newsobserver.com projects - mass transit - Comments

Re: What North Carolina thinks: Elon

FFC1304 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:35:55 -0500

As an ELON alumnus...would you please poll people on their opinion for the Constitutional need for states rights and sovereignty from the federal government? thanks!

Re: Quick Hits

captsfufp — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:28:52 -0500

I thought Marines only did 6 months?? Not trying to start any inter-branch rivalry, but it's the Army that's been doing 15-month deployments. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Marines (lucky for them) have only been doing 6 months.

Hooah.

Re: Quick Hits

CitizenOpinionated — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:32:50 -0500

Perhaps "Scoop" is related to the mice out in San Francisco that will receive $30 million dollars in Stimulus money. I guess we see where we stand as citizens now...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/12/earmark-less-bill-gives-pelosis-mouse-cookie/

Re: Hackney: Stimulus would help N.C.

Real_Americans_Think — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:47:40 -0500

Yeah, Less Merit's shoes will be impossible to fill - it would be hard to have an auditor as corrupt or partison as Merit-Less

Re: Hackney: Stimulus would help N.C.

FFC1304 — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:34:48 -0500

oh Rob, the democrackkks are just giddy over the demise of Les Merritt...

MORE CORRUPTION WITHOUT INTERRUPTION!

Re: Hackney: Stimulus would help N.C.

robdarich — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:21:06 -0500

But what if the fed money comes with strings attached - like NC can't divert funds to silly wastes of money? That might screw-up our whole system. "We are doing our best to cope" indicates that our fine state has achieved our best performance. I might suggest that "more money" doesn't seem to be the issue, nor the answer.

On the other hand, DOT has removed all the "Exit 343 Furniture" yard signs from I-40 again - so some credit's due. Odd that nobody's noted the need for state auditors and independent oversight groups... sure could use some big-footed Les Merritt types (his shoes are going to be near impossible to fill.)

Re: Wrenn on mass transit

cianc002 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:48:14 -0500

gercohen very accurately describes the approach that the Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC)has been taking in evaluating the transit needs of the Research Triangle Region and the types of services that might be used to fulfill those needs.

What Carter Wrenn neglects to say is that the $5 billion dollar figure he throws out is an approximation of what a REGIONAL transit system might cost over the next 25-30 years, and that is assuming that the entire system is built out. This regional system would serve an area expected to have well over 2 million people. The STAC plan is to prioritize which parts of the plan should be built first in order maximize the success of each project and to get the greatest "bang for the buck".

I believe the residents of our multi-county region being studied by the STAC are wise enough to understand that to successfully compete with other regions, both nationally and globally, as we continue to grow and prosper requires that we develop a much more efficient method of moving people from one point to another. The voters of Mecklenburg County have emphatically shown that they understand the importance of transit to their future growth and, when the time comes, I believe the leaders and citizens of the Research Triangle Region will do the same.

Re: Wrenn on mass transit

gercohen — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:18:52 -0500

Carter says:
"Last Tuesday, voters across North Carolina overwhelmingly voted down a series of tax increases which promoters said would pay for schools. Maybe, before the ‘STAC’ goes too far, we ought to put raising taxes to subsidize a $5 billion mass transit boondoggle on the ballot to see how it fares."

What he totally omitted from his analysis was a referendum in Mecklenburg County last week where voters decided by a 70-30 margin to continue a special tax used JUST for mass transit. All the defeated referenda had NO legal constarints on how the money was to be used.

The voters had before them a 25 year specific plan to build a series of five specific mass transit corridor with light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit.

The Special Transit Committee did not intentionally leave out paying for the plan. It decided on a strategy to first design a system it thought would effectively serve the region's needs, then see how much it would cost.

At that point, an intelligent decision could be made on putting that plan up for a vote, paring it down, or dropping it.

Carter suggests that a plan be funded without knowing what it is. Isn't that what he told us resulted in defeat of all the other referenda?