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Someone is trying to figure out their new phone/app. Lame how a paid app advertises itself by default.

 

Don't you know Blackberries are so last decade? RIM is now looking for a buyer.

 

Do you feel a little cooler now?

I read thru the questions contained in the survey and they steer the respondent toward roads, of course. Intercity passenger trains, that anathema, are nowhere to be found.

At least there were a few questions about public transportation.

I read thru the questions contained in the survey and they steer the respondent toward roads, of course. Intercity passenger trains, that anathema, are nowhere to be found.

 

Yeah I think it's laughable, but no different than any other survey that means to reaffirm already-held beliefs.

I read thru the questions contained in the survey and they steer the respondent toward roads, of course. Intercity passenger trains, that anathema, are nowhere to be found.

 

Yeah I think it's laughable, but no different than any other survey that means to reaffirm already-held beliefs.

 

There are some questions regarding improved transit, including light rail, but given the propensity of the Kasich Administration to shoot down anything but roads, I have to conclude that this survey is just window dressing for more of the same old-same old. Besides, any non-highway funding would have to come from general revenues and that's highly unlikely with the legislature populated with tight-fisted Grover Norquist wannabe's. I'm afraid the only thing that would change this dynamic would be either a civil rights/ADA lawsuit or a cataclysmic energy crisis.

It's possible that a political shift could help with this.  Likely?  No, but we have yet to see just how negative Romney's coattail effect might be.  He is not a strong candidate and the right may be more screwed than they think. 

It's possible that a political shift could help with this.  Likely?  No, but we have yet to see just how negative Romney's coattail effect might be.  He is not a strong candidate and the right may be more screwed than they think. 

 

Possibly, state level Democrats could pick up some seats in the legislature. Whether that's enough to create a Dem majority remains to be seen. In the meantime we have a state Senate that is gerrymandered to the point of having a permanent Repub majority and a vehemently anti-rail governor for at least the next two years. Not a pretty picture.

The most telling comment comes from ODOT's Jim Riley..... a comment that pretty much states that ODOT is hardly about "transportation":

 

“We’ve got a lot of other stuff to do,” Riley said. “We’re in the business of roads and bridges.”

 

Highway repair to go private?

ODOT looks to save on I-270, I-71

The Daily Briefing

By  Robert Vitale

The Columbus Dispatch Sunday June 3, 2012 11:03 AM

 

State transportation officials are considering paying private contractors to plow snow, fill potholes and take over maintenance of I-270 in central Ohio and a 100-mile stretch of I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati.

 

The plans are part of a stepped-up effort to cut costs and produce new income that could shorten threatened delays for dozens of highway projects statewide. The Ohio Department of Transportation says it needs $1.6 billion to keep its construction schedule on track, and it has an additional $10 billion in work being planned with no current way to pay for its completion.

 

“We cannot wait for Washington to send more money,” Director Jerry Wray said last week in an address to department employees, contractors, legislators and local officials. “We have to focus on what we control and what we can change now in Ohio.”

Read more at: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/03/highway-repair-to-go-private.html

It's possible that a political shift could help with this.  Likely?  No, but we have yet to see just how negative Romney's coattail effect might be.  He is not a strong candidate and the right may be more screwed than they think. 

 

Possibly, state level Democrats could pick up some seats in the legislature. Whether that's enough to create a Dem majority remains to be seen. In the meantime we have a state Senate that is gerrymandered to the point of having a permanent Repub majority and a vehemently anti-rail governor for at least the next two years. Not a pretty picture.

 

All very much true.  As such I believe the way forward is to make inroads on their side, appealing to their more practical sensibilities.  I don't think the wider ideological battle is winnable at this point.  But a large portion of the Republican base needs rail transit, and I think they can be persuaded on a project-by-project basis.     

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

It's possible that a political shift could help with this.  Likely?  No, but we have yet to see just how negative Romney's coattail effect might be.  He is not a strong candidate and the right may be more screwed than they think. 

 

Possibly, state level Democrats could pick up some seats in the legislature. Whether that's enough to create a Dem majority remains to be seen. In the meantime we have a state Senate that is gerrymandered to the point of having a permanent Repub majority and a vehemently anti-rail governor for at least the next two years. Not a pretty picture.

 

All very much true.  As such I believe the way forward is to make inroads on their side, appealing to their more practical sensibilities.  I don't think the wider ideological battle is winnable at this point.  But a large portion of the Republican base needs rail transit, and I think they can be persuaded on a project-by-project basis.     

