BIKE: Toll road politics 101

[Roger Baker]

The Austin toll roads that the special interests tied to real estate  
and road construction want to build
passed 7 to 16 on a very politically controversial vote, even by Austin  
standards.  You don't have to be a political
genius to see, from the article below, that it was the real estate and  
road construction special interests who were
really behind promoting the toll roads. (I'm on the Board of SOS  
Alliance -- one of the most kick-ass and effective
environmental groups in Austin, at least on on growth and water  
protection issues. And I'm proud to say SOS was
putting lots of effort into opposing these local toll roads.)

Go to www.stopdoubletax.com for the website that generated about 6700  
emails in opposition to the roads, while the
special interests promoting them could only muster about 500+ in  
support.

It turns out that the chair of the group that voted for the toll roads  
Monday (Barrientos) has a boss on the board of the
CTRMA, which was working with TxDOT to promote the roads. And Rick  
Perry appointed the chair of the CTRMA,
who also has a major Cedar Park development near one of the toll roads  
being most aggressively promoted, US 183 A.
  Etc.

Anyhow, from the piece below, you can get a whiff of roadway corruption  
as it is practiced nowadays in Texas, as the
road lobby wheels and deals with the politicians to try to to prop up  
the rapidly deteriorating economics of roads in Texas.
By borrowing money from Wall Street to float 30 tax-free municipal year  
bonds.  The politics are so sleazy and the
finances so guaranteed to fail that all this has the potential to blow  
up into a major scandal like Enron, I think.

Why should that matter to those who mainly care about bikes?

Because road building as the primary way of solving transpo problems  
sucks up vast quantities of local money that
could better be used on a compact city, mixed use development, transit,  
sidewalks and bike lanes as Envision
Central Texas recommended.  But since 'the fix is in' on the toll  
roads, we will now have to learn the hard way what
happens when you let the special interests and cashocratic politicians  
do your planning for you. -- Roger



                       
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http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2004/07/12/story2.html? 
page=1

Who's driving the toll debate?
$2.2B decision on toll roads to create historic system
Giselle Greenwood
Austin Business Journal staff


  Anyone who drives through the Austin area during rush hour knows it  
can be frustrating. Simply put, Central Texas' population boom has lent  
itself to more traffic.

  Love 'em or hate 'em, toll roads are in Central Texas' future. Three  
toll projects are already under way -- U.S. Highway 183-A, State  
Highway 45 and State Highway 130.

  But since the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority announced its  
$2.2 billion toll plan, tongues in the region really have been wagging  
about transportation. On July 12, the board of the Capital Area  
Metropolitan Planning Organization approved the plan 16-7 during a  
crowded, contentious hearing at the University of Texas.

  Pushing for the plan have been such business groups as the Greater  
Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of  
Commerce, the Capital Area Transportation Coalition, the Home Builders  
Association of Greater Austin and the Real Estate Council of Austin.

  Lining up against the plan have been some local politicians, as well  
as grassroots groups such as the Save Our Springs Alliance and People  
for Efficient Transportation.

  Here's a glimpse at some of the key players involved in the region's  
hottest transportation issue.


CAMPO

  Established in 1973, CAMPO is governed by a 23-member board of state,  
regional and local officials.

  On July 12, that board will have the final say on the toll road plan.  
Although most board members support the plan, some are credited with  
making the push.

  Travis County Commissioner Karen Sonleitner, Austin Mayor Will Wynn  
and state Reps. Eddie Rodriguez and Dawnna Dukes, both D-Austin, are  
said to have joined together to become the driving force behind toll  
roads.

  Wynn pleasantly surprised a few people when he backed the plan.

  "Mayor Will Wynn, without a doubt, has shown extraordinary leadership  
and courage," says state Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Taylor and chairman of the  
Texas House Transportation Committee. "Will has been very active in  
talking to community groups, to legislative delegations. We couldn't  
get this done without the leadership of Will Wynn."

Since the plan was introduced, controversy has swirled around adding  
toll components in certain parts of the city, such as the MoPac  
Expressway overpass at William Cannon Drive, southern portions of State  
Highway 45 and Capital of Texas Highway. Although Dukes has expressed  
mixed feelings about the plan, she has made it clear that those  
portions shouldn't be removed while still making East Austin residents  
pay tolls.


CTRMA

  Mike Heiligenstein has been at the helm of the toll road plan since  
day one. Formerly a Williamson County commissioner, Heiligenstein was  
named executive director of the newly created Central Texas Regional  
Mobility Authority in 2003.

