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May 18, 2006
IT’S NOT A “BUNCH OF BUNK� HAVING ALL USERS OF CITY FACILITIES SHARING IN THE COST OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Some Bicyclists and Public Transit Users (or those who are promoting use of BICYCLES OR PUBLIC TRANSIT) appear to have demands. In nearly every instance, the solution proposed is to meet their demands and “sock-it-to� the auto users or some other pot of public funds. As I understand it, the public is already subsidizing approximately 80% if the cost of operations for each TRANSIT RIDE in Butte County. The funding comes from sales tax and other fees and revenues received from State and Local Governments. Much of the capital costs for the TRANSIT SYSTEM comes from the Federal Treasury.
Most of the bicyclists can surely pay a fee sufficient to provide for their (or their representative’s) demands. I know, from a cursory observation, that many, many bicycles are not licensed as required by City laws. If the City wants more money to help the bicyclist’s demands, they should immediately start requiring the users to pay for their licenses and set the money aside to provide for their demand. An estimated 10,000 or more bicycles use City streets with only a few hundred holding valid licenses).
The City has just about completed another “STUDY� (which they called a Charrette and I called a Sham) of Downtown Chico that is supposed to provide a long-term plan for 5- and 10-year intervals. The draft plan is supposed to be completed in the next week or so and then circulated so that the City Council can conduct a hearing (hearings) to allow public comments. During the meeting, the consultants talked about building Bicycle Boulevards that eliminate autos except those traveling to a residence along the Boulevards. The cost of developing and maintaining the Boulevards can be quite expensive and should be paid for by the benefiting bicyclists.
Those using the TRANSIT SYSTEM should pay the full cost of each ride unless they qualify as low income users who should be subsidized.
The consultant’s final report has not yet been completed. The meetings made it clear, however, that the programs to be recommended to the City Council will make it tough on auto users wanting to get Downtown to park and shop. The programs will make way for those hundreds and thousands of Transit Users and Bicyclists very few of whom will be shopping Downtown .I continue to be amazed that the City staff would approve a contract for the consultants without requiring them to provide any statistical data relating to the number of Bicyclists and Transit Users coming into the Downtown area to shop and use its other businesses.
A recent survey, by me, demonstrated that the spaces setaside for the Bicycles in the Downtown area are extremely underused and are taking up auto parking spaces while Bicyclists are securing their Bicycles to sidewalk tree protectors or parking meter posts, which violates City’s Laws.
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