A. "Miles Less Traveled", p. 10 of: http://www.danenet.org/bcp/bta/spokenword_1199.pdf or see: Plan to Reduce Auto Usage: http://www.danenet.org/bcp/vmr.pdf
On bikies Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:02:07 -0800, "Michael D. Barrett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > A: Decent Transit. > > So tomorrow night, I suspect the Barrymore will be packed for the > screening of "Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price." > > At about the same time tomorrow night, the best antidote to sprawl & > sprawlmarts is on the chopping block at the Common Council. That > would be urban density-supporting transit. Not entertaining enough. We would have to find a way to spice it up somehow and charge admission. I don't think the mayor would go for it. This coincidence is > fairly reminiscent of all the passive tut-tutting I heard during the > last Presidential campaign as the mass of good people flocked to see > Fahrenheit 9/11 while actually doing little or nothing to build a > progressive movement to get us decent political leadership (and no, > Clinton/Gore/Kerry DLC types don't cut it) at all levels of > government. > > Forgive the scolding, but I couldn't help it. The situation is only > getting worse. The dire numbers on Madison Metro's "shortfall" keep > coming in for revisions, um, upward. Nobody in any position--elected, > appointed, bureaucratic, in or out of the system--seems to be able to > get a handle on where the numbers are coming from or going to. I've > given up. Good idea. You lose your sanity otherwise. > > Fuel prices are the simplistic answer as to Metro's predicament. But > I've stopped believing it, and here's why: Asphalt prices have risen > some six-fold over the past decade, yet roadwidening is continuing > apace. That's why the highway plan for the state is under funded now, and why the recently completed 4-lane Highway 12 to Sauk City ended up costing twice as much as was proposed in the initial plan and EIS. They built it anyway. > Metro, facing fuel prices only half that rate in the same > period of time, is facing massive service cuts. Metro is not funded by the gasoline tax, that's why. People keep driving more and more miles every year, so there is more money for building roads. People don't add up the costs of gasoline over the year like they do property tax payments. So what does this > imbalance have to do with Sprawlmart? People need positive incentives (or much higher gasoline prices) to encourage them not to drive so far to get the savings that the big shopping malls provide (due to their large size and economies of scale). They might also take the bus once in awhile as long as the price of riding the bus wasn't too high. As one major commercial > developer at a recent Urban Design Commission informed us, as long as > Madison continues to build roads big, wide and for speed, he has no > choice but to build in the manner of the ugly Sprawlmart big box, set > behind a sea of asphalt. Why is that? Just because the road is big he has to build a big mall? That doesn't make much sense to me. Big roads and sprawlmarts exist > symbiotically. No. They exist because of economies of scale. The larger the store, the more products can be sold at lower prices than in smaller stores that do smaller volumes. The stores get so large that only the big corporations can afford to build and operate them. Forget about mom and pop operations, they've mostly gone for the most part. The big subsidies for the roads (eg. Verona Rd. depressed 8-lane freeway) add to the inequities of the whole situation. Shoppers feel they have no choice but to go to the big box stores with the lowest prices. Meanwhile, the distances created by such development > patterns stretch Madison Metro's ability to deliver service beyond > the breaking point. You got that right. > > If the current imbalanced budget is passed as presented by the mayor, > Madison Metro will face unprecedented cuts. The list of cut services > I sent last week won't even begin to cover it. Right, that's why it's important not to start cutting. Things will go down fast. > > If you ride the bus, or value clean air or safe streets, or access to > jobs for all or all of the above, you need to communicate to the > Madison Common Council and the mayor. NOW. Right. They are going in the wrong direction by continuing to expand parking and road capacity. Madison is past its limit of motor vehicle traffic congestion. Safety, air quality and public budgets are being sacrificed for catering to auto dependency. It's a now win situation. That cycle needs to be broken NOW, before things really get costly, unhealthy and intolerable. It doesn't have to get that way. > > If the council only sees the faces they saw last week testifying > against slashing Metro, you can expect