Peter Rogoff, the FTA administrator who once said the federal government should say “no” to cities that want federal grants to build rail lines they can’t afford to maintain, is unable to say “no” to Portland when it asked the feds to pay half the cost of a ridiculously expensive light-rail line. Moreover, Rogoff insists that local voters can’t say “no” to providing local funds that their elected representatives have committed to the project.
That’s something of a double standard. Rogoff knows full well that the federal government can still say “no” to funding its share of the project even after he has signed the “full funding grant agreement.” The law specifically states that when such agreements are funded out of “general funds” (as New Starts are), they are a “contractual obligation of the Government to pay the Federal share of the cost of the project only to the extent that amounts are appropriated for such purpose by an Act of Congress” (see p. 493). So Congress can still say “no.”
The light-rail line in question is expected to cost $1.5 billion for just 7.4 miles, making it one of the most expensive light-rail lines ever built on a per-mile basis. By comparison, Portland first light-rail line, which was ten miles longer, cost only about $200 million. The communities the new line will serve, once it leaves Portland, have voted against funding it every time it has been on the ballot.
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The county sheriff recently added fuel to the fire. In a recent message to the county commission, the sheriff said that, while he doesn’t “oppose the expansion of mass transit,” he is upset that the county would have to take $1.9 million in general funds to repay bonds sold to fund the rail line–funds that he needs to provide public safety. The sheriff knows that light rail hits his program in two ways: on one hand, the county recently cut his budget; on the other hand, light rail increases the costs of policing.
It appears likely that county voters will ignore Rogoff’s claim that they are contractually obligated to fund their share of light rail even when he is not. Regardless of the legalities, it is time to say “no” to such absurdly expensive projects.
O’Toole you won’t say no to money spent on roads!
Money needs to be spent on both roads and railroads!
O’Toole you’re a fraud!
Money spent on roads………serves a purpose.
And besides, if you didn’t have to pay such obsessive federal taxes, the money could be state and local taxes that can be used on roads and they would far more inclined to admit how useful rail is…or isn’t. You’d have a lot more money in the local treasury if you didn’t have to pay so much to the feds and evolve with an incentive to spend wisely.
Look at Sandy Gprings, Georgia. One of the few cities in the nation to outsource services to such a great extent to a private sector company. The city population of nearly 100,000 receives all it’s public services from private providers…streetscaping, paving, tree planting, park maintainence, outdoor lighting, garbage pickup, etc. And their budget is nearly half that of a neighboring city with the same population. Before paying taxes to Fulton county, since incorporating their taxes stay more in the city, they’ve paved more than 50 miles of streets. Laid nearly 10 miles of new sidewalks. Fully synchronized it’s traffic signals through a traffic management center. Where as cities and counties across the country are cutting services, raising taxes or both to desperately fund it’s struggling pension obligations or outright contemplating or gone bankrupt like cities such as Prichard, Alabama or Vallejo, California; Sandy Springs on the other hand has no long-term liabilities.
More and more private investors realizing the potential of owning roads to toll and the lack of private investment seen in the rails. Tolls or user fees are (or will be) the preeminent way of financing roads and highways. Where as transit feeds off a host consisting of taxpayers and generating some revenue from user fees (fares) and despite all it’s money, transit agencies are facing struggling deficits.
Money spent on railroads serves a purpose as well. That being to move goods and people.
I’m not against roads, though roads don’t have to make money.
light rail increases the costs of policing
You have got to be kidding, right?
You really expect us to believe that black gangbangers won’t take the dirty smelly bus, and don’t have access to cars, but that it is MAX light rail which opens up new possibilities of crime for them?
How long has this canard been passed around to inflame white racism and used to deprive the citizenry of useful rail transportation? At least 50 years.
“The survey is light on specifics”
Undoubtedly. For shame, Randall, for shame.
I’ve found this disturbing as well. Last week one of our fellow bloggers pointed out that a bike share program was used by some petty thieves, hinting that criminals using these systems was cause for alarm.
I’m guessing that if we want to keep score, the personal auto is the preferred mode of gang bangers. Having made this rather obvious observation, I wouldn’t use it to disparage the use of cars because bad people are free to use them.
And yes, there is an undertone of classism and racism to these arguments (not just for rail but all public transit). Since a higher proportion of transit users are poor and/or people of color, uppity white NIMBY’s have often used the excuse that transit will bring “those people” into their neighborhood in opposition to service expansion.
