One Southern Indiana's embrace of tolling to actualize an out-moded transportation "solution" is tantamount to killing the villagers in order to save them. The city council's shaky embrace of 1SI is an embarrassment, but at least is as yet reversible.
As a whole, Southern Indiana has the power to put the brakes on the madness. However, it will require brains and courage. Both exist here. It's going to be interesting to see if, for once, we'll use them.
BAYLOR: Whips, chains and economic development
For instance, there is the Godzillaesque boondoggle of the Bridges Project, which 1SI supports with a zeal bordering on the religious, and which will require tolls on existing bridges that plainly will discriminate against working Hoosiers while fatally impeding the flow of commerce into Indiana from Kentucky, all for the sake of a “fix” that will be outmoded long before completion.
Green, future-oriented, regional transportation alternatives, anyone? Don’t ask 1SI to espouse them. In a world of solar panels, 1SI is mining coal with pick and shovel.
20 comments:
Does anyone have statistical data showing the economic impact of people from Louisville spending their money in Southern Indiana and visa versa?
And if the information exists, can it be broken down between locally owned and operated business, and larger franchise businesses?
PA is currently trying to make I-80 a toll road...here's a good study from that effort:
http://www.clarionpa.com/noi80toll/Final%20I-80%20Tolling%20Impact%20Study1.pdf
I read a lot of things on this blog about living, buying, and working local; wouldn't the tolls help towards making people do those very things?
Sure, Jameson, it could work to that advantage. Of course, those people who have to pay tolls on the bridge driving to work to Louisville every day will have less money to spend locally. At $3 each way, my wife will spend upwards of $1500 per year in tolls. She's a teacher, I'm a bookstore manager...that's a pretty significant chunk of change for us.
It can also hurt the chances of attracting young professionals from Louisville to buy homes in New Albany...they'll already have another "tax" to deal with if they buy over here.
According to the Trib's "Snapshot", over 30,000 people from Floyd and Clark alone travel to Kentucky to work. Just about 2000 Kentuckians come to work in Floyd or Clark...you do the math as to who it will affect the most.
Yes, I understand that many people work in Louisville, but 30,000 out of 200,000 plus, general population, is small in comparison.
The market ability of housing in Southern Indiana, with tolls, will be weakened, but only temporarily. Southern Indiana has changed drastically over the past 30-40 years. Once Louisville offered many things that Southern Indiana didn't offer, but most of that has changed. Many Hoosiers still travel to Jefferson County to conduct commerce, but with tolls that may cause an unexpected consequence, and that would be Hoosiers being forced to stay in Indiana, at the expense of regionalism.
It may also lead to more people, like your wife, giving TARC a try to avoid tolls, or even riding their bikes to work, like Joshua.
Throughout history there are examples of un-intended consequences to taxing. Southern Indiana is poised to stand alone, without Louisville. Tolls may force business owners, like Roger, to devote themselves to attracting Hoosiers instead of attempting to attract customers from Louisville. It may also force Hoosier entrepreneurs to replace establishments restricted by tolls, that Louisville has, that Southern Indiana needs. And if 1SI is successful, with River Ridge, job opportunities will materialize for those young professionals. In this context, I believe tolls will be a greater lose for Louisville than Southern Indiana.
Anyhow, building the downtown bridge without any time to gage a built East End Bridge is fiscally irresponsible and the project should be scaled back only for the East End Bridge period.
It may also lead to more people, like your wife, giving TARC a try to avoid tolls...
The problem, J, is that increased TARC services including additional mass transit options that had already been given a favorable rating by the Federal Transit Authority, had already had the preliminary environmental study done, and which by the feds' own initial estimate could have received approximately 50% federal funding were cut from our regional long-range transportation plan as part of figuring out how to pay for the Bridges boondoggle. I kid you not when I say that, based on TARC's original plans, the primary north/south trunk of light rail was scheduled to have been completed by now.
When KIPDA sought public input before updating that plan, hundreds (nearly 100% of respondents) requested that the mass transit options remain and they were removed anyway. In KIPDA/Abramson/local politico speak, they met bare minimum federal guidelines for public input so, even though they did the exact opposite of what the public actually requested, the plan was publicly vetted.
