The effort to make toll road authorities more accountable
Kristen Mack highlights the Citizens Transportation Coalition's efforts to make toll road authorities more accountable to local citizenry:
The coalition wants road-building entities, such as the Harris County Toll Road Authority, to seek approval of their projects from affected residents or municipalities and hold at least three public meetings — day, evening and weekend.
Those changes aren't likely to happen soon, lawmakers say, so the group is taking what it can get.
Rep. Martha Wong, R-Houston, has passed a bill requiring longer public notice about upcoming hearings. Toll road hearings are conducted as part of regular Harris County Commissioners Court meetings, which are held downtown every other Tuesday morning.
This has been a bone of contention with Grand Parkway opponents in Spring. It is not easy to communicate with Harris County commissioners or HCTRA officials, and having to head downtown on a weekday morning is out of the question for most folks. I suggested that if HCTRA was really interested in hearing public input -- as it likes to say it is-- it should hold regular, evening meetings in Spring, right where state Sen. Jon Lindsay wants the Grand Parkway built.
Of course, it doesn't take much to guess that HCTRA is fighting any proposed changes to how it conducts business. Saying you are open to public input and actually being forced to be open to public input are two entirely different things.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/16/05 05:12 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Sphere | Comments (4)
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