“Liberty for us, not those people.” For shame indeed.
Perhaps in other transit systems, crime isn’t a problem, because fare checks are mandatory (turnstiles, for example). But in Portland, Trimet doesn’t want to vigorously enforce fares on MAX because that will lower ridership, making the system look even more dismal than it already does. So criminals can use MAX in relative anonymity, and for free, compared to the bus system.
And anecdotally, to amplify Metrosucks’ comments, I haven’t been impressed with the transit cops I’ve seen on MAX. They seem like idiots. Under-trained and/or incompetent. On September 11 last fall, my son and I were riding the train around town, and of course, on that day, there were transit cops all over the place. My son innocently tried to make small talk with one of them about how cool trains are, or something such, and another transit cop burst in on the conversation and asked if my son had said “something in Arabic.”
Um, no, dummy, he didn’t. He speaks English and Russian, not Arabic. And he’s SEVEN years old, btw.
And yes, there is an undertone of classism and racism to these arguments (not just for rail but all public transit). Since a higher proportion of transit users are poor and/or people of color, uppity white NIMBY’s have often used the excuse that transit will bring “those people†into their neighborhood in opposition to service expansion.
This argument rings hollow in Portland, where affluent white liberals in Southwest Portland, Eastmoreland, Westmoreland and Sellwood, safely insulated from crime, can scoff at those on the fringes of the city, who HAVE seen crime imported to their neighborhood. Only a fool blinded by good intentions would say MAX ridership has not contributed to this. (‘Contribute’ being the operative word. I am not blaming MAX in and of itself. There are other factors. But having what amounts to be a free pipeline of transportation running into the city’s most deteriorated and neglected sectors is not helping matters.)
I’m also not saying you’re an ivory tower white liberal, Bennett (I don’t know you and see you seem like a decent guy), but the argument you present actually perpetuates a wrongheaded way of looking at the various problems that exist in our city. If we just keep saying “Oh, NIMBY bigots, they so dumb,” we are not addressing the problem in an honest way.
Again, I can only speak for Portland. I have no idea how this plays out in Austin.
On my way back home from a two week vacation trip, I just passed through Salt Lake City, and Boise, ID. Boise has just finished a series of projects that now give it 20 miles of smooth, concrete-surfaced 8-lane freeway (84). Salt Lake City, having modernized most of 1-15 before & after the Winter Games, is now in the middle of a 20-mile project to modernize 1-15 in the Provo area, including the addition of HOT lanes. Salt Lake City has over 50 miles of 8-lane+ freeway.
Curiously, neither metro area is as large as the Portland one, with Boise being nearly 4 times smaller. Wonder what they know, that the geniuses in PDX don’t? PS, traffic doesn’t seem to be much of a problem in either area.
Anyone reading your comment from Salt Lake would be doubled up in laughter. Obviously you passed through on a Sunday when the predominant Mormon population was in church, because any other time – especially during rush hour – you wouldn’t be saying what you are.
As for that 20 mile stretch (of l-15) in the Provo area that they’re ‘modernizing’, it’s a zoo. The worst part, there’s no alternative.
Read my lips: Salt Lake is no poster child for roads. As for the City itself, they should rename it ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll”.
Actually, on my way down to Phoenix, I passed through on a Wednesday around 2pm. And on my way back up, I went up on Memorial Day evening. I didn’t say Salt Lake is a poster child for roads, I just said they’re obviously looking ahead and increasing capacity, something Portland is NOT doing. For the record, I’ve driven through Salt Lake almost two dozen times and have never been caught in a traffic jam.
Humorously enough, I’ve also driven through LA multiple times, but have only encountered minor traffic disturbances. The difference between retarded places like Portland and other cities is that Portland has so little spare capacity in its freeway system that an accident at the right spot can throw half the city into disarray.
I should add that Portland has maybe 2 miles of 8-lane freeway and many miles of severely substandard 4-lane freeways; Seattle, around 70 miles (+/-) of 8-laner, not counting HOV lanes.
Neither Boise nor Salt Lake spent anywhere near $200 million a mile on highly useful public infrastructure. But Portland is spending that much on a toy train that will be slower than the perfectly serviceable bus routes it will displace.
It is odd how light rail in many cities makes very little effort to check if people are paying fares. Do non-paying riders get counted as riders?
