Transportation
Transit Center Derailed Before First Spade Of Dirt Is Turned
Valley Regional Transit has joined the ranks of Team Dave when it comes to getting the proverbial cart before the horse. VRT is sending out press releases saying the agency is moving forward on a downtown “Multi-Modal Transit Center” and solicits a private partner on the project. All this despite the owner of the land–Idaho [...]
Boise Has No Authority For Trolley
Looks like that pesky IDAHO CONSTITUTION has gotten in the way of Team Dave once again. Mayor Dave Bieter is set to ask the City Council Tuesday for funds for yet another street car, trolley study. What he should be doing is sucking up to the ACHD Commishes because that group holds ALL the cards [...]
Boise Council Wisely Approves State Garage
With the state of Idaho’s legal ax hanging over its head, the Boise City Council used some wisdom and approved a parking garage to built by the state near the Capitol Building. As predicted in a February POSTING “higher authority” prevailed over the over zealous design review committee. Council President Maryanne Jordan publicly spanked the [...]
ACHD Has App To Report Street Issues
While they haven’t issued shovels to motorists yet, ACHD has a new app for electronic devices which allows drivers to report issues electronically–as long as they don’t text and drive. Now you can connect to the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) and report roadway issues from your smartphone. We took a look at it and [...]
No “Cutting Remarks” For ACHD From Boise Forestry Crew
We don’t know the players, but here is a potential candidate for public office in the form of a Boise City tree trimmer named Steve Markel. We doubt he cleared his comments with the mayor’s office, but Team Dave could sure use his talents in the P.R. department–not just as a tree trimmer. ACHD and [...]
Boise FAA Tower To Control Bozeman
In what can only be an “ironic irony” the new Boise air traffic control tower which is head and shoulders above most any building in the state will serve as the approach control radar service for Bozeman, Montana. Before the politicos got involved, the plan was to have Boise’s TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) operated [...]
Legislative Dems Were Given Ammo To Fire At ACHD
The GUARDIAN has obtained numerous documents from Boise City relating to the Feb. 14 sabotage attempt aimed at ACHD during a meeting with legislators on Valentine Day. As it turned out the ammunition for what was intended to be an ambush on ACHD ultimately exploded in the face of the shooters. Ross Borden of Mayor [...]
Pedal Project Poses Payment Problems
By STEVE “BIKEBOY” HULME A year or so ago, Mayor Bieter, an eternal proponent of alternative transportation whether it be a trolley, or valley-wide rail service, or bicycles, proposed a bike-sharing program, just like in the Big City. Unlike the ill-fated “yellow bike” experiment of a few years ago, where volunteers made some donated bikes [...]
Mayor, Council President Jordan Sent “Poison Valentine”
Mayor Dave Bieter and Councilor Maryanne Jordan acted without the knowledge of at least half the City Council when they caused an anonymous letter to be delivered to legislators claiming ACHD had a bad relationship with other Ada County cities and other allegations. The GUARDIAN sought responses from the entire council so citizens would know [...]
Boise Gives Away Fire Service Outside City
Each budget season local governments across the USA look for ways to fund essential services. According to the Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE there is a move to charge fees to tax-exempt properties ranging from churches, and hospitals to government agencies and institutions of higher learning. In Boise the most glaring example of free city services lies with [...]
Boise’s Team Dave To Ignore Will Of People With Yet Another Transit Survey
Despite repeated attempts at shaping public opinion through surveys, informational events, and “$24,500″ expenditures for consultants, Boise officials refuse to take “NO” for an answer when it comes to Mayor Dave Bieter’s desire named street car. Citizens overwhelmingly opposed every plan he has brought forth. The Idaho Statesman commissioned an independent survey which also came [...]
ACHD Spending Shifts Back To Boise
After years of spending in newly developed areas in the western part of the county, Ada County Highway District officials released data Friday showing Boise will get more dollars. Fast-growing cities in western Ada County continue to get a larger share of roadway spending, according to the Ada County Highway District’s latest spending-and-revenue report released [...]
Poet Paul On Garden City Bike Law Repeal
We will have an upcoming story about the arrogance of local government officials coming soon. Meanwhile, here is a ditty from Poet Paul and the Monday action of the Garden City council when they flipped their collective finger to the voters and biking enthusiasts who passed a measure on November 8 to limit authority of [...]
G.C. Bike Ban Lifted By Voters
Garden City voters passed one of the two initiatives on the Tuesday ballot, prompting the bicycling advocates to issue the following press release. Attorney T. J. Angstman said, “The passage of Initiative B renders the bike ban in Garden City void, effective immediately”, as it states that the People of Garden City ‘believe that all [...]
Despite Empty Lot And Declining Passenger Use, BOI Airport Seeks $15 Million Parking Garage
Locked securely behind a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire sits a well constructed landscaped parking lot with sparkling restrooms and waiting rooms at the corner of Victory Road and Orchard. The “ECONOMY AIRPORT PARKING LOT” is closed and has sat mostly unused–despite more than $2 million in recent improvements. Now, despite a decline in [...]
I-84 In Caldwell Hosts “Forest” Of Weeds
Looks as though the financial settlement with former Idaho Transportation Department director Pam Lowe has cut into the state highway maintenance budget. Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas has made several attempts to get the ITD to cut unsightly and dangerously tall weeds in the I-84 median within Caldwell City limits to no avail. The worst area [...]
Information Has Value, Don’t Give It Away, COMPASS Pays $20 For Traffic Answers
We got the following note from a reader today and it sparked an idea–CHARGE all those folks who are taking surveys. “Got a letter in the mail Saturday from COMPASS soliciting participation in a downtown traffic study. The letter indicated that participants would be asked to provide travel information for one day. I thought they’d [...]
New State Park Passport Is $10 Annual Bargain You Can Add On Vehicle Fee
If you are one of those who visit or launch a boat at State Parks like Lucky Peak, Cascade, Bruneau Dunes, or any one of 30 state parks, a new check off box on your vehicle registration will allow you to get an annual pass for a mere $10 extra. The program starts October 1. [...]
United Airlines Flying Low
EDITOR NOTE–This personal experience is being shared because we felt passengers on United Airlines needed to know about it. We don’t want any coupons as hush money and welcome a corporate response. The GUARDIAN editor did the BSU-MSU ball game trip over the Labor Day weekend and returned Monday about noon aboard one of the [...]
Bieter Ignores Public, Seeks More Tax Money From Feds For Pet Train
Ignoring at least two public opinion SURVEYS funded by the city and one conducted by the Idaho Statesman, Team Dave has continued its short sighted quest engineer expensive trains in the Treasure Valley. Mayor Dave Bieter gave away an autographed Kristin Armstrong bike helmet to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and got a promise of [...]
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