Karen Huber for County Commissioner

Getting This County Moving Again
...in the Right Direction!

Have you been stuck in heavy traffic, lately -- or been creeping along for a half an hour, breathing someone else's exhaust? Are you wondering how much longer it will take you, next year, to get to work or school or the grocery store?

Is that YELLOW AIR out there on the horizon? Is that really the horizon?

Must we wait until our commute times double and our air is as bad that of Los Angeles (before they woke up and started fixing it)?

NO! We're smarter than that! And WEIRDER than that! We're known for facing up to unique challenges and we can take on this one.

The GREAT City of Austin -- really the GREAT CENTRAL TEXAS AREA - if we are to remain great, needs a comprehensive and integrated regional transportation system. This includes not only roads, but other means of transportation including a variety of rail, rapid bus, HOV lanes, etc. All truly great cities have viable mass transit at the very core of their success. If we want to continue to be great and if we want to continue to grow, while protecting and maintaining the essence of the Texas Hill Country experience, we must begin to plan and implement for the future.

Our recent poll shows that the majority of the residents in Precinct 3 support rail. This mindset is a huge step forward. Recognizing the need for change is a truly important aspect of problem solving. AND this doesn't mean we have to give up our cars. It means that in pursuing regional transit solutions we could have options if we want to reduce our costs (vehicle purchase and maintenance costs, insurance, time, etc.) and reduced stress. Even though current gas prices are down from their highs, we do have a national dependency on oil that absolutely must change!

So how do we get there from here? I would propose several steps - each of which must include stakeholder input:

STEP ONE: Activate short-term solutions for traffic congestion & traffic safety. Depending on the routes and locations, we must consider options such as:

· Carpooling
· HOV lanes
· A variety of bus options
· Staggered work hours/work at home options
· Park and ride
· Limiting ingress/egress points
· More stringent emission requirements
· Lowering speed limits
· Increased bus routes
· Got some other ideas? - We need to work together on this!

STEP TWO: Initiate a policy of planning long-term for our regional transit solutions. We cannot just build one rail line (light or heavy) and expect it to succeed on its own. Success depends on CONNECT-ability! We must work hard to create a regional transportation plan, so that once we get on a train or an express bus, we will be able to make convenient connections that will get us to where we want to end up. So, this plan must include:

· Evaluation, targeting and oversight to factor in the current and future locations of our jobs, schools, home, businesses. Ideally we don't want to travel far from our homes to our workplace but, if it is necessary, we need to be able to predict and connect in order to make it happen!
· Environmentally sensitive considerations to help guide growth in the way that will work best with our needs and our natural assets. We must continually remember that what gives Central Texas much of its great appeal as a place to live, work and play is its natural beauty. Can you imagine not being able to float down Barton Creek or water ski on Lake Travis or sit beside one of our crystal clear streams or enjoy the wildflowers? These natural assets are our heritage and they must be preserved through planning that allows us to continue to enjoy them while protecting them from harmful change.

STEP THREE: Financing our transit solutions. Tolls, tolls, tolls! Can we do without them? I think so. But we are in a dark hole! How do we get out of our financing crisis? Actually, I feel that there are many available options to consider and which might be linked together to avoid toll roads. These considerations should include:

· Reclaiming much of the gas tax that is currently being diverted for other uses
· Indexing the gas tax.
· Initiating aggressive efforts to reclaim Federal highway dollars that are taxed in Texas but not returned to Texas.
· Utilizing bond financing.
· Making real estate development pay its fair share of its impacts on our roads and highways.
· Investigating other financing options such as:

o Public private financing of certain road projects
o Local option regional gas tax
o New ideas! Hey, we can use some creativity here!

· Lowering the front-end expense for some road improvements by determining ways to reduce the number of vehicles that already depend on them.

STEP FOUR: Execute a collaborative plan. Currently there are many, many different entities doing their own thing - and in some cases, working together for transit solutions. However, it will take real leadership to get everyone to work together to achieve the desired results. The ONLY way a comprehensive regional transportation system is going to happen is with effective collaboration that includes both private and public sector leadership and input from stakeholders.

YES! Together we can tackle this problem and solve it. Will the template be the same for every area of our wonderful Greater Central Texas? NO. Can we come up with what meets our different neighborhoods and regional needs? YES! Because we're smart and because we're weird and because we want to continue to live in a great environment, we're going to find a way to reconcile our need to grow with our desire to live where the quality of our lives is protected by our foresight and our actions.

Let's work together on this with a "WE CAN" attitude!

Precinct 3 is the largest geographic precinct (48%) in Travis County with perhaps some of the most challenging transit issues. It is important for the commissioner of this precinct to take a strong lead in addressing both Precinct 3 and regional solutions.

I want to provide that leadership and that's why I ask for your VOTE on November 4th!