Link to KSAT here. Click to see video on the right. Link to Express-News article here. Scroll down for article after KSAT story.

Opponents Unite To Battle Bandera Road Elevated Tollway Option
KSAT News
August 4, 2006

SAN ANTONIO — Several community organizations mounted a continuing effort Friday to put the brakes to an elevated toll-road option over Bandera Road.Members of San Antonio Toll Party and AGUA are among groups trying to convince the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to abandon the idea of possibly building an elevated tollway between Loops 410 and 1604 with no exits.”It just seems outrageous because they’re trying … (to) destroy a whole community,” said Terri Hall of San Antonio Toll Party.

Another concern for opponents is that the toll road would be built over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.”We want to make sure anything that happens minimizes negative impacts to the water quality in the recharge zone,” said Annalisa Peace of AGUA. Texas Department of Transportation officials estimate that 54,000 vehicles travel daily through Bandera Road and officials are looking for ways to relieve congestion.

Hall agrees about the traffic troubles but said that there are better alternatives, include synchronizing of traffic lights, increasing public transportation and reversing the lanes of travel during peak traffic hours.Alamo Regional Mobility Authority officials are accepting public comments on the proposal until Monday.

But Terry Brechtel of ARMA stresses that many options are being looked at before a final recommendation is made on what to do about Bandera Road, if anything.

“The alignment we’re looking at today is a corridor that has many options available to it,” she said. “There’s a lot of misinformation in the community about an elevated corridor. We’re looking at elevated, at grade. We’re looking at the possibility of a creek alignment that was also mentioned in the feasibility study.”

Toll alternatives wanted for Bandera Road
By Patrick Driscoll
Express-News Staff Writer
08/04/2006

Are there any realistic options to proposed elevated toll lanes along Bandera Road?

With a deadline looming to submit opinions to decision makers, toll critics are urging residents to demand that alternatives be considered.

Toll officials say they welcome all comments, which are due by Monday, and for now all options are on the table.

Possible solutions to deal with Bandera Road traffic were announced Friday by the San Antonio Toll Party, Aquifer Guardians in Urban Areas and the Helotes Heritage Association.

Ideas include:

Improve synchronization of signal lights.

Replace intersections and signal lights with roundabouts.

Convert road to a limited access parkway.

Reverse traffic in one or more lanes during rush hour.

Implement a rapid bus system with some of the comfort and convenience of light rail.

“These aren’t even under consideration so far as I have seen,” said Bill Barker, a transportation consultant who’s assisting the Toll Party.

Alamo Regional Mobility Authority officials said they’re listening and later this year will list options they believe the public most wants studied.

“We’re looking for sustainable long-term solutions,” spokesman Leroy Alloway said.

But other than tolling, the only funding allocated to Bandera Road over the next 25 years is $5 million for studies.

VIA Metropolitan Transit might develop rapid buses and dedicated bus lanes on half a dozen or more roads in coming years but plans don’t include Bandera Road.

Also, a state study estimates that a toll fee of 13 cents a mile, increasing with inflation, would cover less than half the $281 million to $358 million cost of building two to four elevated toll lanes on Bandera Road between loops 410 and 1604.

Other funds could come from gas taxes shifted from other projects or private firms interested in operating the toll lanes.

Comments can be submitted by fax to (210) 495-5403, e-mail to BanderaRd@AlamoRMA.org or mail to: Public Information Manager; Alamo Regional Mobility Authority; 16500 San Pedro, Suite 350; San Antonio, TX 78232.

Express-News traffic blog here. Comments on blog are interesting, some even supportive. Link below is same article, without the comments.

Express-News ARTICLE here.

Get the Toll Party analysis of the meeting here.

Leon Valley neighbors rap tolls along Bandera Road
By Patrick Driscoll
Express-News Staff Writer
07/29/2006

Officials eyeing toll lanes along Bandera Road could be hitting a roadblock in Leon Valley, after a public meeting in which almost all speakers expressed their opposition.

The Thursday meeting at Marshall High School to kick off an environmental assessment for the toll lanes drew about 450 people, the most yet for a local toll meeting.

Of the more than two-dozen speakers, all but one was against elevated toll lanes over Bandera Road between loops 410 and 1604.