 

I think maybe if we have a new governor who does not have an anti-rail phobia we might indeed make some inroads, but not until then. Right now Kasich rules the Republican roost and few legislators would be willing to buck him on issue of better public transportation, especially intercity rail passenger service.

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

If a highway does not get mowed on time, it won't make much difference.  On the other hand, if streets don't get plowed it could mean death or injury.  I would like to see the argument for of privatizing plowing and repairs.  It should not be done on a whim.

I think maybe if we have a new governor who does not have an anti-rail phobia we might indeed make some inroads, but not until then. Right now Kasich rules the Republican roost and few legislators would be willing to buck him on issue of better public transportation, especially intercity rail passenger service.

 

A new governor certainly would help.  In the meantime, Kasich isn't that popular among statehouse Republicans.  Many resent his overt takeover of the state party and differ with him on this policy or that.  Given how old their base is, a Republican split on rail is possible.  Rail presents certain advantages specific to older people.  But they'll never bite if it's framed as old-vs-young, cool-vs-stodgy, us-vs-them.

Looks like folks wanted to keep discussing 3C, so I moved the conversation to:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18328.0.html

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 2 weeks later...

Mowing is bid out by ODOT to private contractors currently.

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

 

WRONG! 

 

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

8:15: head to the truck, load up tools, 8:30 leave garage to work site

8:50: unload tools, assess situation.

9:00 start work

10:15 coffee break

10:45 resume work

12:00 lunch break

12:30 resume work

2:45 stop work, start packing up tools

3:00 head back to garage

3:15 stop at convenience store for drinks/snacks

3:30 arrive at garage, unload tools

4:00 punch out. 

 

Often times the private contractors will pay higher hourly wage than what the ODOT worker gets, but much more is delivered in quantity of work.  Private worker drives his own vehicle to the jobsite usually, starts working at 7am he goes home at the end of the day.  The incentive is to work, make money, and keep working.  There is no incentive at ODOT because they all have a job for life and they know it, so the only incentive is to barely do enough to not get caught sleeping on the job.

I'm no big fan of ODOT from a policy standpoint.  They are pretty much nothing more than a glorified Department of Roads.

 

But you're assessment of an ODOT worker's day is unfair, innaccurate and paints with a very broad brush.  Having worked within a branch of ODOT and worked along side many of the folks who work in the field and on road crews, I can tell you that not only are they a hard-working bunch who often put in long hours to do things like road maintanence and snow plowing, but they are accountable for their hours as well.

 

The snarky comment above is much the same kind of baseless trash-talk that we heard from many Ohio legislators about cops and firefighters when they passed Senate Bill 5.  This forum should be above that.

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

8:15: head to the truck, load up tools, 8:30 leave garage to work site

8:50: unload tools, assess situation.

9:00 start work

10:15 coffee break

10:45 resume work

12:00 lunch break

12:30 resume work

2:45 stop work, start packing up tools

3:00 head back to garage

3:15 stop at convenience store for drinks/snacks

3:30 arrive at garage, unload tools

4:00 punch out. 

 

Sounds like a lot of private sector workplaces I know. Working someone like a dog every second they are at work is a good way to get them to quit. Then you've got nobody to do the job and it doesn't get done. I can tell you have little management experience.

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

 

WRONG! 

 

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

8:15: head to the truck, load up tools, 8:30 leave garage to work site

8:50: unload tools, assess situation.

9:00 start work

10:15 coffee break

10:45 resume work

12:00 lunch break

12:30 resume work

2:45 stop work, start packing up tools

3:00 head back to garage

3:15 stop at convenience store for drinks/snacks

3:30 arrive at garage, unload tools

4:00 punch out. 

 

Often times the private contractors will pay higher hourly wage than what the ODOT worker gets, but much more is delivered in quantity of work.  Private worker drives his own vehicle to the jobsite usually, starts working at 7am he goes home at the end of the day.  The incentive is to work, make money, and keep working.  There is no incentive at ODOT because they all have a job for life and they know it, so the only incentive is to barely do enough to not get caught sleeping on the job.

 

Sounds like many city workers. Except missing the "pull over and take hour long nap in truck"

 

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

 

WRONG! 

 

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

8:15: head to the truck, load up tools, 8:30 leave garage to work site

8:50: unload tools, assess situation.

