BIKE: The "road lobby"

[Mike Dahmus]

Roger Baker wrote:

> On Mar 4, 2005, at 9:34 AM, Mike Dahmus wrote:
>
>     Roger Baker wrote:
>
>         McCracken is the immediate hero here, but he likely wouldn't
>         have done it without Sal Costello, SOSA, and all the
>         independent grassroots organizing.
>
>         On CAMPO, McCracken's resolution got defeated about 2 to 1,
>         with Gerald Daugherty on the bad side, along with CAMPO
>         Director Aulick. TxDOT's Bob Daigh deserves a special bad
>         actor award for expressing his opinion just before the CAMPO
>         vote, with no reasons given, that any independent study of the
>         CAMPO plan would be likely to threaten TxDOT funding for our
>         area. -- Roger
>
>
>     Just like the transit people in Austin with Mike Krusee, you've
>     been completely snookered if you think these people are your friends.
>     The goal of McCracken et al is NOT to stop building these roads;
>     it is to build these roads quickly as FREE HIGHWAYS.
>     In other words, McCracken and Costello ___ARE___ THE ROAD LOBBY!
>     Keep that in mind, folks. Slusher and Bill Bunch don't want the
>     roads at all, but pretty much everybody else who voted against the
>     toll plan wants to build them as free roads.
>     And these highways built free is a far worse prospect for Austin
>     and especially central Austin than if they're built as toll roads,
>     in every possible respect.
>     - MD
>
>
> All that is easy for Mike to say but, as usual, lacks any factual 
> basis or documentation. Furthermore, he does not appear to read what I 
> have previously documented.

As for factual basis or documentation, it should be obvious to anybody 
with the awareness of a three-year-old that McCracken's playing to his 
suburban constituents who WANT THESE ROADS, AND WANT THEM TO BE FREE, 
rather than Slusher's environmentalist constituents, who don't want the 
roads at all.

As for reading what you've previously documented; oh, if only it were 
true. If only I hadn't wasted a good month of my life reading your 
repeated screeds about the oil peak which have almost convinced me to go 
out and buy an SUV just to spite you.

POLITICAL REALITY MATTERS. The suburban voters who won McCracken his 
seat over Margot Clarke WANT THESE HIGHWAYS TO BE BUILT. AND THEY DON'T 
WANT THEM BUILT AS TOLL ROADS BECAUSE THEY'LL HAVE TO PAY (MORE) OF THE 
BILL IF THEY DO.

Here's what's going to happen if Roger's ilk convinces the environmental 
bloc to continue their unholy alliance with the suburban road warriors 
like McCracken and Daugherty:

1. We tell TXDOT we don't want toll roads.
2. TXDOT says we need to kick in a bunch more money to get them built free.
3. We float another huge local bond package to do it (just like we did 
for local 'contributions' for SH 45, SH 130, and US 183A).
4. The roads get built, as free highways.
5. Those bonds are paid back by property and sales taxes, which 
disproportionately hit central Austinites, and especially penalize 
people who don't or only infrequently drive.

Here's what's going to happen if the toll roads get built, as toll roads:

1. TXDOT builds them.
2. The current demand for the roadway is large enough to fill the 
coffers enough to keep the enterprise going without the bonds defaulting.
3. (Even if #2 doesn't happen, we're at worst no worse off than above; 
with the added bonus that suburbanites still get to finally pay user 
fees for their trips on the roads).

Here's what's going to happen in Roger Fantasyland:

1. McCracken, Gerald Daugherty, et al have a Come To Jesus moment and 
decide that we Really Don't Need Any More Highways In The 'Burbs.

Now, be honest. Which one of the three scenarios above do you find least 
likely?

YES, EVEN IF GAS TRIPLES IN PRICE, SUBURBANITES WILL STILL DRIVE. THE 
OIL PEAK IN THIS SENSE DOESN'T ****MATTER****. The people out there in 
Circle C aren't going anywhere in the short term, and it'll be decades 
before their neighborhoods are redeveloped in a less car-dependent 
fashion, assuming we can afford to.

- MD