Former Leon Valley Councilman Darby Riley — whose wife, Chris, is mayor — said it’s obvious people are “pretty unanimous” against the toll lanes and suggested organizing with neighborhoods along Bandera Road to the north of the city.

“We would be interested in working with neighborhood associations, North Side chamber or whoever else can organize along this corridor,” he said.

Speakers asked the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, which is studying the proposed toll lanes, for alternatives such as better traffic light coordination, reversible lanes, rapid bus transit and a parkway design with added lanes and better pedestrian and bicycle amenities.

They also voiced concerns that competing free roads would be neglected as a way to drive traffic to toll lanes. And they said tolls are a big-business scheme to make money rather than solve traffic congestion.

A businessman and pastor said he is grieved by what he sees as a stark divide between powers pushing tolls and taxpayers who’ll foot the bill.

“Something’s really wrong here,” he said.

Speakers also complained that the mobility authority was not up front enough about tolls being the only funding option on the table and accused the agency of conducting the first half of the meeting as a workshop so some of the crowd would be chased away before the comment period.

Mobility Authority Director Terry Brechtel, a veteran of many years of high-dollar projects and political winds whipping through San Antonio’s City Council chambers, was unflappable and acknowledged a daunting task ahead.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said. “It’s not surprising at all.”

Brechtel, a former city manager, said she was heartened by comments from the workshop because participants said something has to be done about growing congestion.

Options to deal or not deal with traffic loads that could double in 25 years will be laid out to the public — and so will ways to pay for them, Brechtel said.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RMA’s meeting “tactics” don’t fool the public San Antonio, TX, July 27, 2006 – In a massive show of opposition to toll roads, more than 400 concerned citizens filled the auditorium at Marshall High School in Leon Valley. It was the first public meeting hosted by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (ARMA) and the first meeting for the Bandera Road Toll project. The ARMA called their “work group” public meeting format “new,” but it’s really an old tactic to try to bore or anesthetize the public on an issue about which the public is clearly hostile.“They expect hundreds of people to sit through hours of presentations and ‘work sessions’ before they ever to have the opportunity to actually get their comments on the record. It’s offensive and an insult to people’s time. They love to claim paying tolls will save you time, well, why don’t they save us time and just give us the mic,” says Terri Hall, Regional Director of San Antonio Toll Party.com.

After starting the meeting late and after a lengthy opening presentation, the moderator then had attendees break-up into work sessions to discuss ideas, alternatives, etc. for another 20 minutes. Then the public had to endure RJ Rivera and Associates “sharing” a summary of attendees’ thoughts rather than actually letting the public tell it themselves. By the time the public comment portion commenced, a full two hours had passed! A good half of the crowd of concerned citizens left midway through the meeting disgusted at the lack of consideration for folks’ time…but not before hundreds signed our petition to stop the toll roads, to make donations, and to sign-up to volunteer.

“This dog & pony show approach was designed to fatigue the public into submission, numbing the people with a 30 minute presentation and then work groups in order to peel them off in frustration. By the time the public comment portion came, it was a half-empty room! When you strip all the double talk out, it’s a hocus pocus show to cram something down the public’s throat without their consent,” notes Hall.

However, it back-fired. Many folks complained of the format, including State Representative David Leibowitz, and one called it a “sham” when they finally got their turn at the microphone.

“The public could see precisely what the RMA was trying to do, and that was to divide and conquer the opposition. They knew the turn out would be enormous and their mission was to break people up, wear folks down, and waste their time,” relates Hall. “When public comments come last, it was obvious to everyone what was happening. And, of course, they knew the media wouldn’t stick around to report on the litany of opposition.”

Once the public finally got to speak, there were still a good 200 people left in the room and many mentioned the need to vote out ALL politicians who support tolls or who voted to toll our roads, particularly Governor Perry. Some spoke to how there’s an awakening among the grassroots–that it’s time to take our government back. Several fantastic solutions were proposed including loud applause for and frequent reference to improved, expanded public transit options. There was actually a good portion of the audience that supported doing nothing. One hundred percent of the public comments were opposed to the tolls with the exception of Vic Boyer of the San Antonio Mobility Coalition (a lobby group on behalf of the highway special interests) who is ardently in favor of tolls.

The meeting finally ended at 10 PM!

