"Hall's speech was the first in two decades to criticize San Antonio transportation plans."
Toll road foe has her say
02/24/2006
Patrick Driscoll
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2006
Terri Hall, a stay-at-home mom with five children who works in her spare time to shoot down toll-road plans, felt like Daniel walking into the lion's den Thursday.
She stood alone in front of four members of the Texas Transportation Commission in Austin, with a few supporters in a crowd of more than 100 highway engineers, industry officials and toll-road promoters.
The commission is appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, the state's most powerful toll-road advocate. His friend Ric Williamson is the chairman.
San Antonio community leaders had just finished telling commissioners why tolls are needed to fund road projects quickly, and ended with a video saying the city has had a 50-year "love affair" with the Texas Department of Transportation.
After compliments were swapped and friendly clatter had faded, Hall quietly slipped to the lectern.
"I guess I finally get to meet Terri Hall," Williamson said.
Hall's speech was the first in two decades to criticize San Antonio transportation plans pitched to the commission. But she said her group, San Antonio Toll Party, is not the opposition since it represents a majority of people who matter — motorists and taxpayers.
A major theme in her argument was that toll roads are less about solving congestion and more about harnessing it to raise money by giving motorists a choice of either putting up with snarled traffic or paying fees to get around it.
"This isn't congestion relief," she said. "It's congestion manipulation for profit."
Her advice was to stop using existing rights of way to build toll lanes, delay all toll projects until economic impacts can be determined, do a top-to-bottom review of transportation planning in San Antonio, remake the Metropolitan Planning Organization board so that only elected officials serve, and reconsider selling tollway operations to private companies.
Williamson kept his eyes glued to Hall as she talked. When she finished, he said he appreciated her philosophical concerns and respected her facts but stopped short on her unsubstantiated allegations.
He didn't say much more because of a December lawsuit that stalled construction of U.S. 281 toll lanes in San Antonio.
"Because of litigation, you and I can't joust perhaps as much as we would both probably like to," he said.
Hall chuckled.
But Williamson said he's willing to listen, even if he doesn't agree with everything he hears.
"You're welcome here every month," he said. "Your words and your testimony is valuable to us."
Hall thanked him but said she's looking for changes.
"I have to pay for your decisions," she said. "All of Texans have to pay for the decisions you make. You all know that ultimately it's the taxpayers who are footing the bill for this."
Williamson got the last word.
"It's the same taxpayers who are footing the bill for congestion," he said. "It's the same taxpayers, or maybe it's their kids, who'll have to pay for repairing all these assets that weren't properly maintained for 50 years because no one could figure out a way to pay for them — they're the same taxpayers."
After the meeting broke up, toll proponents from San Antonio who had gathered in various clusters took swipes at information Hall presented.
"The Texas Toll Party is promoting more baloney then the Oscar Mayer meat company ever made," said Joe Krier, president of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Krier and other local leaders asked the commission for continuing help to develop 70 miles of toll roads in San Antonio. They also want the state to put up more matching funds for highway money coming from a portion of a quarter-cent sales tax increase approved in 2004.
The group also asked for help relocating through trains out of San Antonio, for funds to address traffic from an increase of 13,000 military jobs at Fort Sam Houston and to consider allocating money for mass transit in the Interstate 35 corridor.
"Thank you for how much you're doing for us," Mayor Phil Hardberger told commissioners. "We're going to need it more and more."
pdriscoll@Express-News
© 2005 Austin American-Statesman: www.statesman.com
02/24/2006
Patrick Driscoll
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2006
Terri Hall, a stay-at-home mom with five children who works in her spare time to shoot down toll-road plans, felt like Daniel walking into the lion's den Thursday.
She stood alone in front of four members of the Texas Transportation Commission in Austin, with a few supporters in a crowd of more than 100 highway engineers, industry officials and toll-road promoters.
The commission is appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, the state's most powerful toll-road advocate. His friend Ric Williamson is the chairman.
San Antonio community leaders had just finished telling commissioners why tolls are needed to fund road projects quickly, and ended with a video saying the city has had a 50-year "love affair" with the Texas Department of Transportation.
After compliments were swapped and friendly clatter had faded, Hall quietly slipped to the lectern.
"I guess I finally get to meet Terri Hall," Williamson said.
Hall's speech was the first in two decades to criticize San Antonio transportation plans pitched to the commission. But she said her group, San Antonio Toll Party, is not the opposition since it represents a majority of people who matter — motorists and taxpayers.
A major theme in her argument was that toll roads are less about solving congestion and more about harnessing it to raise money by giving motorists a choice of either putting up with snarled traffic or paying fees to get around it.
"This isn't congestion relief," she said. "It's congestion manipulation for profit."
Her advice was to stop using existing rights of way to build toll lanes, delay all toll projects until economic impacts can be determined, do a top-to-bottom review of transportation planning in San Antonio, remake the Metropolitan Planning Organization board so that only elected officials serve, and reconsider selling tollway operations to private companies.
Williamson kept his eyes glued to Hall as she talked. When she finished, he said he appreciated her philosophical concerns and respected her facts but stopped short on her unsubstantiated allegations.
He didn't say much more because of a December lawsuit that stalled construction of U.S. 281 toll lanes in San Antonio.
"Because of litigation, you and I can't joust perhaps as much as we would both probably like to," he said.
Hall chuckled.
But Williamson said he's willing to listen, even if he doesn't agree with everything he hears.
"You're welcome here every month," he said. "Your words and your testimony is valuable to us."
Hall thanked him but said she's looking for changes.
"I have to pay for your decisions," she said. "All of Texans have to pay for the decisions you make. You all know that ultimately it's the taxpayers who are footing the bill for this."
Williamson got the last word.
"It's the same taxpayers who are footing the bill for congestion," he said. "It's the same taxpayers, or maybe it's their kids, who'll have to pay for repairing all these assets that weren't properly maintained for 50 years because no one could figure out a way to pay for them — they're the same taxpayers."
After the meeting broke up, toll proponents from San Antonio who had gathered in various clusters took swipes at information Hall presented.
"The Texas Toll Party is promoting more baloney then the Oscar Mayer meat company ever made," said Joe Krier, president of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Krier and other local leaders asked the commission for continuing help to develop 70 miles of toll roads in San Antonio. They also want the state to put up more matching funds for highway money coming from a portion of a quarter-cent sales tax increase approved in 2004.
The group also asked for help relocating through trains out of San Antonio, for funds to address traffic from an increase of 13,000 military jobs at Fort Sam Houston and to consider allocating money for mass transit in the Interstate 35 corridor.
"Thank you for how much you're doing for us," Mayor Phil Hardberger told commissioners. "We're going to need it more and more."
pdriscoll@Express-News
© 2005 Austin American-Statesman:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, February 24, 2006
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