9:00 start work

10:15 coffee break

10:45 resume work

12:00 lunch break

12:30 resume work

2:45 stop work, start packing up tools

3:00 head back to garage

3:15 stop at convenience store for drinks/snacks

3:30 arrive at garage, unload tools

4:00 punch out. 

 

Often times the private contractors will pay higher hourly wage than what the ODOT worker gets, but much more is delivered in quantity of work.  Private worker drives his own vehicle to the jobsite usually, starts working at 7am he goes home at the end of the day.  The incentive is to work, make money, and keep working.  There is no incentive at ODOT because they all have a job for life and they know it, so the only incentive is to barely do enough to not get caught sleeping on the job.

 

You know, I really get tired of attacks on people who aren't here to defend themselves. As Noozer says, all you do is make a broad-brush attack on people who are mostly, good, hard working folks trying to make a living. Take it somewhere else. :x

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

 

WRONG! 

 

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

8:15: head to the truck, load up tools, 8:30 leave garage to work site

8:50: unload tools, assess situation.

9:00 start work

10:15 coffee break

10:45 resume work

12:00 lunch break

12:30 resume work

2:45 stop work, start packing up tools

3:00 head back to garage

3:15 stop at convenience store for drinks/snacks

3:30 arrive at garage, unload tools

4:00 punch out. 

 

Often times the private contractors will pay higher hourly wage than what the ODOT worker gets, but much more is delivered in quantity of work.  Private worker drives his own vehicle to the jobsite usually, starts working at 7am he goes home at the end of the day.  The incentive is to work, make money, and keep working.  There is no incentive at ODOT because they all have a job for life and they know it, so the only incentive is to barely do enough to not get caught sleeping on the job.

 

Oh, screw off already. I know quite a few great folks who work for ODOT and other transportation departments in many states, and they are fine, upstanding citizens with varying backgrounds. Some are GIS planners, engineers, consultants, editors, and artists, while thousands of others work in the asphalt and concrete industry, construction and many other fields that you can't even begin to fathom. Until you walk a day in their shoes, as either a planner, engineer - or someone working the shift grading a roadway on a project, then you can't even begin to picture their "typical day."

 

It'd be best if you'd not contribute to these subjects, as you've not had a useful comment or input on anything related to ODOT. You are doing nothing more than trash talking some great people. You may disagree with ODOT politically or personally, but refrain from stereotyping people who work there. Or folks who freelance for various agencies (such as myself). Thanks.

Just ignore the remarks if you are so easily offended.  I was answering the question above about cost savings by using ODOT workers vs private contractors & how the savings is generated.  And there is substantial savings by privatizing these services.  That's why ODOT subcontracts mowing already and looking at doing more.  It's almost always cheaper to bid these services out than to perform internally.  You don't like my analysis, fine.  Come to your own conclusions about why the savings exist, the result is the same.

 

By the way, I've done all the things you've mentioned, planning, designing, estimating, managing jobs as well as working in the field running grading/paving/pipeline crews on an ODOT crew & working along side them as a private contractor.  We can chat more offline

Just ignore the remarks if you are so easily offended.  I was answering the question above about cost savings by using ODOT workers vs private contractors & how the savings is generated.  And there is substantial savings by privatizing these services.  That's why ODOT subcontracts mowing already and looking at doing more.  It's almost always cheaper to bid these services out than to perform internally.  You don't like my analysis, fine.  Come to your own conclusions about why the savings exist, the result is the same.

 

By the way, I've done all the things you've mentioned, planning, designing, estimating, managing jobs as well as working in the field running grading/paving/pipeline crews on an ODOT crew & working along side them as a private contractor.  We can chat more offline

 

You may or may not have a point about any costs savings of privatization vs. government employment, but you COULD have presented your argument without the snarky remarks. These are real people we are talking about here and you should respect them. You'd want the same treatment for yourself if the the shoe was on the other foot. Drop the rhetoric and make your case in a logical, factual way.

People on here constantly bash people who are the opposite political party, or people who live in suburbs. Gottaplan makes a little scenario and all of the sudden everyone becomes sensitive? The people I have examples of are also real people and should be respected the same way you demand.

"Makes a little scenario" sounds like a specific case. What gottaplan said was not specific but highly generalized to the point of stereotyping hundreds/thousands of people he's never met.

As people have done on this website every single day...

Just ignore the remarks if you are so easily offended.  I was answering the question above about cost savings by using ODOT workers vs private contractors & how the savings is generated.  ...

