Top 10 Things Learned at MUMPO
Char-Meck Government Building
Last night’s MUMPO (Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization) meeting was another “highly revealing” briefing by transportation and elected officials. The public who we spoke with after the meeting came away dismayed and frustrated over the way the transportation and elected officials continue to handle these HOT lane meetings and public briefings. It’s more of the same — a sales pitch representing one side followed by no real questions or concerns by our elected officials. The public is given a few minutes for comments and questions, and then that’s it for hearing the “other side” of the toll lane debate.
1) I learned that a HOT lane proposal is now under consideration for Independence Blvd./Highway 74. Are they now going beyond tolling interstates to also controlling roads that are much like boulevards?
2) Only Commissioner David Howard, City of Charlotte Commissioner, asked questions of any signficance. Many of the officials representing MUMPO looked annoyed and bored to be there. They were approving all of these “studies” for HOT lane projects and no one asked how much the studies would cost. To me, when they say they’re doing a “study”, that is code for “we’ve made up our mind and the study is a kick-off for generating a public sales pitch”.
3) I counted only 10 elected officials in attendance representing MUMPO. Only ten people were there to make sweeping decisions for our county’s highways and authorizing what is probably hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions of dollars) in studies. The meeting looked like an HOA meeting where they were discussing what color of petunias to plant in front of a neighborhood entrance, and not about making million dollar decisions that impact nearly every resident in one of the state’s largest metropolitan areas. It was not the caliber of discussion I would expect for a half-billion dollar toll road.
4) Bill Coxe, Huntersville Transportation Director, spoke about the progress and benefits of the HOT lane plan. He referenced a survey that claimed that about 55-58% of 300 people interviewed supported toll lanes. He also spoke about a focus group they conducted that found people agreed with the use of toll lanes. While focus groups and surveys can be useful, we don’t know if the questions were guided or worded in a way to get a desired response that would support HOT lanes. Were they guiding participants to pick the lesser of two evils? An example might be, “Would you support toll lanes if it meant less traffic congestion, or would you rather sit in traffic and pay a higher gas tax?”
5) One transportation official told me yesterday that Raleigh legislators have the power and ability to reallocate funds to improve the roads in the State’s most congested and neglected roads – most of which are in Mecklenburg County. He also said that he and others at the NCDOT weren’t thrilled about the idea of utilizing a P3 for the HOT lane project and losing control of the roads to a private company.
6) Bill Coxe told the audience the goal is for the I-77 tolls to “ease congestion” and to be completed in 2017. But wait…haven’t we been told by NCDOT and others officials that this is not going to ease congestion, but rather give those with the dollars a choice to have a less congested ride? We already know from studies and the NCDOT’s own words that congestion in the general purpose lanes won’t improve with the addition of toll lanes. They should stop misleading people by saying this is a way to ease congestion.
7) Since they mentioned surveys last night, I went looking for them today. Here is a link to the survey they conducted in 2007. It appears the questions could have been guided toward a desired response. Stakeholder Interview Summary . Other red flags were revealed with this survey report from interviewee comments. I want to make it clear that we weren’t there when this survey was conducted, so we don’t know the specific questions. To me, one disturbing phrase at the end of their focus group presentation says, “NCDOT/CDOT needs to control the narrative.” (NCDOT/CDOT ). That’s something you’d see in a Crisis Communications plan crafted by a New York City PR agency representing Lindsey Lohan or Tiger Woods.
8 ) Bill Thunberg of the LNTC was at last night’s meeting and he was a big help today in providing me a link to the surveys and reports. Even though the two of us disagree about the HOT lane plan, I appreciate his quick response today to my request for the survey information. Here is the link he sent to me that contains the surveys they referenced last night. HOT Lanes in Mecklenburg County
9) MUMPO also said the last chance for the public to voice their opinions to MUMPO about I-77 tolls is from March 23rd – April 22nd, which is when they are offering a public comment period before their final recommendation for the HOT lane proposal. MUMPO will give their final word on this plan in May. For now, they want to know where the funds will be coming from for this project.
10) The next MUMPO briefings on the toll lanes for I-77 are April 10 and 11, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (Ironically, right when people are driving home from work and probably won’t be available to attend a briefing – do you think that’s planned?)
WidenI77.org and residents around the state desire for our congested highways to be widened without the use of toll lanes. Funds are available with the state; it’s a matter of prioritizing those funds. I surmise that option was not given in the focus group nor in the survey they referenced. As the transportation official explained to me last night, we believe the solution is in the hands of the legislators in Raleigh. This is a matter of political will, not lack of public funds.
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