Taxpayers have paid for the “mostly advisory” CEO of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to travel to more than ten countries and seventeen American cities in the last eighteen months. John Inglish was UTA’s general manager until two years ago, when he was replaced and kicked upstairs to a newly created position “as severance.”
“Nice severance,” comments a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that UTA is paying Inglish $364,400 a year (compared with $319,360 for his replacement general manager, Michael Allegra) even though Inglish has no day-to-day responsibilities for the agency. Allegra himself travels a lot, taking 1.4 trips per month, but not as much as Inglish, who averages 1.6 trips a month.
These two are not the only UTA officials who travel a lot at taxpayers’ expense. The entire UTA board traveled to Portland to see its transit operations. The board chair has been to Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and numerous American cities.
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The newspaper points out that the state department of transportation spends less than half as much on employee travel each year as UTA. Someone who is on the boards of directors of both argues that this makes sense, because the Department of Transportation’s job is to maintain roads while UTA “is trying to change the culture here from ‘cars-first’ to convince people to use mass transit. Most of the places that have a lot of experience with that are in Europe or the East Coast of the United States, so that’s where they travel.”
Actually, no one has any experience with that because no developed country has managed to reverse the erosion of transit’s share of travel. So, if you want to see someplace that has succeeded in ending the “cars-first” mentality, you might as well stay home and live in your fantasies.
The Antiplanner has previously noted that general managers of rail transit agencies are grossly overpaid. But it turns out that the real scam is to be a retired general manager.
Actually, no one has any experience with that because no developed country has managed to reverse the erosion of transit’s share of travel
I’ll say it clearly. Randal hits it right on the head. The only successful way to send people back to a “car-free existence”, ignoring, for the moment, the sheer lunacy of the position, is to emulate some of the less-developed societies of yesteryear, namely the communist dictatorships of the Soviet Bloc. Those societies were largely car-free, except for the exalted Great Deciders of Government (of course).
So it should surprise no one that current smart growth dogma seems to emit a faintly dictatorial odor to the nuanced observer. The merchants of hate in the smart growth program regularly spew genocidal-quality screeds against the much-hated automobile. Little wonder that the society which would be free of this “evil” specter would be a poor, egalitarian (of course), and despotically controlled country.
Though metrosucks, you want to dictate people’s lives as well.
Just as you some how think that suburban trains are anti-suburban, when clearly they are not.
Hey Highwayman,
How much are you getting paid by the transit money bags to post your drivel?
Thanks
JK
What are you smoking Karlock?
You think I’m like O’Toole living out in the woods getting $50k+ a year from the Koch brothers sitting on my ass whacking off all day?
I do use to public transit to get to/from work, though my work place is not related in any way to public transit.
“I do use to public transit to get to/from work…”
That’a revelation. Can’t believe anyone would hire such a libelous moron. I figured you were the one sitting on his ass whacking off all day.
Now please shut the %u©k up.
Frank speweth:
That’a revelation. Can’t believe anyone would hire such a libelous moron. I figured you were the one sitting on his ass whacking off all day.
My, my, Frank, you sure are rude and crude today. I thought you regularly brainfarted, but I see your mind is much dirtier than that.
For the record, the highwayman saves his bile and “slander” just for the like of you, that snot-nosed punk Metrosucks and a few select others.
Unlike some of the regular bile that shows up from your and your fellow twits’ environs, I seriously doubt the highwayman sees much in his work (whatever that may be) that warrants the same level of vitriol that you and your “fellow travelers” attract.
Just responding in kind, msetty, using the very same words highwayman used, in fact. (Here’s the highwayman’s original prhrasing: “getting $50k+ a year from the Koch brothers sitting on my ass whacking off all day”.) I make reasoned contributions here. Highwayman is a troll-slash-chatbot who spews the same inanities and profanities day after day.
Note: I have NEVER called you any names. Not sure why you feel the need when interacting with me to unleash unprovoked strings of name calling, ad hominem attacks, and appeals to ridicule. I don’t reply in anger here; you apparently have underling anger issues.