No, you were making up stuff and putting it on the internet. 

If I wanted to hear that trash, I would listen to WKBN.

You all have had your say. Let's play nice in the sandbox. Now back to ODOT public policy issues.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Highway maintenance like snow plowing & pot hole patching & such should absolutely be privatized.  They already went this route with mowing.

What efficiencies are gained by privatizing?  A private company will need to turn a profit rather than break even.  I find it hard to believe that a private company can get asphalt patch or fuel for mowers cheaper than the state.  So where are the savings?  From workers only being seasonal?  I expect that it means minimum-wage, no-benefit, temporary workers, right?

 

WRONG! 

 

ODOT worker typical day (PM me to find out how I know)

7:30: punch in, sit around & drink coffee & read the paper till 8:15.

***

4:00 punch out. 

 

Often times the private contractors will pay higher hourly wage than what the ODOT worker gets, but much more is delivered in quantity of work.  Private worker drives his own vehicle to the jobsite usually, starts working at 7am he goes home at the end of the day.  The incentive is to work, make money, and keep working.  There is no incentive at ODOT because they all have a job for life and they know it, so the only incentive is to barely do enough to not get caught sleeping on the job.

 

If this is how ODOT is run, then we need to get on our Governor and legislators to improve their oversight.  Throwing up our hands and paying someone with a profit motive to do it would be more expensive than doing it right in the first place.  But I understand your point, and if current the system is too corrupt to do it right in the first place (consistently throughout the state) then we will probably be better off in the short term by having our friends in the for-profit sector take over for a while.  We still need better oversight, however.  See Jimmy Dimora and company for what will happen if no one is paying attention.

 

Are these stories related? Why yes, of course they are! Fewer motorists means fewer gas tax revenues for states like Ohio whose Constitution prohibits it from spending state gas taxes on anything other than motorists. Ohio's transportation funding isn't multimodal like our population. While 9 percent of Ohio households are without cars, only 1 percent of ODOT funding goes to transit, trains and bikes.....

 

 

ODOT urges regional agencies to spend carryover funds for projects

By Robert Vitale

The Columbus Dispatch Monday June 18, 2012 5:17 AM

 

Regional planning agencies carrying millions of dollars on their books from year to year are being told by the Ohio Department of Transportation to start spending.

 

Ohio has too many aging and congested highways to hold back money that’s supposed to go toward fixing them, state transportation Director Jerry Wray said.

 

“We’re asking all our partners to step up,” Wray said. “We’re encouraging them to be more productive.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/18/odot-urges-regional-agencies-to-spend-carryover-funds.html

 

_____________

 

 

Young motorists driving far less than even 10 years ago

By Zach Bowman

Posted Jun 17th 2012 1:03PM

 

A new study by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group indicates Americans are driving less than they were a few years ago. That drop is largely thanks to young people. Those between the ages of 16 and 34 drove 23 percent fewer miles in 2009 than they did in 2001. While it's tempting to attribute the decline to the recession, the study suggests the decline may continue even after the economy picks up pace. Factors like steeper fuel prices, more readily available public transportation and a shift in priorities are likely to continue to allow young drivers to cut down on their time behind the wheel.

 

The study cites one poll that found a full 45 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 have moved to replace driving with other modes of transportation. By comparison, only 32 percent of older drivers have done the same.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/17/young-motorists-driving-far-less-than-even-10-years-ago/

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Have regional planning agencies historically been part of the road funding scheme?  Is this something that Kasich is trying to get them to start doing for the first time, or is this something that they used to do and then stopped, and he's asking them to restart?

 

For that matter, are regional planning agencies standardized, recognized, regulated entities under Ohio law?  I always thought that it was something of a generic term and that each regional planning agency could be very different than its cousins in terms of its revenue stream, its mission, its organization, its legal authority, and so forth.

Regional planning agencies have been part of the federal road-funding scheme since the Nixon administration. In Ohio, they've collaborated with ODOT ever since. But beyond that, their resources and expertise have never been appreciated by the state -- which is weird in the current administration, which talks so much about regional cooperation and shared services, when agencies like MORPC in central Ohio have been making that case for decades.

 

ODOT is scraping the bottom of the barrel for more road dollars. They've run out of options. Pay close attention to the article concerning changing driving habits. This will accelerate the move to more public transportation. People are already driving less, causing a downward revenue scenario for the road gang. They'll have to adapt or start to die. Can't say I feel too sorry for them.

