An astute reader sent this in the other day:
Our representative is touting the streetcars as symbols of our cross-border relationship with Juarez, claiming they crossed the border more than 500 times a day.
Even if they operated on a 24 hour basis, that would mean one crossing every three minutes.
I don’t think so.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
A recent KVIA news program said the BRIO rapid bus ridership was down, so once the street cars are operational, it will be important to check the actual passenger ridership. Is street car ridership hitting its projected mark?
Dedicated and concerned readers of Brutus’ blog seem to have three options: recall; petition for a court of inquiry; or ask state legislators in the next Texas Legislative Session to reintroduce that 4 percent property tax rollback voter initiative.
Since local voters’ and taxpayers seem to have at least three tool options available, it will be interesting to see what actually transpires?
LikeLike
Let me clarify my ‘court of inquiry’ option suggestion.
If you live on the Westside of El Paso, and have suffered from all the road construction and associated travel delays, it would seem you are an ‘impacted party.’ Now if you decide to use that new Border Highway West route and pay the road toll, that toll cost is an economic cost to you and your family budget.
Basically if local citizens had been given the choice, that $97 million plus funding amount for the street cars, could have gone to take the toll off the Border Highway West. Unfortunately, El Paso citizens weren’t given that choice.
LikeLike
You weren’t given a choice on the use of the $97 million just like your only choice on the downtown ballpark was how it would be paid for, not if it would be built. The streetcar project is another big expenditure for the benefit of downtown developers.
LikeLike
We could have repaired a lot of streets with that $97 million.
LikeLike
Peter has assiduously devoted his efforts to providing El Paso with world class transportation. In the face of daunting opposition he stuck to his guns and pushed for this one of a kind transportation choice. Years from now people will call him a clairvoyant, prescient wizard. Others will call him a sellout, dumpy jerk. History is often a fickle mistress.
LikeLike
But don’t forget his lofty comments that the streetcars will remind us and validate to us who we really are. Except, back when the streetcars were running, El Paso was a majority Anglo city with income and educational stats as good as any comparable city.
Is that what he meant?
LikeLike
Point #1 to Anonymous: Peter did not invent the streetcar project. It was well underway when he was elected.
Point #2 to Brutus: Peter has never been bothered by the facts. He has his own facts and he makes them up as he goes along.
LikeLike