You stated in your presentation at the Whittier Transportation and Land Use Committee that PRT would cost the taxpayer nothing. There would be no need for a government subsidy. In fact, the presentation materials you used from Taxi 2000, the corporation developing PRT stated that there would be a profit.
I never did get a good explanation of how the city would profit or how the Taxi 2000 corporation knows this since no PRT's are operating in the nation at this time. You didn't even provide any projected costs to build and operate this in Minneapolis. You did state that it would cost $24M to build a test track with cars that would travel about 6 blocks or so. When I pressed you about who would pay the $24M for the test site, you said corporations would pay for it. What corporations? Have any signed up? I am wondering how ethical it would have been for our Governor to run around the state pushing LRT using materials and sales data from Bombardier, the company that makes the LRT trains we are using? Is it ethical for a council member to use Taxi 2000 sales materials and data to attempt to sell the community on this concept? Is there an independent source that can provide the financial information on PRT regarding cost to build and on-going operating costs that does not have a financial stake in the outcome? Right now it feels like we are being asked to buy snake oil. I am not against the concept. I just want the facts. It's pretty hard to buy into this project when the only numbers we are getting are ethereal at best and coming from the very corporation that stands to profit from building it. Barb Lickness Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