Regional planning agencies, or more accurately, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, are much older than that. They were created by Congress under JFK and are a federal requirement for all metropolitan statistical areas to ensure that federal funding for road projects (and since then other new federal transportation and air quality programs) are conducted in a coordinated manner while meeting local needs.

 

Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_planning_organization

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

I found another source that said the 1962 Federal-Aid Highway Act required a "continuing, comprehensive and cooperative" planning process for a regional transportation plan, but it wasn't until the 1973 Act (signed by Nixon on Aug. 13, 1973 -- 360 days before he announced his resignation) that the feds required an MPO for all metros over 50,000 people.

That's interesting.  I knew of MORPC, of course, but which one is Akron in, for example?  Or Cleveland and Cincinnati, for that matter?  I've lived in Akron for 2.5 years now and in Canton for 2 years before that, and if there's any MORPC-like organization here, I've never even heard of them.

I assume Cincinnati's would be OKI. 

That's interesting.  I knew of MORPC, of course, but which one is Akron in, for example?  Or Cleveland and Cincinnati, for that matter?  I've lived in Akron for 2.5 years now and in Canton for 2 years before that, and if there's any MORPC-like organization here, I've never even heard of them.

 

Akron's is AMATS. All Aboard Ohio's (then Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers) former president Howard Harding was a planner there.

There also is an Ohio Association of Regional Councils. I'm glad you've heard of MORPC -- it is probably the largest and most active of Ohio's MPOs, with a hand in a range of activities in order to promote regionalism. For example, my title is Agriculture Specialist, with a focus on land-use, farmland preservation and promoting local food systems. Transportation, of course, figures in all of these things.

  • 5 weeks later...

REMINDER:

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has begun the process of updating Ohio's long-range transportation plan, Access Ohio. The new plan, with a horizon year of 2040, will include a comprehensive inventory, forecast, and analysis of the trends and issues affecting transportation throughout Ohio. This plan will set the stage for ODOT transportation policies and investment strategies for the coming years. Access Ohio 2040 will be completed in 2013. The previous long range plan was completed in 2004.  As part of the public outreach program, you have an opportunity to complete a survey.  This is your chance to be heard about improving public transportation including intercity passenger and high-speed rail.

 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/SPR/StatewidePlanning/access.ohio/Pages/default.aspx

 

The survey is a little biased in the way they ask questions, but there are plenty of questions that include answers about improving public transportation and rail passenger service.  There are some open ended questions that permit you to make comments.  Use this opportunity to communicate clearly (and like Chicago elections, often) to let ODOT know what you think.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Well atleast you can skip the questions that are completely highway related.

Why? The highway system affects the rail/transit/pedestrian/bike/VMT-absorbing-land-use-patterns/telecommuting world too.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Why? The highway system affects the rail/transit/pedestrian/bike/VMT-absorbing-land-use-patterns/telecommuting world too.

 

I answered most questions but there were a few I didn't feel like answering. I cant remember the exact ones. I think it was something about adding more lanes or something.

^ Agreed, they gave some pretty bad choices which were exhaustive, so I skipped a couple questions.

Episode #7: Politicization of Transportation

POSTED BY TRAVIS ESTELL ― JULY 20, 2012

 

On the seventh episode of The UrbanCincy Podcast, Angie Schmitt of Rust Wire and StreetsBlog joins the UrbanCincy team to discuss what happens when transportation investments become highly politicized. We discuss Representative Steve Chabot’s attempt to block federal funding for light rail and “fixed guideway” projects in Cincinnati; Governor John Kasich’s rejection of federal funding for the 3C Corridor high-speed rail project; and Hamilton County’s efforts to block sewer upgrades contemporaneous with the Cincinnati Streetcar project.

 

We also discuss the discrepancy in transportation funding between rural and urban areas. While new rural highway interchanges are funded throughout Ohio, urban highway projects such as I-75 through Cincinnati and the Brent Spence Bridge project are delayed for a lack of funding.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.urbancincy.com/2012/07/episode-7-politicization-of-transportation/

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

I answered all the questions.  The survey was focused on highways, but even the highway questions were good ones...if you think of it as choosing btw tradeoffs.

 

The bias I have is toward maintaining the existing system, while a lot the questions seemed to be pitched toward expansions.  Since this is a declining state, it seems like 'expansion' is probably not what we want....more like keeping what we have or even shrinking the system in some fashion.

 

 

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