Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES OF JOINT PUBLIC HEARING WITH EUGENE CITY COUNCIL, Page 6 <br />METROPOLITAN POLICY COMMITTEE, AND LANE TRANSIT DISTRICT <br />BOARD OF DIRECTORS, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 <br />Laura Potter, (address not given) Director of Business Advocacy for the Eugene Area Chamber of <br />Commerce, stated that she represented the Chamber. The Chamber has been involved with <br />transportation efforts in the community that resulted in moving forward with EmX as a key solution <br />for long -term transportation. While many people question whether EmX is the right choice, the <br />Chamber believes it is. The Chamber believes that a mass transit system like EmX is crucial to the <br />long -term economic development of the community. The Chamber supports the West 11 Avenue <br />/West 13 Avenue route. The Chamber expects that businesses will be dealt with and compensated <br />fairly. <br />Bill Ward, Eugene, lives in Eugene for the quality of life, which could not be valued by being cost <br />effective. All strata of income have a good quality of life, which is due to mass transit. If we do not <br />build mass transit now, in the future, cars will be stuck in traffic jams. <br />J. P. McNutt, Willagillespie, Eugene, stated that he is not against mass transit but is against EmX. <br />The country is in a recession, and LTD wants to spend $100 million to build EmX. LTD lost $3 million <br />last year, laid off bus drivers, and cut routes. It has not been proven that EmX is needed for the <br />future growth of Eugene. EmX is not the best way to do that. Existing buses can adapt easily to any <br />increases in population, ridership, and route changes. West 11 Avenue is filled with cheaply <br />constructed, unattractive buildings. It is not a residential neighborhood. An EmX route to nowhere <br />would destroy many of the businesses, limit access, and obstruct traffic. People will avoid the route <br />and get used to going someplace else. The City Council voted down the West Eugene Parkway, <br />which the citizens passed twice. The citizens of Eugene added up the costs and decided that EmX <br />would cost too much. He owned property on the bus route, and the business leasing it did not renew <br />the lease because of EmX. <br />Bob Johnson, West 16 Avenue, Eugene, stated that he is a resident of Eugene but not a business <br />owner. He strongly supports public transit but does not support the proposed EmX route in West <br />Eugene because of the costs and impacts to small business owners on the route. Businesses would <br />lose 20 percent of their parking. Each segment will increase in cost. He said the community should <br />consider the EmX proposal minus dedicated lanes as well as using more buses, recessed loadinty <br />stations, and articulated buses. He said that the LTD radio ads addressed congestion on West 11 <br />Avenue using a state report for documentation. The state report said that a future choke point would <br />be caused by commuters traveling from Veneta to Eugene to work. LTD already had a route to <br />Veneta that should be addressed. He did not think commuter congestion would be solved with <br />buses. <br />Mark Rabinowitz, Eugene, said that the decision for this project of providing better transit would not <br />be made in this room but by the Federal Transit Administration. Both sides of the issue have merit. <br />LTD has not considered the increase in oil prices in its cost estimates. The cut service and raised <br />fares will not encourage people to use the service more. The Lane Council of Governments <br />consistently does poor planning with our money. They exaggerate the rate of traffic increase. The oil <br />used in Oregon comes from Alaska, which peaked 22 years ago. He suggested that the <br />Transportation System Management option be used. Peak oil should be taken into consideration in <br />the Environmental Impact Statement for the project. State law requires integrating land use and <br />transportation, but that was not done here. <br />Jeff Lozar, Eugene, stated his support for No Build. As a business owner, he has experienced a <br />slowdown. He pays his tax contribution to LTD and thought he was funding buses. LTD took the <br />money intended for buses and bought newspaper, radio, and billboard ads. This is a boondoggle <br />project to spend the taxpayers' money. LTD is reaching into the taxpayers' wallets to tell the <br />taxpayers what to think. The taxpayers are not stupid. He resents being told what to do via a public <br />relations campaign. His opinion of LTD has been destroyed by the ad campaign because it shows <br />