CTC: HCTRA land development bad; METRO land development good
The CTC's Robin Holzer, one of METRO's biggest light rail cheerleaders, recently sent out a Grand Parkway action alert:
When you pay tolls on the busy Westpark and Sam Houston toll roads, do you ever think about what your tolls should pay for? For several years now, Harris County has "pooled" toll dollars from busy toll roads to fund other important transportation projects, like the Hardy extension from 610 to Downtown.
But this Tuesday, our toll dollars may start funding land development, at least if the County moves forward on Grand Parkway segment E without a traffic and revenue study. Read on for details...
Robin Holzer, Chair
Gasp!
Of course, METRO has been unabashedly working on land development for years, but we can't recall a CTC alert about that -- which is especially odd since METRO has the power to condemn privately-owned property within a 1,500 foot radius of any transit station.
Now, longtime readers know that I am no fan of the Grand Parkway because I think it's unnecessary, and it's being pushed by developers. However, one would hope the head of the "Citizens' Transportation Coalition" would show some consistency by demanding accountability (or transparency, or slowness of action, or whatever) from ALL local transportation agencies, not just the evil toll road-building one.
END NOTE: Here's Holzer on METRORail via the Chronicle:
Robin Holzer, chairwoman of Houston’s Citizens’ Transportation Coalition, told the Chronicle, “There’s a lot in this agreement to show that Metro has been listening to the community and trying to accommodate our concerns. The transportation infrastructure we build has a dramatic effect on the quality of life in our neighborhoods and people have a right to be involved.”
Here's Holzer on HCTRA via the Chronicle:
“Harris County has a responsibility to every toll road user in our region to slow down and do this right,” said Holzer, whose mobility advocacy group argues that Segment E will do little to address pressing traffic concerns while helping developers get rich building sprawling subdivisions on the Katy Prairie.
By the way, here's just one example of how METRO's been listening to the community and accommodating concerns.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/10/09 07:06 PM | Print |
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