ITP Watch

The ITP has finally released their Transit Master Plan on the web. You can view it by clicking here. Here are some highlights:

• The plan calls for not one one, but two bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. This is the return from the dead of the failed Rapid Silver Line, which was already defeated at the polls by four of the six cities in The Rapid’s service area
• The plan calls for a light rail service downtown – adding railroad tracks and even more congestion downtown
• The plan calls for doubling The Rapid’s capital spending to half a billion dollars and operating costs to over $120 million a year
• This additional spending also calls for doubling taxes. They claim they they will “only” require a property increase to 2 mills, but since when do these sorts of government transit projects ever come in on budget? If you’re doubling spending, you’re doubling taxes.