If all you have are attacks, both of you now please shut the %u©k up.
Frank:
I make reasoned contributions here.
That’s a good one. I’d say you’re logic-challenged.
Highwayman is a troll-slash-chatbot who spews the same inanities and profanities day after day.
Then there’s this drivel from Karlock, who apparently doesn’t understand why anyone would disagree with him despite his reams of (usually out of context) statistics (almost as bad as Cox in this department):
Hey Highwayman,
How much are you getting paid by the transit money bags to post your drivel?
No, he varies his schtick somewhat, sometimes getting a bit profane at times…I do understand his frustrations.
Gee, we WISH! The only one paid here for his advocacy work is Randal, though not specifically to put out this blog, at least I don’t think so.
BTW, Frank, Highwayman was referring to The Antiplanner NOT you. Looks like a bit of rather typical right-wing paranoid projection to me.
Of course Highwayman is wrong that CATO, Randal’s main source of $$, is currently getting money from the Koch brothers, given their current hostile takeover attempt of that “scholarly” institution.
Of course, on transportation the Koch brothers generally agree with CATO and Randal and buy the best “research” supporting their agenda that money can buy but would never pass peer review nor a disemboweling by critics such as myself.
Perhaps you didn’t read this line, msetty, so it bears repeating: If all you have are attacks, both of you now please shut the %u©k up.
I’m tired of your mischaracterizations (I’m not “right-wing”) and your attacks. I’m tired of YEARS of the highwayman persona saying the same stuff over and over and over. Fact is you and Dan and highwayman have stifled the discussion here with your repeated personal attacks, appeals to ridicule, and in the highwayman’s case, non-sequiturs and libelous accusations against The Antiplanner, whom I respect.
Criticism is great. All you offer are profanity-laced, emotion-based attacks.
/ignore
Roads don’t exist on a profit or loss basis.
So you have absolutely nothing to complain about!
“Roads don’t exist on a profit or loss basis.”
Argumentum ad nauseam or argument from repetition or argumentum ad infinitum is an argument made repeatedly (possibly by different people) until nobody cares to discuss it any more. This may sometimes, but not always, be a form of proof by assertion.
Many roads exist on a profit or loss basis. They often show up as losses on city governments‘ profit/loss statements.
Some roads won’t be constructed unless the proposal passes a “financial feasibility study” to determine whether or not it will “profitable for a private company to operate”.
There are even road corporations that operate on a profit and loss basis.
Roads around the world, including roads in China, exist on a profit and loss basis:
You can now stop repeating this assertion over and over and over. Saying it a million times won’t make it so.
You NEVER link to any evidence (we still remember your failed attempts to use HTML tags) and you repeat the same gibberish day in and out.
It is time to STEP AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD highwayman.
Frank; Many roads exist on a profit or loss basis. They often show up as losses on city governments‘ profit/loss statements.
THWM: Then you site revenues from property taxes? :S
Come on Frank take a good look at the road in front of your home, it’s not a business.
A ghost town would be a place where roads are abandoned, though that’s an extreme situation.
“The only successful way to send people back to a “car-free existenceâ€, ignoring, for the moment, the sheer lunacy of the position, is to emulate some of the less-developed societies of yesteryear, namely the communist dictatorships of the Soviet Bloc. Those societies were largely car-free, except for the exalted Great Deciders of Government (of course).”
And yet – in many parts of modern Europe, there is much less emphasis on the car, and these places are still very wealthy. Groningen has a bicycle mode share north of 50%. Amsterdam is 30% car, 30% bus, 30% bicycle. (Although every account has different numbers, depending on how you count these things).
Perhaps if, instead of pandering to car owners, local government in the USA tried to figure out how to make the alternatives attractive, perhaps the transport systems would be better balanced and just work better?
As for compulsion, do you really think that the car is the best form of transport? Or just the only one with CURRENTLY the fewest question marks (like, the cost of cars which guts the national economy – congestion – noise – pollution)? If something better came along, all of the car drivers would be down the dealership for the new thing, trying to see how much trade-in they can get. The stampede being led by those who swore blind that they could not exist without a car.
