If Metro wants a Richmond rail line, it should get voter approval
Rad Sallee has written up yesterday's Metro board meeting where fans and foes of a Richmond rail line were present to give board members an earful. Sallee quotes Houston blogger Tory Gattis as saying that whatever Metro does (and he seems to lean toward the Richmond line) Metro should keep our children and grandchildren in mind. Oh, and Metro should "consider a well-funded 'Support Richmond Business' campaign."
Would a well-funded "Support Main Street Business" campaign have helped during the Danger Train line's construction? Eh, more likely it'd be pouring more (taxpayer) money down the drain.
Metro board chairman David Wolff insists that no decision has been made. Yeah, right.
Here's a press release on Metro's site that also says no decision has been made:
The two primary alignment (i.e. location) options for the University Line west of Wheeler station are 1) Richmond Avenue, and 2) U.S. 59 south to Westpark.
Advocates for Westpark say this would be the lowest cost option and least disruptive to residents and businesses because it is not as densely populated. And they're probably right. On the other hand, proponents of the Richmond option say that to attract riders and to qualify the project for several hundred million dollars in federal funding there’s no choice but Richmond. They argue that it’s precisely because Richmond connects the Greenway Plaza, the University of St. Thomas, the Menil Museum and hundreds of restaurants and small businesses that the street has become so congested and therefore in need of light rail transit. And they’re probably right, too.
Doesn't that second paragraph sound like a Chronicle editorial?
Once again, it's helpful to look back at the 2003 referendum. The language Metro included said "Westpark," which Metro now translates into "anything around Westpark." But that's not what the ballot said.
Let's also remember what former Metro Chairman Arthur Schechter said in 2003:
Voters will be able to hold Metro accountable throughout the process because they will have the opportunity to vote to continue funding based on their experience with Metro Solutions up to that point.
If Metro is going to choose Richmond, then voters should get the chance to say yay or nay, since the 2003 referendum did not specify Richmond.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/17/06 08:54 AM | Houston Transit | Print | Comments (14)
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