Transportation
Boise Bicycle Nerd Survives On Attention
To say Bob Tencate likes attention is an understatement. When he hits the street it is impossible to NOT notice him and that’s the way he wants it. He really stands out in a crowd. Tencate is among a growing community of “transportation cyclists” in Boise who have forsaken automobiles in favor of bikes to […]
More Join GUARDIAN With Trolley Concerns
Looks like at least some of Boise’s business folks–even those appointed by Team Dave to promote a trolley–are leaning just a little toward the GUARDIAN point of view that a trolley is a surefire folly as it stands today. We continue the mantra: LET THE PEOPLE VOTE ON THE FINANCING! If they vote to tax […]
Toll Are Answer To Costly Highways
The GUARDIAN is currently driving around France for the day job and spending more Euros than we like on tolls, but it is obviously the only fair way to finance highways. The surfaces are flawless and drivers are courteous and competent–despite what you may hear about speed and disregard for safety in Europe. The exception […]
Boise City Has Yet Another “End Run” Ready
Team Dave has found another way around the will of the people in the form of a Local Improvement District (LID)in lieu of asking for permission of voters–or even property owners to fund the Mayor’s pet “Folly Trolley” project. The GUARDIAN did some cursory research and finds the law to creat a LID has so […]
A Street Car Named Dumbo (White Elephant)
GUEST POST BY TIM RHODES Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s plan to have streetcars rolling in Downtown Boise by summer 2012 may be receiving some help from Sen. Mike Crapo to push it to the next level if Congress springs for the pork. Team Dave’s plan is to have the first phase of a downtown streetcar […]
GUARDIAN Thoughts After 5,400 Mile Drive
Sorry for not posting more often this past few weeks, but the day job and family demanded our attention. We previously posted some observations and offer more after driving 5,400 miles in two weeks. –Without question the USA is BIG, beautiful, diverse, a true sleeping giant, and probably in for many months of bad economic […]
Transit Experts Vindicate GUARDIAN
For years the GUARDIAN has been poking fun at Team Dave. Senator Senior Crappo, and all the rest of those who favor trains. Each time we poked holes in their ill advised dreams, survey, and yes–SCAMS, we pointed out the need for a decent bus system before anything else can even be considered. Here is […]
GUARDIANS Discover $300,000 Missing Funds
GUARDIAN TEAM REPORT By Paul Alldredge, Caldwell GUARDIAN and David R. Frazier, Boise GUARDIAN While the legislature and governor are locked in a funding battle over transportation, the GUARDIANS have learned of $300,000 that seems to have slipped through the cyber cracks of the state computer– thanks to a seven year long Canyon County alleged […]
Big Birds To Fly The Coop At Gowen Field
The skies over Boise will be a little quieter and less crowded after Tuesday when an Air National Guard Unit goes out of business. The 189th Airlift Squadron, which began tactical airlift operations with the C-130 in 1996, will fly its final mission – a routine training mission taking off and landing at Boise’s Gowen […]
GUARDIAN Offers Yet Another Transit Plan
We don’t get paid for our services, but the GUARDIAN is able to provide thinking people of Treasure Valley with transportation alternatives much more logical than those being promoted by Team Dave and the CCDC. For the cost of the proposed downtown “Trolley Folly” we think a Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT)– similar to previous […]
BOI Proud Of 5th Level Bond Rating
We got a strange press release from Boise City touting the bond rating of the airport of all things. Team Dave was proud of an A+ bond rating from Fitch Rating. That rating is rather moderate, considering there are four higher ratings with AAA the highest. CHART Not unlike President Bush’s famous “You’re doing a […]
Time To Stop The Trolley Folly
Too much tax money has been spent doing surveys, plans, and proposals for a local transit system. Those who administer COMPASS, CCDC, and Valley Transit have demonstrated remarkable ineptness in providing any workable system. Those elected officials who sit on the various committees and boards have demonstrated a remarkable lack of leadership and concern for […]
Boise Stimulus Projects Identified
The Team Dave folks at Mayor Bieter’s office are keeping a scorecard of funded projects from the feds. Here is the current list: Transportation 36th Street Bike and Pedestrian Bridge: $550,000 Northeast Downtown Sidewalks: $519,000 Ada County Highway District ADA Sidewalks: $500,000 Ada County Highway District Thin Lift Overlays: $4 million Ada County Highway District […]
Owyhee Plaza Good Deed For Public
The management of the Owyhee Plaza Hotel gets a hearty ATTABOY from the GUARDIAN for offering up a free room to downtown businesses opposed to the 10th Street Transit Center being pushed by some local politicos. The free room is adjacent to the one rented by Valley Regional Transit to push for a transit center […]
GUARDIAN Primer On Local Governments
A recent reader comment requested that we post some sort of organizational chart explaining local government. We will give it a go, but space will limit detailed explanations. We will be glad to made additions based on reader comments from those in the know. Click on MORE for the complete summary.
Transit Guy Stands To Gain From Decisions
Once again the Daily Paper’s Cynthia Sewell has come up with a GOOD STORY about developer Jim Tomlinson’s land holdings being considered as parts of a downtown transit scheme. The story accurately points out that Tomlinson is a member–and currently president–of the Downtown Business Association which is an official agency created by Boise City government. […]
Raleigh, NC Has New Transit Center
A GUARDIAN reader was nice enough to send us a link to a story about a new transit center in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina along with a story about their new DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR which of course is a rubber tire vehicle as instead of steel rail buried in the street. As for the transit center, it […]
Merchants Not Onboard 10th Street Bus Hub
Despite official claims to the contrary, based on what we have seen and heard about a transit mall on Boise’s 10th Street, it looks pretty much like a done deal. The goal is to get a federal grant from 2006 spent before a March 2009 deadline. Officials at all levels of government–and there are many–are […]
ACHD Chair Snubs Citizens, Denies Comments
Ada County Highway District Chairman Carol McKee went back on her word Thursday and snubbed at least two citizens who wished to share their thoughts about a proposed street closure relating to a “multimodal transportation center downtown.” When GUARDIAN readers expressed an interest in speaking at a Thursday joint meeting of the Boise City Council […]
Daily Paper Sells Feature Space To ACHD
DISCLAIMER–At the risk of sounding like a pitchman for female politicos who have recycled themselves back into office, the GUARDIAN was fascinated by an item posted on a new blog by Sara Baker, the newest Commish on the ACHD board and a former Boise City Councilor. Like Ada County Commish Sharon Ullman, Baker runs a […]
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