"The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority". Quite a mouthfull, isn't it? And look, they're an "Authority" - heck, it says so, right there in the name. Ain't that nice? Here's their mission statement, right from their website:
"The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is an independent government agency created in 2002 to improve the transportation system in Williamson and Travis counties. Our mission is to implement innovative, multi-modal transportation solutions that reduce congestion and create transportation choices that enhance quality of life and economic vitality."
In other words, they've been appointed to find new and different ways to charge us taxpayers even MORE money just to get the roads we've ALREADY PAID FOR.
How? TOLL ROADS.
Now, toll roads, in and of themseleves, are not necessarily a bad thing. They can, in certain situations, provide a useful service. If a group of private investors decide to buy miles of right of way out in the sticks and spend lots of money to build a tollroad, and then charge drivers a reasonable fee to use that road, as an ALTERNATIVE to existing taxpayer funded roads and highways, that's fine.
BUT, that's not what's happening, here and now. The CTRMA has taken it upon themselves to decide that tollroads are the ONLY answer to our transportation woes - they want to make sure that ANY new highway construction in the Austin area is TOLL ROAD construction, and so far they've pretty much succeeded. They call them "expressways", note the distinction from "FREEways".
Texas 130? Toll road.
183A? Toll road.
The Mopac "extension"? Toll road.
Texas 45? Toll road.
How about the new "Manor Expressway? Toll road.
"Bergstrom Expressway"? Toll road.
"Manchaca Expressway"? Tol road.
Possible Mopac "improvements"? Toll road.
"Oak Hill Expressway"? Toll road.
Hey, don't take my word for it, here's their own map:
Yep, EVERY single area where new roads or improvements to existing roads are needed, the CTRMA has decided that it HAS to be a toll road, or it won't get built. To make things worse, they're spending money building roads that aren't even needed yet, and ignoring hotspots that have needed relief for DECADES.
Take, for example, the "Manor Expressway". Nice name, and it looks like it's going to be nice road, all the way from US 183 all the way out to Texas 130. Problem is, it's not really NEEDED yet. Sure, at some point in the future, there MIGHT be enough traffic out that way to need an expressway, but not NOW. Trust me, I have driven in that part of town just about every day, morning, noon, and evening, and there's NEVER a miles-long backup of traffic in that area that other parts of town suffer through EVERY DAMN DAY.
Same thing with Texas 130, specifically the new section that's being built along the US183 right of way from Mustang Ridge down past Lockhart - it's' impressive and all, but damn, I've driven that stretch of 183 for decades, at all times of the day, and there's just never been that much traffic on it. Certainly not anywhere NEAR enough to require a huge, massive, 100 yard-wide MAJOR expressway contruction to take place.
Now, CTRMA and some other people may say that for those areas, they're just "planning for future", and that's fine...but there are plenty of other places around Austin that need roads NOW. That have needed roads for YEARS, and still nothing has been done to rectify the situation.
Try this: Drive west on 290/71 towards Oak Hill any midafternoon. See what happens when you get just west of Mopac...a solid traffic jam due to the freeway ending right before McCarty Ln, and the idiotic traffic light there. At this point, all the traffic is squeezed down to 2 surface lanes in each direction, another light at William Cannon, and another light at at the "Y", where 290 and 71 split off and go on their merry ways.
Or, try this: Get on Mopac anywhere around the William Cannon/290/71 area on weekday morning, and head north. OK, TRY to head north - you won't get very far. It's a solid parking lot of cars as far as the eye can see. Same thing , southbound on weekday afternoons - parking lot.
Those are just 2 examples of traffic that I have lots of personal experience with - there are plenty more, at different locations all over town. WHY is CTRMA spending money to build expressways in places where they're not needed yet, and ignoring all the other places where they ARE so desperately needed? WHY does everything have to be a toll road, in their opinion? WHERE is all of our tax dollars being pissed away, and WHY is not being used to BUILD SOME ROADS THAT WE NEED?
Lincoln had it wrong. Stated properly, it is "Government of the money, by the money, for the money."
ReplyDeleteThat is why I don't vote. I can't, in good conscience, give my stamp of approval to the lesser of two evils. And there goes Mr. Toll Road on his way to Washington. Note to self: find a good saying that incorporates "The road to Washington is paved with good intentions." But I don't think Governor Goodhair has good intentions. People with good intentions can't stomach Washington. Want proof? Read this: http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2008/09/larry-platt-for-congress-not.html
That one article should be required reading for school kids.
Mind you, I'm not hijacking your blog for my own soap box. Roads and politics are intertwined like a badly designed interchange.
Good road design? We just can't get there from here.