Dear Friends,

And now . . .
some not so random thoughts on
TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY
What is the Price of Inaction?

Recently I filed HB 9, and Senator John Carona filed its companion bill, SB 855.  Each of these is known as the Texas Local Option Transportation Act.  Response to these bills has been mixed.  Some are gleeful, and others - well, not so much.  To the latter I say that it is easy to be critical of an idea.  It is much more difficult to devise reasonable solutions to real problems.

Many local leaders have worked countless hours for at least six years trying to come up with a way to address our regional transportation needs in North Texas.  HB 9 and SB 855 are the result of those leaders' efforts.

Please let me explain why I think this legislation is necessary.  

We are facing very real transportation problems in North Texas.  Our roadways are choking from traffic congestion and our residents are choking on auto emissions.  Our population is rapidly increasing, and we must act to improve our circumstances.  To ignore our problem would be irresponsible.

First and foremost, these bills are about letting voters decide whether to increase funding for specific transportation infrastructure projects in North Texas.  It is understated to say that I don't like taxes or fees either.  But this legislation will let voters decide if they want to agree to build a specific project.  And if they approve the project, the voters will decide whether or not we need to pay for the specific project with various fees by voting for or against them in an election.

Texas' population is growing faster than any other state.  In 1980, Texas had about 14 million people.  Today, 29 years later, there are 24 million people.  And by 2040 (in about 30 years), the state's population is expected to exceed 50 million.

The D/FW Metroplex is growing more rapidly than any other region in the United States.  It is already the fourth-largest urban region in the nation; its population is projected to increase by about one million people every seven years; and D/FW has the twelfth-largest regional economy in the world.

The pace and scale of our growth makes it impossible to build roads fast enough to accommodate the number of people who will live and work here in the coming years.  Roadway congestion has increased to the point where our urban transportation systems are becoming unreliable.  Without significant new investment, soon we will be unable to sustain our quality of life or grow our economy.

Federal funding for highways has been shrinking, and that trend is likely to continue.  Texas' state government leaders have been unwilling to increase vehicle registration fees and motor fuels taxes to fund our growing transportation needs.  Texans don't want all of their new roads to be toll roads.  Tolls are a necessary component of revenue options needed to finance future expansion of Texas highway capacity, but they alone are not the answer.  Local governments currently have almost no revenue-raising authority to address the problem of inadequate transportation and mobility infrastructure.  Property taxes are already too high, and few municipalities have any local sales tax capacity.  

So what is the solution?  This much is clear:  We need new funding sources, and highways alone cannot meet the rapidly growing mobility needs of our region.  Mass transit simply must play a larger role than it does today in major metropolitan areas of Texas.

People in many parts of the world today already benefit from the type of integrated, intermodal transportation infrastructure we are seeking to establish here.  If voters choose to approve the transportation options under this plan, by 2030, the Metroplex could have rail transit comparable to what is already available in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Nagoya, Japan.  Even larger rail transit systems are already serving the citizens in the cities of New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.  

Ridership surveys show a large cross-section of the populations of these metropolitan areas rely heavily upon these rail systems.  Consider the benefits of being able to go from D/FW Airport to Love Field, downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton, major hospitals, sporting venues and many more destinations by simply driving to a rail station and getting on the train.  I am a seventh generation Texan, and I speak with authority when I say that we Texans love our cars and trucks.  But given our extraordinary population growth, providing mass transit options instead of relying solely on cars would not only help with traffic congestion, it would help reduce emissions and ozone, and improve air quality.  (Currently, vehicles account for 50 percent of the air pollution in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.)

A recent survey of 1,600 Metroplex residents revealed that 57 percent of the respondents want rail service now.  Eighty-six percent said they would use it, if available.  And 50 percent said they would be willing to pay more than $50 a year in additional taxes or fees to make it happen.

North Texas local governments are seeking the ability to ask their citizens, on a county by county basis (working in close partnership with the cities, transit authorities and local businesses), whether they would be willing to accept additional taxes and fees for the purpose of funding our future highway and mass transit transportation needs.  

Please keep in mind that doing nothing will only exacerbate our problem  Nearly nine in ten of survey respondents said they wanted the Texas Legislature to give our local governments the authority to ask the voters for these additional funds to address our pressing transportation needs.  No new government bureaucracy will be created; and remember, no money will be raised or spent without voter approval.  

Our counties and their transportation partners need these options now.  Citizens want these options put before them, and we have waited long enough to begin to seriously address our transportation infrastructure here in North Texas.  The cost for waiting only increases the amount required to develop our needed infrastructure and makes the possibility of addressing our need more remote with time.

The current version of the bills can and will be improved.  We want to work with all interested parties and their representatives to devise the best way to go forward.  But the time to act is now.  We have to start somewhere, and if we don't start now, I'm afraid we will never catch up to where we need to be.

I was born and reared in Northeast Tarrant County.  Fifty years ago, the road in front of our old farmhouse was, quite literally, made of dirt.  As I see what has transpired during the ensuing 50 years, I am amazed at how North Texas has grown ─ both in population and economically.  Senator Carona and I are asking North Texans and the Texas Legislature to envision in fast-forward fifty more years ─ and act now so that North Texas may have the transportation and mobility infrastructure to ensure that we will continue to enjoy our exceptional quality of life and sustain our vibrant economy.  Without action, both are bound to suffer.

You elected me to represent you and to lead.  I fully anticipated that this proposal would draw fire.  I am willing to take the fire because I believe that this is what must be done for the future of our region.

If anyone has a better idea, we're all ears.  Up to now, the silence is deafening.

Until next time, take care and thank you for the privilege of allowing me to serve you in the Texas House.

                                      Vicki

FINALLY . . . tomorrow evening I will be honored by The Arc of Texas.  This wonderful organization is presenting me with its 2009 Leadership Award.  There will be a reception at The Austin Club, and quite a few friends are coming down from the district to attend the award presentation. 

Words cannot express how humbled and honored I am to receive this prestigious award.  The Arc is a phenomenal organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  They do such great work!

I am truly touched by the generosity of my supporters who have contributed to this organization on the occasion of my receiving this award.

Thank you.  I sincerely appreciate it, and I am quite certain that The Arc and God do, too!

                                                     VT

AND WHILE I'M AWAY . . .

Also, thank you very much for understanding that I am unable to commit to attend weekend events in the district during the five months of legislative session.  Our schedule here is such that often I don't know until Thursday or Friday whether or not I will be able to come home that weekend.  Therefore, it is impossible to predict with any accuracy if I can, in fact, attend a community function. 

In the meantime, thanks to Mitzi Long for representing me out in our communities.  Just as soon as session's over, I'll be right back into the swing of things in our wonderful Northeast Tarrant County!
                                                     VT

Political ad paid by TRUITT for DISTRICT 98
P.O. Box 886
Keller, Texas 76244
William E. Greenwood, Treasurer