This is a complete departure from the glory days of the Texas Department of Transportation. “They have descended into a process devoid of accountability to the public, using secret deals for the benefit of multi-national special interests, and for all intents and purposes are selling off Texas to the highest bidder, which is a far cry from providing safe, reliable, affordable transportation for all Texans,” observes a disappointed Hall.

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That’s what Chairman of the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (ARMA) Bill Thornton thinks of citizen input on how government uses OUR tax dollars. He considers heeding the will of the voters and allowing the taxpayers a say in how their hard-earned money is spent “mob rule” stopping progress. It’s hardly progress to levy a toll tax on freeways and rights of way we’ve already built and paid for! Last I checked, our Republic was founded on the principles of representative government of the people, by the people, for the people. We have EVERY right and, in fact, it’s our duty to redress our government for grievances! Thornton’s total contempt for the public and for citizen input that’s contrary to his opinions give plenty of reason to call for his resignation from the Board. That’s why an unelected tolling authority board is not only unwise, it threatens our democratic form of government.

Also of note, the RMA is flat BROKE! Their assets equal $113,670 and their liabilities are also $113,670. They’ve blown through at least $10 million in YOUR tax money, mostly loans they have no way of repaying except by tolls, in two short years. The RMA hasn’t built a single project in that time and has spent nearly all of its money on bureaucracy and trying to sell the public something they clearly don’t want: tolls. So now their sole source of funding is TxDOT, who they claim to be “independent” from.

JoAnn Walsh, former Executive Director of the MPO, was in attendance at the RMA Board Meeting July 12 in her new role with Parsons-Brinkerhoff, a highway engineering firm now most known for its association with the failures of the tunnels on Boston’s Big Dig that cost a woman her life this week. Walsh went right from her role in allocating tax dollars to toll roads to a lucrative private sector job that will profit from her government connections and from toll roads (read about it here).

Other companies wishing to feed at the public trough who were in attendance at yesterday’s meeting include:
Carter Burgess
Popular Sceurities
Morgan Stanley
FIGG

Commissioner Tommy Adkisson’s appointee to the Board, Mr. Jess Jenkins, tried to speak out and asked if the Board would take into consideration the opposition to tolling Bandera Rd that’s been expressed in Leon Valley. Thornton and Brechtel’s answers were bureaucratic gobbley-gook saying that a “no-build” option is always on the table. Thornton tried to bring up that if the people try to reject an elevated tollway that they’d then have to pay for 17 overpasses to keep the project on the ground. What boloney! No one is asking for that, Bandera Rd. is perfectly suited for a parkway type of design with a possible bus rapid transit down the middle. What we hear residents saying is they don’t want their city street turned into a highway, period. Synchronize lights, perhaps streamline the traffic flow, especially during rush hour, but highway…NO! Other options are considered “impossible” or laughable by the RMA which is what the Board did when they contemplated 17 overpasses on Bandera….laughed. So much for respect of fellow Board members and their wishes to heed the will of area residents and businesses. So those are the ultimate “options” in a world according to the RMA and its partner, TxDOT. It’s do it their way, or “no build.”

The standing room only group of concerned citizens who turned out for Thursday night’s Leon Valley City Council meeting were shocked at the effort by their Council to stonewall any resolution against tolling Bandera Road. Both Councilman Art Reyna (see history here and here) and Mayor Chris Riley (read history here) were stunned at the Council’s refusal to represent the universal opposition of the residents of Leon Valley and pass a resolution against tolls on Bandera Road. After it was clear no strongly worded resolution was going to get support from the majority, Councilman Reyna withdrew his resolution to prevent it from being watered down and pointless, but promised to introduce it again. Clearly the highway lobby, TxDOT and/or the RMA had “gotten to” the other members of the City Council prior to this meeting. They even parroted TxDOT’s talking points saying “that even if they did pass a reoslution, it’s not binding on TxDOT who can toll it anyway, so what’s the point?”

The citizens of the community have told the Council, TxDOT, and the RMA LOUD & CLEAR what the point is…to tell TxDOT to BACK OFF and cancel this nightmare project that will destroy the tax base, businesses, and property values of Leon Valley! This is yet another glaring example of how there is a vast and growing chasm between the elites who run our government and the PEOPLE who pay their salaries! The citizens are fed-up and are ready for a taxpayer revolt that hasn’t been seen since the Boston Tea Party!

More information coming soon…