  Through his political and personal connections, Heiligenstein has  
collected support from key people in the business community. Not only  
has Heiligenstein pounded the pavement talking to the business  
community, but he has reached out to community leaders, too.

  "Mike Heiligenstein is doing a great job talking to the community.  
He's just very involved night and day," says Elizabeth Christian, vice  
chairwoman of regional transportation and development for the Austin  
Chamber of Commerce.


TxDOT

  When Bob Daigh became district engineer for the Texas Department of  
Transportation in late 2003, the business community wasn't sure what to  
think of him. Daigh quickly gained their trust by authoring the toll  
road plan.

  "His toll road proposal nets the biggest bang for the buck," says  
Bruce Byron, executive director of the Capital Area Transportation  
Coalition. "His proposal simultaneously matches our existing state  
funding with like amounts of state and toll bond money, effectively  
tripling our highway funding in the next 10 years using little local  
money."

  Daigh has gained the respect of the business community by attending  
numerous meetings about the toll road plan.

  "Bob Daigh has been the most active and proactive district engineer  
we've ever had. He's certainly been the most accessible," Krusee says.


Mike Krusee

  Several observers cite Mike Krusee, the House Transportation Committee  
chairman, as the plan's philosopher. Behind the scenes, Krusee has  
emerged as a motivational powerhouse, rallying the business community  
and politicians to get on board with the toll plan.

e commands so much respect in the business community and he walks in so  
many circles," Christian says. "Having his energy and vision really  
pushed us forward in getting things done."

Since the toll plan was formed, Krusee has met with Wynn; state Sen.  
Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin and chairman of the CAMPO board; and other  
influential city leaders to push the toll plan.

  "This has been my number-one priority and will continue to be until  
July 13," he says.


Pete Winstead

  Pete Winstead has a vendetta against Central Texas' transportation  
snags. The attorney, a partner in the Austin office of law firm  
Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC, first witnessed losing businesses to  
other cities as chamber president in 1997 -- particularly when Dell  
Inc. decided to locate its second manufacturing operation in Tennessee.

  The move was a major blow to Winstead, who also had done consulting  
work with Dell. He is the personal attorney for Chairman and CEO  
Michael Dell.

  Since then, Winstead created Citizens for Mobility, a privately  
financed advocacy group. Winstead has dedicated his free time to  
galvanizing the business community to act on the region's  
transportation woes.

  "He's dogged in his efforts," Christian says.


The opposition

  A few local leaders have made some big noise in opposition to the toll  
road plan.

  Among them are Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and state  
Reps. Terry Keel, and Todd Baxter, both R-Austin.

  Daugherty has perhaps been the biggest anomaly within transportation  
circles. When Daugherty first ran for commissioner, he ran his entire  
campaign on the basis of creating a better system.

  Some within the business community say he's gone full circle, straying  
from his original intention of improving mobility for Central Texas. As  
a result, many say he's burned bridges in the business community.

Jim Skaggs, who helped defeat the light-rail plan in 2000, says the  
business community isn't being fair to Daugherty.

  "I think it's tragic that the community put him in that position,"  
Skaggs says. "I feel Gerald's pain, in that he would love to have a  
good plan to vote for. But I think it's tearing him apart."

  Skaggs says Daugherty and his constituents oppose the plan mainly  
because of how it would affect his southern Travis County district. As  
a representative of this district, Skaggs says Daugherty faces a  
dilemma because he thinks he should reflect his district's sentiment,  
but he still wants to see a transportation plan put in place.

  "He knows we need toll roads and he wants this community to have  
better mobility," Skaggs says.

  The plan also prompted creation of an organization opposing the toll  
road plan. People for Efficient Transportation was founded by Sal  
Costello, owner of marketing and advertising firm Costello and Co. and  
a resident of Southwest Austin's Circle C neighborhood. Costello has  
been relentless in sending email and marketing materials against the  
toll road proposal. The group even has placed full-page ads to spread  
the message.

  "We feel this plan is jumping the gun a bit, and we feel it's  
important for people to learn about it," Costello says. "Once the tolls  
are there, they'll never go away."

  On the environmental end of the spectrum, the Save Our Springs  
Alliance adamantly opposes the plan. The group claims the added roads  
would create more traffic, more sprawl and more pollution.

  In a statement, SOS says: "Not only is the toll road proposal a  
potential pollution disaster for Barton Springs, toll roads in other  
states have failed to generate sufficient revenue to pay back the debt  
borrowed to build the roads, leaving the taxpayers to bail out the toll  
roads."


  Email GISELLE GREENWOOD at (ggreenwood).
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