Response from the people who represent and/or claim to represent local residents and businesses? Zip.
When TARC becomes a viable option, my wife wouldn't mind riding a bus at all when she doesn't have after school activities. As it is right now, TARC is not a practical option for her schedule nor is riding a bike...unless she's training for the Tour de France.
I'm curious, would you send your wife on a bicycle everyday across 2nd Street Bridge to go to work?
Let's at least be practical during this discussion. The ORBP does nothing to address mass transit...it's a car-based system that will cost people quite a bit of money. Money that could be spent at local stores, if only we lived in a county that cared about buying local.
Per "Snapshot", population between the ages of 18-64 is approx. 116,000. Assuming everyone in that age group works (which they don't), that's still more than 25% of the work force between the two counties that drive to Louisville every day. I don't consider that a small number in any comparison.
No, my wife would never ride a bike alone across the Second Street Bridge.
Tolls may be the motivation for people who commute to Louisville from Indiana to try TARC. People pay an occupation tax, some pay for parking, and now they may have to pay a toll. Just one more expense to work in Louisville.
Personally, I'll be surprised if they ever build the downtown bridge. I was surprised when I first heard about the idea. I think the ORBP is like most big government ideas. It starts out large, acquiring as much money as possible, then scaling back to something more realistic, like the East End Bridge only.
Have you ridden the bus lately, Jameson?
The TARC schedule is one of the worst I've ever seen. No stops in Indiana after 6:30 p.m. (which takes many working people out of the mix)..hourly stops in the a.m. (which pretty much takes my wife out of using it for work).
Again, if TARC becomes a practical option, then I'll be at the front of the line to use it. I hate driving. I loved public transportation when I lived in NYC, Atlanta and even south Florida. But TARC is awful. I know Josh uses it and I'm sure he'd agree that it's not a good system at all.
If our regional transportation planning had more to do with actually moving people around, this place could be much better.
I use TARC and fortunately my employer pays for it through transit benefits. However, due to the schedule I drive to a park and tarc lot in Jeffersonville, catch the bus, and walk into work. They come so few and far between after cut backs that if I don't leave at the right time, I drive over and park in a garage and pay $8.
There has been no talk or question put forth to our employer about offsetting our tolls if one is to come into place. There are rumors in the office that being a federal employee may "except" us from the toll. How this will be done. I have no clue. I do know that a very strong effort on my part will have to take place if this situation does occur.
Regular monthly Tarc passes are $40 a month and the express is $85. This is still a good hunk of money every year. I sure the prices will only increase.
I should probably take my bike to shop this weekend.
Not in New Albany Joshua, same issues everyone else has with it, but I like useing the free trolley in downtown Louisville. Took my children on it the first time a few weeks ago.
Wait, Joshua. You throw rocks at the bus...and you've taught your kids that this is ok? I'm all for expressing your feelings; but that seems a pretty destructive (not to mention childish) way to address the issue. It pretty much overshadows any good points you may have.
My comments about tolling are only a perspective I haven't seen discussed on here yet, Joshua. Is it my opinion? No, not really. My opinion is represented more by my belief that the ORBP will not happen as it stands now.
Like most people on this blog I know and agree that TARC service is lacking. I first encountered this problem attempting to go to UofL. I was excited to have a legitimate reason to ride TARC, but was dismayed to find out, at that time, TARC only ran across the bridge twice a day. It was before Indiana came up with the Meiger's to Louisville run. My excitement stemmed from my short experience in Mexico; were busses come quite frequently. I expected something similar here in New Albany, but like everyone else, I found myself disappointed. The only other time I considered riding TARC was when gas was near and over 4 dollars a gallon. It was better to ride my bike.
If you find my comments disingenuous, maybe it's the same how I see some of the contradictory things I read on here. Don't take it personal Joshua. It seems, like you, that we both would like to see better public transportation, if tolls do materialize, maybe it will persuade a few people to try. As of now there is not one reason for me or anyone in my family to ride TARC.
And Joshua, TARC cut the funding for the trolley. Local merchants in downtown Louisville came up with the money to operate the service. I thought it was a progressive idea and one that I wanted to show my support.
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