Amsterdam and Groningen are densely populated, dead flat and have good biking weather nearly year round. As does Ahaus in Germany where some of my family live. So what. Reasoning from outlying or irrelevant data points is foolish.
Europe also has an incredible road net carefully planned for automotive traffic.
Local government in the USA ought not try to figure out how to make the alternatives to cars attractive.
Local government ought to figure out what people want, judged exclusively by how much they will actually pay for it, then provide it. I am sick to bloody death of local government, indeed all governments, telling me what I ought to want. And kindly do not trot out any AGW or similar fairy tales to give your arguments faux moral superiority.
We have congestion, noise and pollution to some extent because of the intentional degradation of the road network by car haters.
“Local government ought to figure out what people want, judged exclusively by how much they will actually pay for it, then provide it… We have congestion, noise and pollution to some extent because of the intentional degradation of the road network by car haters.”
Easier said than done. One issue is that car lovers and “car haters” are not mutually exclusive groups. In my professional experience some of the most vehement opposition to congestion mitigation roadway improvements have been from people in single family neighborhoods that drive everywhere.
The fact is typical subdivision development creates congestion burdens on arterial roads and highways. One way to help mitigate this congestion is to improve roadway connectivity on minor roads. Neighborhood oppose this every time because locals don’t want people driving or parking on “their” street.
In a sense, everybody hates congestion but everybody hates congestion mitigation or alternatives (see: connectivity improvements, capacity increases, transit, etc).
“Amsterdam and Groningen are densely populated, dead flat and have good biking weather nearly year round. As does Ahaus in Germany where some of my family live. So what. Reasoning from outlying or irrelevant data points is foolish.”
Amsterdam has the same weather as the UK. Yet in the UK, very few people cycle. The UK is also densely populated. As for dead flat or not, we can assist bicycles up hills. Then, everything would be downhill, which is better than flat. Still, very little cycling in the UK.
So that’s what.
“Local government ought to figure out what people want, judged exclusively by how much they will actually pay for it, then provide it. ”
People can tell you which of the current options they prefer, but they cannot tell you about an option which hasn’t been offered to them yet. So your approach is a dead end.
As Francis King points out, that’s what.
I’m in Canada right now and people are walking and biking evvvvvvvvvvvry-where. Everywhere. The Metro in Montreal directs bikes to certain cars. Much more biking than in the states, even Boulder. People are walking all over the place here, and cars accomodate all of it.
That’s what.
DS
I wonder if the Portland fold admitted how much light rail has cost Portland Schools, police, fire departments & social services by taking property tax money from them & giving it to the light rail mafia?
Thanks
JK
Light rail has much lower operating costs than buses in high traffic areas. So in reality light rail has produced more revenue for schools, police and fire departments.
As much as you want Karlock, you get can’t get some thing for nothing or keep cheating others with out things eventually breaking.
The Antiplanner has previously noted that general managers of rail transit agencies are grossly overpaid. But it turns out that the real scam is to be a retired general manager.
Wonder how much more a transit agency general manager gets when it starts up one or more rail lines? I assert that rail brings a large increase in pay for transit agency general managers and their top deputies.
The “Car Free Future” folks remind me of the “voluntary human extinction” movement. Two Words: “You first!”
“I just wonder what it would be like to be reincarnated in an animal whose species had been so reduced in numbers than it was in danger of extinction. What would be its feelings toward the human species whose population explosion had denied it somewhere to exist…. I must confess that I am tempted to ask for reincarnation as a particularly deadly virus.” Prince Phillip
I acknowledge that you want to drive and that’s fine.
Though why won’t you acknowledge that there are people that don’t want to drive?
I like the idea of “local” governments putting alternatives forward giving it a sense of attractiveness. Local governments are petitioned most often. Our local politicians, our mayors, our councilman, etc are the ones that may be our neighbors, friends, family…..They’re the ones who may understand. Don’t ask state or federal government for shit. They’re not only incompetent, they don’t really know or care about you personally.
Governance in the private sector is corrupt too!