As I mentioned yesterday, $4 gas is a moment for a societal discussion, and one such discussion involves how to support public transit. Lots more comments on yesterday's post about the possibility of a tax hike in the Albuquerque metro area. Keep 'em coming (fill in the comment form below), and thanks to all who have contributed:
Mr. Richardson forced the RR on us as a part of his run for President. It could have done in a manner that the Federal Governmant would have paid a major portion of the bill. He further underestimated the cost when pushing it through. Now we are saddled with it regardless of it's economics. As a resident of Bernilillo County who lives in the East Mountains, none of the mass transit options are available to us. Let the riders pay for the services they utilize. If is as good as promised by Bill, it should be self supporting and require no tax. revenie.
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Folks, we're talking about 1/8 of 1 percent here. That's 1 cent on 8 dollars worth of purchases - or 12.5 cents on every hundred dollars spent. The transit systems in the region are being pressed to the limit and we need to expand them to cover more of the metro area. Remember that mass transit needs to remain affordable to everyone.
I know my employer, a Federal Government agency, offers us reimbursements to use mass transit as an incentive to get some of the cars of the road. And personally, I'd much rather pay a tiny bit in extra taxes than continuing to pay hand-over-fist to the fat-cat oil companies!
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The city has enough of our money.
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Expanding transit metro (Roadrunner) lines or bus lines is always good for any growing city.
It may not help me or few others but it will make all the counties closer to reach. People! don't be negative. Don't judge by present services. It is our duty to support faster mode of transit and little help in way of tax is just a start we all can help make it work.
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YES. I am very much for a multicounty transit tax. That's the only way we'll be able to expand bus service across the METRO area. Wake up people, the ABQ is a metro area and a strong transit infrastructure is vital to our growth. And yes, I do drive AND take the bus.
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The Rail Runner is an ABSOLUTE FAILURE!!! Thanks for blowing alot of money, you could of just made more efficient bus routes and schedules, alot cheaper. Maybe if they ever get it to places like Belen and Sante fe, it will be used but it was not designed for intercity commutes, who the heck works or lives right by the railroad, not many.
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i always love it when the haves in power tell the have nots that we need to pay more . if usage is up then so should be revenues , so let those that use the services pay for it . it would be one thing if the system was a good one , but the limited hours , and urban sprawl make it ineffective here . add to that , i had a room mate that rode the bus every where , he would get screwed atleast once a week every week as a bus would blow past him with out stopping in the later evening hours as the driver blew off passangers to get done and out ! the only time you see the poloticians ( who are telling us we need to pay more for this crap ) riding the bus is in comercials , and then its either a private pre selected group or surrounded by security , God forbid they ride among the poor human trash they seem to think we all are !!!!!
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Get real. Every public transit of every kind in the world is subsidized by federal, state and local taxes. Not one is supported solely by the customers. Advanced countries have long recognized the relative efficiency of mass transit, and the disadvantages of encouraging yet more single-occupant autos. In the US, and especially in NM, this has not yet been discovered.
When the Rail Runner was begun, I was skeptical that NM had enough population density to make it work. Events like the permanent end to cheap gas have proven me wrong.
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If roads are such a good idea, why can't they pay for themselves? Why must I keep subsidizing roads for the people who drive cars? I don't drive a car, using only mass transit and bike, and I am SICK of paying taxes to support the SUV, truck, and car owners driving on expensive, subsidized ROADS and bridges! Why can't these car/truck/SUV drivers pay their own way???!
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I agree with most opinions on this page. Our mass transit system is impractical, thus our dependence on individual autos. Not enough foresight went into our infrastructure, and the problem persists today. It's too late to develop the system now... and especially to want to tax the community for what will only be useful to the relevant few. Either the system pays for itself, or we cancel it altogether. No point perpetuating a financial black hole.
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I'm sorry, but I feeling like I'm reading a lot of pretty idiotic comments here. A bunch of kids running around screaming, "NO NEW TAXES! NO NEW TAXES!" Get real. It's an incredibly small tax for a truly huge benefit to our state--and a brilliant idea. Countless Albuquerque residents already working in Santa Fe will soon be able to take the train for a pittance. The money they save will be spent in Albuquerque. Taxes pay for our schools, our police, our firemen, our roads, our public services, our health...without taxes, a lot of the people complaining about taxes would have been dead today--or disabled, or poverty-stricken. The NO NEW TAXES! crowds have screamed loud enough and long enough, egged on by the GOP, that our country's infrastructure is close to failing. We pay our cops and teachers peanuts and give our children crappy textbooks. We are no longer the greatest nation in anything but ego. Come on. It's like buying a bag of CHIPS once a month.
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To the people who loudly say "Let the train riders pay for it, don't subsidize with my taxes". Well, I don't live in the East Mountains, so why should I pay for the massive costs of subsidizing I-40 through the pass? The fact is, highways and roads are among the most HEAVILY TAX SUBSIDIZED projects. Period. And not everyone uses them. THe point of cities, states, or whatever concept of community you choose, is to pool resources for the overall good. I don't drive through the pass, but my money can help for the benefit of those who do. You don't ride the train, but your money can help for the benefit of those who do. I didn't attend UNM, but my money can help for the benefit of those who do. I think you get the idea. TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDERS, PEOPLE!
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