C-tran looking to work out a cross river deal..

[Waterbuffalo]

Thought some of the regulars might want to read this
article..http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12112007_C-Tran-set-to-work-out-cross-river-operations.cfm

[Chief]

"C-Tran would say with this move that it is willing to look at becoming a partner in whatever mass transit mode is chosen.."

*SNIP*

Pardon my french, but it's about goddam time!!

Defining those operational details matters a lot to the federal government. The Federal Transit Administration won't authorize hundreds of millions of dollars for mass transit until it's convinced the operators can build and run the system and keep it financially stable.

"It's not just about the cost of operating between the Expo Center and downtown Vancouver," Patterson said. "It's about the financial viability of the existing system. The FTA is very particular that if they approve high-capacity transit it shall not degrade the existing bus system."

*SNIP*

Translation: If the City of Vancouver decides it wants to operate Light Rail, they need to come up with somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 Million annually to pay for maintenance and operations.

In addition to the City's costs to help operate C-Tran. Ala:

That means, Patterson said, that existing C-Tran revenue approved by voters won't be used for the high-capacity transit system. Some different revenue source would be needed to run either light-rail trains or buses.

*SNIP*

See what I mean??

What's new: The C-Tran board will vote today on whether to initiate talks with TriMet, the two states and the city of Vancouver addressing who would own and operate the mass transit line.

**SCHNIPP**

Excuse me, but aren't three of the seats on Vancouver City Council also on the Board of C-Tran?? Including Vancouver City Councilman Tim Leavitt who is the acting C-Tran Chairman?? What is this, some kind of game of Blind-Man's Bluff, or what??

Let's keep in mind that while this effort is going on, Steve Stuart and Clark County are busy snuggling up with Rex Burkholder and Portland's Metro, via the Bi-State Cooperation Committee and their visions for a South West Washington Co-Prosperity Sphere to pay for Trimet that way...

I see the Achilles heel in all of this as the operational costs to the City of Vancouver, and I believe there would have to be some sort of Public vote to approve an operating levy, before the Feds will agree to finance anything. That's how the entire project could come crashing down in flames, if the Project barges ahead, and tries to blindly ignore the voters on this side of the river.

I am not going to waste my time debating things that simply don't matter from a Clark County point of view. These are the issues as I see them, and have watched them develop over time. I think I've done a reasonably good job of documenting how I get to where I am today on all of this, and I say that a lot of people need to step up to the plate on this, smell the coffee, and find some way to salvage something out of the mess we have right now.

I think "TIAB" holds great merit if transit of some sort absolutely has to have a place on the bridge. That doesn't address the issue of who pays to operate the system and how, but I think it's pretty obvious that the City would have an enormous, and enormously unpopular political hot potato on their hands, the likes they have never seen in any of their collective careers, and would be of their own making.

So it goes...

[Waterbuffalo]

Glad you were interested in reading this.. Now lets see and hope this article becomes a HUGE bandwith generator..

[Chief]

Seriously WB...tell me where I missed anything...

[Waterbuffalo]

"Glad you were interested in reading this.. Now lets see and hope this article becomes a HUGE bandwith generator.."

You didn't miss any thing Chief.. I just thought I would love to see this article become one of the newest winners on the amount of views per month?