Michele Bachmann Transportation Facts
Highway Expansion and Transit Funding:
"As your District 52 State Senator,
I will work hard to add capacity
to Minnesota highways.... This is my personal commitment to you."
"Michele believes a successful transportation policy must put an end
to the diversion of scarce funds to impractical and expensive rail
transit programs that will have no direct benefit for area residents
and will cost millions of dollars in the future for operating
subsidies. She has called for dedicating 100 percent of the sales
tax on vehicles to road construction."
-- Michele Bachmann http://www.michelebachmann.com/issues.htm
(From Bachmann's old campaign web site)
Comment: Most large, industrialized
cities have adopted a balanced approach to transportation that often includes
rail transit. The Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis has been a phenomenal success.
Ridership has far exceeded expectations. The cost of the Hiawatha LRT line
was shared by the Federal Government.
Transit Fare Legislation:
Bachmann, Nienow SF1919 (HF2057-Vandeveer) Metropolitan Council; Hiawatha
light rail transit line fare collection system installation required.
The Metropolitan Council shall by August 1, 2006, install
and operate a system for collecting fares for the Hiawatha light
rail transit line that requires all passengers to (1) pay their
fare or submit proof of prepaid fare before being allowed to board a light
rail car, or (2) pay their fare or submit proof of prepaid fare before being
allowed to enter a light rail station. A barrier-free fare collection system
that uses random on-board inspection of proof of fare payment does not satisfy
the requirements of this section.
SF626
Bachmann; Reiter; Johnson, D.J.; Jungbauer
05-1922 Topic: Transportation and Transportation Department
Short Description: Light rail transit riders valid ticket
possession requirement
01/31/2005 Introduction and first reading jp220
01/31/2005 Referred to Transportation
02/21/2005 Withdrawn and returned to author jp437
Comment: Since Bachmann
and the other bill's co-sponsors are opponents of the Hiawatha LRT and transit
funding in general, it should be assumed that these bills were attempts to
denigrate the management of the successful LRT line. In fact, few passengers
ride the Hiawatha LRT for free.
Ray Vandeveer made a video of Michele Bachmann asking passengers on the Hiawatha
LRT if they paid their fare. This video was shown to House Transportation
Finance Committee hearing on Thursday, April 14th, 2005. Michele BAchmann
and Ray Vandeveer have refused to allow the public to view this video. Reaction
to Bachmann and Vanderveer's Video:
Bachmann's
lurking in the hedges caused a moment of mirth
at the April 14, 2005 House Transportation
Finance Committee.
The Stillwater Bridge:
"When weighing transportation options, it becomes readily
apparent
that the most effective way to reduce traffic congestion, make our
roads safer, and get us home from work to spend time with our
families is by expanding and improving our metro highway system."
"Since we're talking about transportation, I can't leave out one
important local issue that I've been an advocate for -- the
Stillwater bridge project. I simply want to express to you my
dedication to keeping up the momentum we've achieved on getting a new
bridge built...."
-- Michele Bachmann http://www.michelebachmann.com/press_releases/020405transportation.htm
(From Bachmann's old campaign web site)
Comment: From
the Taxpayer's
for Common Sense web site:
Taxpayer Concerns:
A new bridge is unnecessary because an already expanded Interstate
94 (I-94) bridge crosses the St. Croix just to the south. The estimated $200
million price tag of the proposed Stillwater Bridge is excessive, especially
considering that expanding and renovating the I-94 bridge cost only $28 million.
One proposal calls for rehabilitating the existing bridge and implementing
other measures-including increased transit and better land use-to reduce traffic
in the corridor and preserve the old bridge. This plan is listed as Alternative
A in the new SEIS process, which MnDOT has proposed dropping from consideration.
Local Community Concerns:
According to a Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial, "the four-lane
span would encourage the exporting to Wisconsin of people, tax base, jobs,
and economic growth that should be kept in Minnesota." In fact, the growth
and land use plans of communities in Wisconsin are based upon the bridge being
built. Ironically, MnDOT's plans show that Highway 36 would be congested all
the way into St. Paul by 2015 because of the growth triggered by the new bridge
and accompanying highway expansions. The proposed design would also cut off
the existing business community along Minnesota Highway 36.
Environmental Concerns:
The Stillwater Bridge would harm the ecology and character of the
St. Croix River, the only Wild and Scenic River in Minnesota, and set a damaging
precedent for similar rivers nationwide. In 1997, NPS ruled against the bridge
under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, a stance it has since reversed. The
mitigation measures that have been proposed, however, are still debated and
some experts believe that the new bridge would damage the river. Construction
of the new bridge and related highway improvements would destroy five wetlands
and 130 acres of farmland, triple the amount of paved surface, and increase
the amount of polluted runoff flowing into local streams and wetlands.
Personal
Rapid Transit (PRT) :
Michele Bachmann gave an interview to
Minnesota Public Radio about PRT:
Supporters range from Minneapolis City Council member Dean Zimmerman, a Green
Party member, to Republican Sen. Michelle Bachmann of Stillwater. Bachmann
says personal rapid transit, like many political issues, creates strange bedfellows.
"People on the right, people on the left, we have the common goal of
moving people with transit, but doing it in the most cost-effective manner,
in fact, in a manner that may end up costing no government subsidy, it may
end up paying for itself," she says.
Bachmann sponsored PRT legislation in the Senate: (Bill Name: SF1574 ) "Personal rapid transit systems local bonding authority".
Comment: PRT is
an unproven, infeasible transportation concept that has a thirty
year record of failure and controversy.
This
is a resolution opposing PRT funding from Transit for Livable Communities
The Sierra Club North Star has a 2004
resolution against PRT.
The Taxi 2000 Corporation, the would-be PRT vendor that would benefit from
Bachmann's PRT bill, sued its founder and former
CEO in 2005. Taxi 2000 has not posted news on the company's web
site news page since 2004.
Michele Bachmann's partner in promoting PRT, former Minneapolis Councilman Dean Zimmermann (mentioned in the MPR article) was convicted in August, 2006 of bribery.
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More Links:
"PRT is a Joke" (click here)
The Bachmann Record (Click Here!)
Dump Michele Bachmann Blog (click here)
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