More Double-Standards To Defeat Rail Transit, Wreck Regional Cooperation
I have often written about the imbalances in transportation planning and implementation in our region.
Billions for highways, zip for rail, with the $6.5 billion for rebuilt highways and 120 new miles of regional lanes, $0 dollars for rail or transit upgrades or additions as exhibit #1.
Now there's more.
State Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine), signing onto legislation to allow binding referenda on rail transit systems and their funding - - but nothing equivalent on highway expansion.
His bill would give small communities the ability to block rail systems in nearby cities, and in Milwaukee, require the referendums to be county-wide, thus diminishing the voting power in the City of Milwaukee.
This anti-urban, anti-rail phobia is reminiscent of a provision added to the state budget some years ago by then Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, (R-Town of Brookfield), to ban any state spending on light rail planning, period.
So much for regional cooperation, or balanced transportation.
2 comments:
Besides. If he's so keen on binding local control - how about imposing it on highway projects? Like the I-94 expansion that the vast majority of the Milwaukee Common Council just voted to oppose.
It seems as if these irrational auto-apologist Wisconsin politicians are ripping a page from the Bush Regime's hatred of rail transport. See this from the National Corridors Initiative. The Bush regime censors a pro-rail section from the Surface Transportation Commission Report. Even a rational conservative rail supporter (Paul Weyrich), is steamed.
Post a Comment