Surprise, Surprise
This entry was posted on 8/9/2007 3:34 PM and is filed under Madison.
Looks like I'm not the only one opposed to the creation of the RTA.
I'm not opposed to it because I hate mass transit, or because I hate trains, or because I love the oil companies, or anything like that. I'm opposed to it because the whole thing stinks to high heaven. Let's run down the list of complaints:
1. The feasibility study ignored the fact that improving the bus system (in any way - increased routes, upgrading buses, etc.) would be cheaper and provide more ridership.
2. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Kathleen Falk met in private to hammer out the details of this, after warring over whose proposal (the mayor's trolleys vs. Falk's commuter rail) would get government funding. They didn't even tell anybody that they had met, much less why, until it came out in the news, and they were forced to. I disapprove of shady tactics.
3. The construction on this will take years, and will go straight through downtown. What do you suppose that will do to congestion?
4. The entire county will be taxed to pay for it, but it only goes from Sun Prairie to Middleton (via the isthmus). Are you surprised that places like Waunakee, Cross Plains, Dane, and others are opposed to paying for something they'll likely never use?
5. Rather than paying for just the commuter rail or just the trolley, the proposal is for both. My loathing for the trolley idea aside, this is completely underhanded - not only does most of the public not know that the trolleys are included in the proposal, but if it passes, it means that the extra 0.5% tax increase will have the entire county paying for a Madison-only mode of transportation.
For all of these reasons and more, this proposal should be done away with, the sooner the better.
