 
quantified in this plan! Just the new taxes that Austin will be 
expected to raise to solve the looming threat of the funds need to 
accomodate the sprawl. This means that the city of Austin would agree 
in advance to try to create a bunch of new taxes on the 
"recommendation" of CAMPO. By this the city of Austin would agree to 
subsizize with projected sprawl cost trends that fly in the face of 
Austin's smart growth.  That as well as probably all known principles 
of sound financial planning. Many, many new taxes are suggested, taxing 
bicycle users with licensing fees, and a long list of other fees; see 
Chapter 10, page 9. 

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"Policy A-1: Adoption of CAMPO 2025 Plan by member jurisdictions is a 
necessary condition to be eligible for CAMPO approval of federal funds 
to that jurisdiction." Chapter 10, page 2.

In order words, if the city of Austin does not adopt this plan, or 
whatever is approved with all its inaccuracies and disastrous policies 
intact, CAMPO is assigning themselves the right to decide to  punish 
Austin big time. CAMPO is saying;  "We're in charge of Austin's future!'

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"Policy F-8: Implement the entire arterial netwoek by CAMPO and member 
agencies so that the region's motorists have alternate routes to travel 
in order to avoid congestion incidents." Chapter 10, page 7.

OK, City of Austin, it is now your turn to widen your central city 
arterials to handle all the overflow congestion that spills off of all 
the clogged freeways that TxDOT can not afford to widen due to future 
sprawl and declining relative funds. Is that what this policy is 
saying?  

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"Policy G-2: Support the relocation of the UPRR to the East for 
through-rail freight movement in conjunction with the development of SH 
130, if feasible". ibid.

Unfortunately, the SH 130 have done millions of dollars worth of 
roadway alignment planning without taking UPRR alignment requirements 
in account. In other world CAMPO and TxDOT plans actually appear to 
acrtively preclude rail freight by UPRR standards. And UPRR is the only 
game in town.

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"Policy H-3: CAMPO, TxDOT and other member jurisdictions will 
coordinate and cooperate in the passage of Capital Improvement Program 
bond issues to fund local segments of the CAMPO 2025 Plan." Chapter 18, 
page 8.

Hey wow, think of that! TxDOT can help by running TV commercials to 
help us decide whether to vote for all the new roads. The new roads 
that are going to be needed to handle all the crosstown traffic 
generated by all of TxDOT's new tollroads.

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"Policy H-5: CAMPO encourages all member jurisdictions to proactively 
support and cooperate with TxDOT Austin District in the 
implementatiioon of regional interstate, National Highway System, US 
Highway, State Highway projects..." Chapter 10, page 8.

All governmental entities in the area are appointed as members of the 
TxDOT/sprawl cheering squad for lots more big tollroads and highways! 
Wayward governmental bodies may run up against Policy A-1 above, to 
their regret.

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An observation: Although this plan is very specific in supporting many 
new roads, like SH 130, by name (and even CAMPO chairman Barriento's 
favorite project of Austin to San Antonio commuter rail), yet nowhere 
does it support light rail construction as a policy. And there are many 
contradictory parts that seem to have been carried forth into older 
version developed in 1994. 

This thing was a rush job, but the new policies and tone of the CAMPO 
2025 Plan are authoritarian and disturbing -- especially in light of 
the fact that its own authors admit that this plan is unworkable within 
the current framework of government.