Dougherty Arts Center
Article on CAMPO Did a Disservice to Citizens
RECEIVED Mon., April 14, 2008
Dear Editor,
Re: Katherine Gregor's April 11 "Where's the Streetcar?" [News]: She did a terrible disservice to those who spoke at the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transit Working Group on April 7 by saying "a sizable audience endured overlong citizen presentations unconnected to the critical-path work at hand.” When the CAMPO and city leaders want to follow Cap Metro and Chairman Lee Walker's race to insolvency, citizens deserve to be heard. What I heard was an innovative, homegrown idea on how to use our existing bus system to improve service, cover the entire community, cost less per rider, and pollute less within the existing revenue stream. Citizen Richard Shultz developed this idea all on his own, and it is so compelling that it deserves to be tried. See more at www.cmt4austin.org. Why go off on another Titanic voyage with another rail project before the commuter rail has a chance to prove it's a taxpayer nightmare, costing enough to buy each rider a new hybrid each year, nitrogen oxide (ozone polluting) way more per rider than single occupant vehicles, not doing one whit to reduce congestion, while causing reduced service to those who depend on public transit just to try to keep the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority afloat?
Re: Katherine Gregor's April 11 "Where's the Streetcar?" [News]: She did a terrible disservice to those who spoke at the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transit Working Group on April 7 by saying "a sizable audience endured overlong citizen presentations unconnected to the critical-path work at hand.” When the CAMPO and city leaders want to follow Cap Metro and Chairman Lee Walker's race to insolvency, citizens deserve to be heard. What I heard was an innovative, homegrown idea on how to use our existing bus system to improve service, cover the entire community, cost less per rider, and pollute less within the existing revenue stream. Citizen Richard Shultz developed this idea all on his own, and it is so compelling that it deserves to be tried. See more at www.cmt4austin.org. Why go off on another Titanic voyage with another rail project before the commuter rail has a chance to prove it's a taxpayer nightmare, costing enough to buy each rider a new hybrid each year, nitrogen oxide (ozone polluting) way more per rider than single occupant vehicles, not doing one whit to reduce congestion, while causing reduced service to those who depend on public transit just to try to keep the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority afloat?
Skip Cameron
