Transportation
Reader Question And History Lesson Worth A Look
QUESTION Editor, could you possibly educate me (and others) a bit about Boise and its real estate swapping? In every other city in which I’ve ever lived, city government tended to focus on the day-to-day, mundane, “unsexy” aspects of municipal government — fixing the street lamps and the potholes, making sure the police department ran […]
ACHD Ponders Bridge To Nowhere
A citizens group known as ACHD COMMUNITY WATCHDOGS has a Facebook page full of items relating to the Ada County Highway District. A recent entry questioned a bridge over the Ridenbaugh Canal on the south side of Franklin Road at the dead end of Thomas Dr. The bridge issue is on the Wednesday agenda and […]
Woman Injured By Dinosaur That Scootered Away
It finally happened last Sunday in Boise, not Jurassic Park. The first injury accident with one of those e-scooters took place at 6th and Front Streets in Boise. Witnesses said it was a hit-and-run dinosaur. Here is the official police report: Boise Police and the City of Boise continue to monitor E-Scooter use across the […]
ACHD: “We Can’t Tell You, Call The Advocates”
A disturbing breach of protocol at ACHD has been brought to the GUARDIAN’s attention in which government paid public relations staff referred a TV reporter to the spokesman for a private political action group funded by local developers. A GUARDIAN reader took exception to a KIVI-6 reporter’s story featuring only the information offered by the […]
Trash Talking Boise Scooters
Long-time reader Steve “Bikeboy” Hulme is a full-time bicycle commuter and obviously not a fan of motorized scooters or bikes, even with electric motors. He has shared his thoughts with the GUARDIAN. He opens with a memo from the Downtown Business Association. Hello! Boise will soon join a growing number of cities offering E-bikes and […]
Bikers Jockey For Current Span Near Les Bois
By Steve “Bikeboy” Hulme GUEST OPINION (plea) If you lived in the area during the winter of 2016/17, you will surely recall the unusually “snowmageddon,” and the ensuing flooding. The torrents of water forced authorities to remove a bridge behind Les Bois Park when it was in danger of collapsing, due to erosion of the […]
Treat The Cause, Not The Disease
We note Mike Wetherell’s Statesman OPINION regarding planning for mass transit failed to get to the core cause of our “transportation woes”–GROWTH. Rather than create more cancer treatments and simply concede “cancer will always be around,” let’s eliminate some of the causes. Wetherell’s admonitions to clear freeway medians and expand rights-of-way along State Street sound […]
ACHD Commishes, Director Push Fee Hike On Advocacy Website
Highway District Commishes in Ada County are sponsoring a WEBSITE advocating passage of a fee hike on private cars. Ada County Highway District Commishes are openly campaigning to impose a 75% vehicle fee hike on Ada County car owners, but not on vehicles over 8,000 lbs. Rather than campaign to use some of their heavy […]
ACHD Commishes Feud Over Secret Fee Hike Attempt
The Ada County Proseutor is looking into complaints from Ada County Highway Commishes over a series of e-mail messages from Commish Jim Hansen which appear to cut a “back room deal” to raise Ada County vehicle registration fees. IDAHO STATESMAN reporter Cynthia Sewell paints a picture which portrays Hansen as a power broker attempting to […]
ACHD Votes To Increase Fees On Cars, But Not Trucks
Ada County Highway District Commishes voted Wednesday 3-2 in favor of placing an open ended fee hike proposal on the November ballot which exempts vehicles over 8,000 lbs. from ANY local fees while placing the entire burden on automobile owners. Commishes Jim Hansen and Kent Goldthorp opposed the measure while Sara Baker, Rebecca Arnold and […]
State Rep Gannon Speaks To ACHD Fee Hike
Idaho State Rep. John Gannon has weighed in on the Ada County Highway District proposed fee hike and he favors charging the commercial trucks and vehicles over 8,000 lbs. fees similar to those currently paid only by passenger cars, according to documents acquired in a public records request. The GUARDIAN has railed against the unfair […]
ACHD Fee Proposal Needs Two Year Limit Or Face Voter Rejection
We need to expand and clarify our PREVIOUS POST about the proposed ACHD vehicle fee hike which gives a free ride to anything over 8,000 lbs. Some commishes complained that we focused blame on them while they were “merely following the state code.” They are correct with regard to being bound by the state code, […]
ACHD Proposes To Give Commercial Vehicles “Free Ride,” Stick Little Guys With Tax Hike
Ada County Highway District Commissioners will consider a craftily worded fee hike proposal at their July 11 noon meeting which places new fees squarely on the back of small passenger car owners while exempting the rigs that chew up our roads. The proposal, which is planned for the November 6 ballot, sets forth a fee […]
Three I-84 Crash Victims Served In USAF, New Wider Overpass Likely
Officials at Mountain Home Air Force Base confirmed the identity of three victims in the fiery I-84 crash were members of the U.S. Force. Here is the Air Force media release: Three Airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, were killed in the accident Saturday night on Interstate84 in Boise, Idaho. The Airmen have […]
More Growth (Cancer) Headed North
Back in the day there was a collective sigh of relief, a lowering of blood pressure and a sense of freedom when you turned off of State Street and headed north on Highway 55 at “Petticoat Junction.” The realignment of Highway 55 along with traffic signals at Hill Road and Floating Feather intruded a bit. […]
Growing To Death Like Cancer
Growing Like Cancer Idaho is experiencing a growth spurt unequaled since the days of homesteading, free mining claims, free cattle grazing, and water rights. Guess what? The modern version of those government give aways come in all sorts of “economic incentives” which has local citizens PAYING corporations to move businesses to the Treasure Valley and […]
Crowd Jeers Stadium Guy Like An Umpire
Dressed in a dark blue blazer and light blue shirt, Geoff Wardle, local counsel for the developer who wants to build a ball park on Americana looked remarkably like a baseball umpire and the crowd treated him like one. They jeered him and challenged most of his statements, cutting him off in mid sentence when […]
Report On Air Force Range Plans Over Boise
We attended the Friday 13th meeting with the U.S. Air Force delegation conducting the “scoping meetings” for an Environmental Assessment about using Boise as the site for “close air support” training in an urban setting. An EA is less demanding than an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), but so many acronyms were floating around the room […]
Most Speakers Oppose Growth At Town Hall
In a respectful “town hall” meeting at Boise Fire Station #4 on Ustick Road Wednesday night, speaker after speaker told the Boise Mayor and Council they were tired of the growth or the rapid pace of growth. Describing idyllic scenes of the past being blotted out with high density apartments, about 90% of those speaking […]
“Murphy Benches” At Main Street Bus Station
The pugnacious Mike Murphy who sent us the CLASSIC VIDEO last March recorded at the new underground Main Street Station bus terminal has informed us his efforts paid off. It took a year, but there are now benches inside for passengers to sit upon as they await their bus. They don’t fold out of the […]
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