BIKE: CAMPO hearing tomorrow

[Mike Dahmus]

Jeremy Elliott wrote:

>--- rcbaker wrote:
>  
>
>>[Here is the leaflet I worked up to pass out at the
>>toll road hearing at the <snip>
>>    
>>
>
>I, for one, am immensely thankful that Roger Baker is
>out there filtering all this hoopla and presenting me
>with the boiled-down version.
>
>The "enemy" has a nice web form set up to email CAMPO
>members with you comments. Though there are others
>available, I found the irony of using this form
>against them quite tasty.
>
>http://www.congestionrelief.com/joinus.htm
>
>Try not to be so "over-the-top" that they hit the
>delete key after the first few sentences.
>  
>
For one, I'm not sure that I agree with the idea that we're better off 
without these toll roads. While I'll hate to see 360 ruined, the fact is 
that the available alternatives are, most likely first:

1. Keep building roads, but do it out of increases in property and sales 
taxes while keeping the gas tax constant
2. Keep building roads; increased funds come out of Capital Metro dollars
3. Keep building roads, but do it out of a combination of p/s tax 
increases and moderately higher gas taxes
4. Build less roads, maintain current taxing regime

I think anybody who looks at these options would consider #1 and #2 to 
be the worst for cyclists, since the tax burden on all increases without 
regard to driving, with #2 even worse because it will destroy transit in 
this area. #3 is very unlikely but at least marginally possible; #4 WILL 
NOT HAPPEN.

Those of you in the central-city echo chamber might not get it; but the 
fact is that 95% of the population here thinks we don't build enough roads.

With these toll roads, at least, the people who do the most driving (far 
suburban metro residents) will finally pay a greater share of the cost. 
Today, Central Austin drivers and non-drivers massively subsidize 
suburbanites through roads like US 183. City of Austin drivers get 
screwed twice - they pay gas tax when they drive in the city on a 
network of roads far less likely to receive gas tax funding than those 
in the hinterlands, and they pay property taxes for the city's 
right-of-way contribution.

Yes, #4 would be the preferred solution among the ones listed above; 
preferable even to the "build more roads and levy tolls" option. But 
it's not going to happen, people.

- MD