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Passenger Trains > San Antonio casts lot with gainsayers and troglodytesDate: 07/30/14 09:33 San Antonio casts lot with gainsayers and troglodytes Author: GenePoon Texas-based passenger rail consultant Garland Latham writes:
> Just in case y'all haven't heard the latest rail transit news from "The > Alamo City" [tm]: > > 1. Julian Castro, multi-term mayor of San Antonio, recently resigned his > position. Attempting to maintain his considerable political momentum, > he's moved to Washington, D.C. as Obama's new HUD Secretary. > > 2. In one of her first official acts as Interim Mayor, Ivy Taylor - > formerly of the City Council and an erstwhile streetcar supporter - > announced her intention to revoke the City's share of the funding, > redirecting the cash toward "other projects in the center city." > > 3. Nelson Wolff, current Bexar* County Judge (currently embroiled in a > difficult reelection campaign), used the City's action as his excuse to > cut ties - political and financial - with the plan. > > *Tex-Mex pronunciation: "bear." > > 4. VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio's bus agency, appears > rudderless and adrift following Monday evening's announcement. "It's an > unsure time at an unsure agency," an unnamed source was quoted as saying. > > 5. The circling vultures have morphed into strafing hawks, demanding > Tex-DOT reallocate its share of the cost for (wait for it)...additional > nontoll [sic] lanes on existing controlled-access roadways! Helping lead > the charge are Bexar County Judge candidate Carlton Soules, > semi-professional toll road opponent Terri Hall, and Texas Senator Donna > Campbell, whose middle name should be "Asphalt." > > City Hall recommends that everyone work together and, while holding > hands and singing folk songs, develop a "comprehensive transportation > plan" for the future. > > Of course, part of me would love to see them all horsewhipped. ====================================== Kumbaya, y'all! Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/14 09:34 by GenePoon. Date: 07/30/14 11:47 Re: San Antonio casts lot with gainsayers and troglodyt Author: NormSchultze The Tex-Mex pronounciation of BEXAR is "Bay-Har". Us transplants call it "Bear".
The streetcar never really had vocal advocates. And the proposed route changed --too often. And then there is the hiway issues. TexDot is a mess. And the Gov would like to toll almost everything. US 281 money for improvements 'disappeared' a few years back, so now the 'answer' is tolls. Ans TX 130 Toll is close to bankruptcy. You can bet that the politicians, H B Zackry [a road contractor] and Cintas won't let that happen. While an 85 mph speed limit is fun, the tolls are out of sight and there is little traffic. It's complicated, trust me as a long time resident. But TexDot and the entrenched pols have made San Antonio a thrid world city at best. I'll now crawl into my flame retardant fire suit. |