BIKE: Re: Rails with Trails, Again

[Michael Zakes]

in a slightly related note, I've heard that if you are voting a straight
party ticket and not voting on the CapMetro proposal to be extremely careful
before pushing the finished button, since the e-tablet machines may shift
your presidential spot selection. don't know if this has been corrected or
how widespread it is, just be careful and verify your choices before hitting
the "cast my vote" button

Michael F Zakes, prop.
Waterloo Cycles
2815 Fruth
Austin TX 78705
512.472.9253

"I think the burden is on those people who think he didn't have weapons of
mass
destruction to tell the world where they are."

Ari Fleischer, on July 9, 2003.


mail


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Foster" <david-k1971-foster>
To: <forum>
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2004 12:02 AM
Subject: BIKE: Rails with Trails, Again


> Bike Friends,
>
> I have been out of town for a few days and am catching up on lots of email
> on commuter rail and rails-with-trails. Rather than responding to al of
> them, I just want to point out a few reasons why RwT is more likely to
> happen with than without commuter rail. I will be out of town again
> starting tomorrow and not back till Wednesday but I look forward to the
> post-election analysis on this forum, and I hope discussion of how to make
> rails-with-trails work should the referendum pass, as I hope it will
>
> 1). Cap Metro will have more money if the referendum passes, and may well
> not be able to withstand the attack to roll back its sales tax and put the
> money into roads if it loses.  This means we could lose funding for RwT
and
> the All Systems Go improvements to the bus system as well, and cripple the
> agency's chance to do any kind of rail system. This is of course what
> Skaggs and Levy want.
>
> 2) Cap Metro will have an incentive to do RwT if the referendum passes,
> namely to increase ridership by providing an easier and safer way for
> cyclists to access the stations and trains. Cap Metro has also agreed to
> providing bike access on the trains and lockers and/or bike racks at the
> stations, which will serve the same purpose of increasing ridership. A
> cyclist will be able to ride to the station, leave the bike there or take
> it along and ride to his/her final destination.
>
> 3) I do not believe that Cap Metro would commit the political blunder of
> backing out on this promise. Many of us worked to get Cap Metro to agree
to
> RwT, including the bicycle advocacy organizations who issued the joint
> press release supporting the referendum (ACA, AMTG, TBC, and now too Trans
> Texas Alliance). Cap Metro gives every indication of wanting to go
forward,
> including helping bring Mia Birk of Alta Planning in from Portland Oregon
> to give a presentation on Rails with Trails while back.
>
> Thanks to all for the interesting and for the most part (compared with
some
> of the other email forums I subscribe to) informed and informing
discussion
> of these issues.
>
> David Foster
>
>
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