Minnesota Republicans Wasted Time on a Monorail-Like Boondoggle While the 35W Bridge Rotted Away

[Avidor]

Run time: 02:07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA6oSdEahs   Posted on YouTube: August 19, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 17, 2008 By DU Member: Avidor Views on DU: 283

 
On the eve of the opening of the new 35W bridge, right-wing bloggers are attacking former Minnesota Transportation Commissioner and DFL candidate for the MN 6th CD Elwyn Tinklenberg record on transportation:

http://is.gd/2Ky8

When it comes to the I-35 Bridge collapse, few people had the opportunity of preventing it that Mr. Tinklenberg had. Mr. Tinklenberg doesn’t deserve all of the blame but he can’t argue that he didn’t have the opportunity to prevent it:

So what were MN GOP legislators such as then-Senator Bachmann doing about transportation infrastructure in the most recent years leading up to the 35W bridge disaster?

One of the priorities of the leadership of the then-GOP-controlled MN House was funding research and development of ridiculous, monorail-like transportation boondoggle - Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). A similar PRT testing facility built by Raytheon wasted 67 million public and private dollars for the Northeastern illinois Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in 1999.

Congresswoman Bachmann strongly opposed the Northstar Commuter Line, the Hiawatha Line and other crucial transportation projects which Elwyn Tinklenberg worked on as Transportation Commissioner.

Unlike Bachmann's PRT boondoggle, the Hiawatha LRT line is a huge success and funding has been approved for Northstar and a second LRT line connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Bachmann supported incentives to help with funding for a "testing facility" for personal rapid transit, a futuristic concept where transit pods "whisk travelers along on elevated tracks." Incentives included asking the state to borrow as much as $12 million, giving tax breaks to companies that operate the system, and allowing local governments to borrow money so that they could build systems of their own. Plans for the PRT never evolved past computer designs and online simulations. Bachmann also promoted PRT in the media with Rep. Mark Olson (convicted on domestic abuse in 2007) and former Mpls Councilman Dean Zimmermann (convicted on bribery in 2006):

http://is.gd/2CPp

Supporters range from Minneapolis City Council member Dean Zimmerman, a Green Party member, to Republican Sen. Michelle Bachmann of Stillwater. Bachmann says personal rapid transit, like many political issues, creates strange bedfellows.

"People on the right, people on the left, we have the common goal of moving people with transit, but doing it in the most cost-effective manner, in fact, in a manner that may end up costing no government subsidy, it may end up paying for itself," she says.

Elwyn Tinklenberg has never supported PRT.

Only three years ago, April 12th, 2006, 26 right-wing GOP legislators attempted to attach a PRT amendment authored by Rep. Mark Olson to a House transportation bill. (only two clueless Democrats voted for it).

http://is.gd/2Kvm

Learn more about Bachmann's horrible transportation record in the Minnesota Senate and PRT here:

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Feb07/Avidor11.htm

http://www.roadkillbill.com/PRT_Bachmann_Facts.html

http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm

Learn more about Michele Bachmann at the Dump Bachmann blog:

http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/