Posted on 01/02/2009 7:00:12 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
AUSTIN, Texas — If anyone wondered whether Texas toll road rage had subsided or lawmakers' irritation at the Texas Department of Transportation had eased, those questions got answered a few days before Christmas: Not so much.
Denouncing the massive transportation agency as dysfunctional and out of control, a group of lawmakers reviewing the department said it will be intensely debated in the legislative session that begins Jan. 13.
"This is a big agency that is a mess," said Rep. Carl Isett, a Lubbock Republican and one of the leaders of the Sunset Advisory Commission that periodically examines state agencies. He said it may take several legislative sessions to repair Texas transportation.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetrucker.com ...
ping
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
The TxDOT fixation with tollroads and selling road right-of-way to foreign investors is a reflection of our dufus Governor, Rick “good hair” Perry. Perry is only as slightly less obnoxious to conservatives/Republicans as our soon to be former incompetent and corrupt President, George the XLIII
If we didn’t redirect 1/3 of our gas tax to education we might have enough to repair our roads.
I think this toll road BS is reflective of the sell out nature of the republican party. What the Saudis pay for they get!!
Houston Red Light Camera Report Undermines TxDOT Camera Study (via FR thread from 12/31/2008)
Study finds accidents doubled at Houston, Texas red light camera intersections undermining the conclusions of a statewide report.
Accidents more than doubled at the Houston, Texas intersections where red light cameras are installed, according to a study released Monday by Rice University and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). This result posed a dilemma for TTI and the city of Houston which had requested the study.
Houston Mayor Bill White was furious when he saw the report's draft text in August. He banned the document from publication and ordered a re-writing of the text that would reflect a more positive result. To accomplish this task, White was able to turn to the study's primary author, Rice University Urban Politics Professor Robert Stein.
Stein's wife, Marty, is employed by the city of Houston as a top aide to the mayor. Stein's newly revised report now concludes that "red light cameras are mitigating a general, more severe increase in collisions."
-snip-
Excellent! TxDoT needs to be put in it’s place!
BTTT
The real news, which is several days old now, is that the study group created by the legislature last session has completed and published their report.
So the question is, will the legislature follow the recommendations in the report?
Or, will the legislature use smoke, mirrors & shell games to give Texans free roads?
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