Site Map | Archives

Home › Opinions › Commentary

Commentary: Don't get railroaded by trolley

Bob Parmelee
Tuesday, November 21, 2006

related stories RELATED STORIES
related linksMore Commentary
related linksMOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

related linksTRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

All New Mexicans, of all political persuasions, should become interested in the Albuquerque Trolley System proposal.

You are undoubtedly aware of the $500 million Rail Runner fiasco which yielded only 2,500 riders per day, even with free tickets. You are about to be railroaded a second time to the tune of another $250 million or so.

The trolley system, the creation of ambitious Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, is planned to cover a distance of eight miles at a whopping total cost of $224 million. The construction cost of one mile of trolley system, $30 million, is roughly equal to the entire annual subsidy (annual operating expense net of fares) of the entire Albuquerque bus system - and the buses cover 4.2 million miles annually.

Half of the money for the trolley will come from a 1999 transportation tax. The revenues from this tax were mandated by voters to sunset in 2009, but Chavez and six Albuquerque city councilors, in a move of questionable legality, have decided to reverse the voters and extend the tax indefinitely.

The mayor knows the voters would not approve the trolley scheme if given the chance.

The proposed trolley is an inflexible, horrendous waste of money, no matter who pays for it; but, there is no sign that the mayor and his supporters are interested in cost reductions.

For example, Albuquerque could build a flexible, "pretend" trolley system and save $223 million or so by painting imaginary tracks on the asphalt roadway and constructing "faux" trolley cars, e.g., hydrogen powered buses with painted facades camouflaged to look like trolleys.

A bell could be added to "ding, ding, ding" at each stop. To provide realistic trolley inflexibility, the faux trolley drivers could be instructed to follow the faux tracks precisely and not deviate one millimeter.

Now up to this point, non-Albuquerque voters may wonder, "So why do I care? Let the Albuquerque voters deal with these arrogant politicians and their wasteful proposals at the ballot box in the time-honored way."

Here's the problem. Chavez can only fund half of the trolley scheme on the backs of the prostrate Albuquerque taxpayers. He plans to go the state, which means to you state taxpayers, to get the other half.

We can expect Gov. Bill Richardson, father of the ill-conceived Rail Runner, "Train to Nowhere," to order his minions to appropriate the needed funds. And, due to the governor's well documented abuse of the line item veto, many state legislators will capitulate without a struggle.

But there could be safety in numbers. Maybe, just maybe, if we flatlanders mobilize and advise our state representatives and senators to rise in mass opposition to the Albuquerque trolley, perhaps this swindle will implode.

Please get involved before it's too late.

If you want to learn more about the Albuquerque Trolley visit the Rio Grande Foundation,

We are indebted to the President of the Rio Grande Foundation, Paul Gessing, for bringing this entire sordid mess to our attention.

Parmelee, a Santa Fe resident and radio talk show host, is chairman of the Santa Fe County Republican Party.