Washington County Watchdog: Linda Stanton

Friday, March 10, 2017

Why One Body (MNDOT) to Run State Transportation Planning Would be Best for MN Taxpayers

Washington County resident Linda Stanton's testimony in support of HF2000/ SF1822. Photos from Washington County Watchdog and not part of the original testimony.

As a taxpayer and citizen I am writing to say how frustrated I am to see unrealistic policies and plans carried out using our hard-earned dollars by the MET Council (MC). For instance, the Gateway Corridor/Gold Line, a planned EBRT (Exclusive guide way Bus Rapid Transit) to extend into Oakdale and Woodbury, where there is little or no regular bus service at present. To go from nothing to “light rail on wheels” based on overblown growth projections is mis-guided at best. We already have a very successful Express Bus during rush hour, as well as, Metro Mobility and Transit Link.

The County takes our tax money and hires a lobbyist ($150,000 contract) to lobby the Legislature to push this taxpayer boondoggle. Our group is just VOTERS with no money to donate to campaigns, but enough to print fliers and time to come to the Legislature and try to make our case.

Gateway Corridor vs Metro Transit:

How State's $9 million Route Upgrade

Could Replace the Gateway Corridor

When a person tries to talk to the County or City officials about wasting our dollars on a $420 Million dollar project one gets lost in a maze of money pots – Federal, County, Railroad etc. etc. That’s when I start to pull my hair because it’s ALL OUR tax money. I don’t care what POT it comes from! Transit could be improved at much less cost by using existing roadways and a little creativity.

Not only that, the county officials and planners use our tax dollars to have expensive, up-to-date websites, videos, take trips around the country to see other transit lines, or check in with their transit partners in DC.

And all the while, we hear about bridges in dis-repair, highways with too many fatalities that have not been repaired in a timely fashion. To top it off, the County Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) and MC had the nerve to tell the Legislature: the STATE will PAY for 50% of operating costs for the life of all transit lines, if CTIB disbands.

I am all in favor of having ONE body in control of the purse strings: the elected officials in our Legislature. It should be the elected Reps and Senators telling the Met Council and CTIB what we can afford, not the other way around. The transfer of transportation planning from the MET Council to MN DOT by HF2000 would help taxpayers gain control over government spending.

Linda Stanton, Chair - Citizens for Smart Transit

related articles:

GOP Senate Passes $5.8 Billion Transportation Bill with $180 Million to Met Council & Mass Transit a Huge Raise

Vice Chair Rep. Petersburg Promises No Transit Bills in 2017 House Transportation Omnibus Bill

$1.6 BILLION 2017 Bonding Bill. Legislators Say They Refuse to Cut Any Pork.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Gateway Corridor Citizen Advisory Committee Chair Speaks Up on the Fundamental Flaws of the Project

Authored by Linda Stanton:

I have been a member of the Citizen Advisory committee for the Gateway for over 1 ½ years now and am the current Vice Chair, so I've been to all the hearings and meetings; heard the plans and the positives and negatives of the corridor.

The Gateway Corridor project only favors select groups of workers: county government, planners, consultants and construction workers and only addresses the needs of possibly 2% of the travelers in this area whereas 98% drive cars.

We already have a very successful Express Bus service in Woodbury that is well used. The Gateway Corridor duplicates the Express Bus services at a very high cost of $450 Million and that does not include the future cost of maintenance, repair and replacement.

The Express bus could be supplemented by the extension of selected bus routes or a circulator at much less cost.

The Gateway does not address the improvement of roads and bridges.

It will take 30 minutes to get from Manning Avenue to Union Depot – which is not a competitive time compared to auto travel even in traffic.

Other challenges:

· Studies show that about half of the people who do not have cars, don’t ride transit, but drive a borrowed car, car pool, walk or bike to where they need to go.
· Research shows that people are more upwardly mobile when they drive a car. A fixed guide way bus along Hudson road will not benefit a resident who needs to get to a job in a timely fashion that is not directly along the corridor. It will keep people “transit dependent” who could improve their economic status better by driving a vehicle, thus giving them the ability to travel to higher paying jobs. (Transit Link and other services can help those who are unable to drive).
· Much of the development, if any, that happens will either be already planned or subsidized by the government.
· The tax dollars spent on the Bus Rapid Transit will not be available for other programs and will add to our overspending problem.
· What about the traffic slowdowns that will be an everyday occurrence due to not being able to make a left turn in front of the bus or out of a driveway?

AS you can see, I favor the addition of lanes for cars and the select extension of regular route buses over the excessive spending of the Gateway Corridor. I hope the Legislature will reconsider it's support of this wasteful spending project.