massive service cuts. So > please consider showing up late for the movie and actively defending > your community. All true and I agree with the rest (below), too. Mike N. > > Here's the low-down: > > What: Budget Hearings and Madison Metro service cuts > Who: You & the Madison Common Council > How: Testify brothers & sisters, testify!!! (Even if you can't stay > to testify, please at least register.) > When: Tuesday, 15 November: 6:30 PM > Where: Common Council Chambers, Rm 201, City County Building, 210 ML > King Jr. Blvd. > Why: See talking points below. > > Below are some talking points. Feel free to use these, elaborate on > them or create your own. Consider also emailing your testimony to > your alder (http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/council/index.html ) and the > mayor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). > > Mike Barrett > 2137 Sommers Ave. > Madison, WI 53704 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > (608)245-1059 > > P.s. Many thanks to those of you who did show up, or emailed or > called your alders! > > **************************************************************** > Madison Metro is an important part of Madison's health, economic > strength and cultural vibrancy: > > 1. Madison Metro is business-friendly. A recent Manpower Survey finds > 40% of U.S. employees are reconsidering their job options due to > rising fuel costs. Employers with poor transit service are now losing > employees to jobs closer to home or near transit. Madison > Metro has benefited from this trend, as have employers located near > transit. Now that they are sold on Metro, don't cut it! Let's > keep rolling! (More on transit and business growth here: > http://www.vtpi.org/smith.htm ) > > 2. Help the taxpayer by increasing ridership. Service cuts decrease > ridership. Lower ridership will require further fare increases, > result in even fewer riders, further taxpayer subsidy and more > service cuts. This death spiral must be stopped! (Detailed > information on transit service levels and ridership here: > http://www.vtpi.org/tranelas.pdf ) > > 3. Keep our air clean and climate cool. Cutting bus service will add > to Madison's already > significant air quality problems. Cutting bus service conflicts with > Madison's Climate Protection Plan and the Climate Protection > Agreement the mayor signed with great fanfare along with 181 other > mayors around the country. Our mayor also campaigned to improve mass > transit in the city. On May 18, 2005 he said, "Increasingly, cities > are providing the answers to some of America's toughest problems. So > it's fitting that we're leading the way on global warming as well." > Reducing transit service is reducing a basic--and very green--urban > function. > > 4. Reduce congestion. Decreased bus service will mean more traffic > congestion. More bus service means more convenience and less hassle > for everyone--including car drivers. > > 5. Safer Streets. Decreased bus service will shift more people into > cars. Increased car traffic will lead to higher safety risks for > pedestrians, particularly children and the elderly. > > 6. It's only fair. When the mayor pushed for higher fares, he > promised to maintain service levels. Transit advocates on the TPC > swallowed the bitter pill of higher fares. Now it is time for the > city to live up to its promise of no more service cuts. > *It's only fair that we pay for Metro service--a basic urban > amenity--since we also pay for > street maintenance, operations, and construction. > *It is only fair to pay for transit service levels that at > least keep pace with the pace of this rapidly expanding city. > *It's only fair to give people transportation choices. > *It's only fair to provide opportunity through mobility to > the poor, elderly, disabled, > children, or people who are just plain frugal. > > 7. Opportunity not crisis. High fuel prices are an opportunity not a > crisis. Transit is more attractive than ever. With better transit > service more families will be able to live comfortably with only one > or perhaps no cars. Family finances will be stronger and other items > will be more affordable, including housing, food and clothing. Seize > the opportunity! > > 8. Less stress on social services. Transit is the mode of first > resort for first time job seekers and people struggling to pull > themselves up. Transit helps people on low incomes become > financially stable more quickly. With quality transit available, they > will likely need fewer social services. > Mike Neuman http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ConserveNOW/ "It is never pointless to think about alternatives that may at the moment seem improbable, impossible, or simply fantastic." -- Václav Havel _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