Not officially. Reported numbers are based on ticket sales. But full trains may be good for the public opinion of the service. My guess is that the non-paying concerns are overstated, but I’m not sure.
Are you sure about that, bennett? Trimet touts ridership numbers, not pictures of full trains. Could there may be automated counting devices installed on the trains?
I can tell you that the federally reported ridership numbers are based on the fare box (a generic term for fare collection) for every transit system I’ve ever seen. Portland may be different. I know when I was there I was in a “free zone” and could get on and off the streetcar with no ticket, so maybe you’re right.
But many light rails have passes. Phoenix especially has a deal with Arizona State University that students and staff ride free, and the light rail connects several of their campuses. How do they count the pass riders?
Good point. No way is Trimet going to miss out on counting those trips.
Portland would have had perfectly servicable bus routes. Instead they blew 3 billion dollars over the last 25 years to build one of the most expensive and useless transportation systems. Recently receiving 85 million from the feds for it’s Portland-Milwaukie line. Norfolk, Virginia’s Tide light rail line opened to crowds and excitement in a state that has never before seen modern light rail technology in action. But the project was overbudget and subject to years of controversy. What was once supposed to be a $232 million line had ballooned in cost to $318.5 million.
Portland does not exist in a line. Portland does not exist simply within 1,000 feet of a light rail line. Yet, the rail advocates want you to believe that. Buses are the shunned mode of transport; yet buses are very effective at moving moderate amounts of people over a wide geography. Rail is the most expensive way to haul people around in Portland, and if the same objective can be done better, more cheaply and efficiently by other means, why are people still pushing rail? Pride, careers, reputation, money, who cares. When Ray La Hood surveyed Detroit’s bid for transportation money to build a streetcar, surprisingly he told them they couldn’t afford it and advised the city to go with a Bus Rapid Transit instead. It would accomplish all their goals without the heavy costs.
After that of course, their goals are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions considerably to below 1990 levels by 2050. Yeah, not gonna happen. Not a chance. Totally unrealistic, unless Portland is empty and abandoned due to self-inflicted livability problems. Which will happen of course when people realize that Portland has money for light rail and bike lanes, but not schools, police or fire fighters.
Back in October 2010, Portland played host to an event immodestly called “Rail-Volution.” Portland; widely touted as a public transport mecca and model “green” city. More than a thousand public transport enthusiasts descended to view subjects and seminars with names like “Bikeways and Green Streets,” “High-Speed-Rail and Development Paradigm Shifts,” and “Sustainable Communities for the New Economy.” Portland’s mayor presided over one of the seminars, and Earl Blumenauer, the left-wing congressman who represents Portland’s east side. Of course you would have to be deaf to ignore the protest that occurred just outside its doors as the seminars were under way. More than 200 employees of TriMet, Portland’s public transit agency, picketed the event, protesting proposed changes to their health care plan. Like many transit agencies nationwide, TriMet is in a deep financial hole. For its 2011 fiscal year, TriMet faced a $27 million deficit, and there is no relief in sight. It’s somewhat odd that Portland is considered ideal for transit development. Motorists here face none of the hellacious conditions that denizens of Los Angeles or Washington endure, and like most cities in the American West, its layout is decentralized. (the area’s big employers are actually located at highway exits outside the city limits.) Most neighborhoods have a suburban feel, with wide streets and single-family homes. And then there’s the weather. 155 days of rain a year does not persuade the walking and busing way of life. Some of us like antiques such as typewriters as opposed to computers, kerosene instead of electricity, vinyl as oppossed to MP3 but we don’t ask our government to pay for this stuff and this 21st century obsession with 19th-century technologies is just one of the straws breaking our backs and bankrupting us faster than a hangover in Vegas.
Well said lazyreader.
Recently receiving 85 million from the feds for it’s Portland-Milwaukie line.
I was under the impression that there is a lot more Federal pork to come, as well, should Portland’s delusions be gratified, and the line completed.
The time to say “no” was many years ago, but the federal government is not particularly good at saying no to anything. War in Iraq? That sounds like a good idea. Bailout of large financial firms? Let’s do that too. Spend $850 billion on a slapdash mix of “temporary” tax cuts, state government aid and local pork? Why not.
Assuming that restraint, much less reform, will come from the same group of people is an exercise in futility. Guys like Rogoff, or worse, LaHood, are insiders and have no stomach for making difficult tradeoffs or saying no to favored constituencies.