My Listening Tour around Boulder County continues with some interesting input from various citizens groups and individuals regarding FasTracks.

Most surprising to me has been the near unanimous support for FasTracks from traditionally conservative voices in our community.  The membership of Boulder Tomorrow, with the mission of “promoting the long-term economic vitality of the Boulder Valley,” was particularly strong in its  support for the build-out of the FasTracks system.  Nearly everyone in attendance at the breakfast discussion I had with them, along with Louisville Mayor Chuck Sisk, even supported an additional tax to fund the program.  This same strong support was evident amongst the membership of the Boulder Chamber’s Leadership Boulder class.  

All of these business leaders cited the short- and long-term economic benefits of the FasTracks program.  They often quote the analysis that indicates $1.00 spent on transit infrastructure results in a total economic activity of $8.00.  This statistic is particularly compelling during our current economic troubles.  Further, business interests note the opportunity for future transit oriented development that investments in transit infrastructure will generate.  Some of those I spoke with at the Boulder Tomorrow event had specific projects on the drawing board that they are hoping to move forward. 

Interestingly, this high degree of support for the FasTracks program is consistent with some favorable polling date the program received in a test of voter support in January.  The complete polling results are available at: http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_149.  But, to summarize the key points, 83 percent of those polled say that the initial vote to approve the FasTracks program was a “good decision.”  That is up from 79 percent in 2007.  Further, 63 percent tell us that they would support ”an increase of up to four tenths of a percent in the sales tax rate” to complete the full FasTracks system by 2017.

The most intense opposition to a potential increase in funding for the FasTracks program that I hear has come from folks, such as former Boulder Mayor Bob Greenlee, who objected to FasTracks from the outset.  Most recently, their criticism has coalesced around the opinion that the Northwest Rail line is an irresponsible investment.  They note the high price tag and low anticipated ridership, amounting to and estimated price of $60 for a single trip when the system first becomes fully operational.

Interestingly, many traditional transit supporters believe this is a compelling argument.  They feel Boulder County would be better served by construction of the BRT (bus-rapid-transit) system within the existing FasTracks budget.  These transit supporters focus on the promise that BRT offers our region of greater flexibility and higher initial speeds.  [I should also note that Steve Pomerance argues against a proposed sales tax increase, but on completely different grounds: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/mar/22/funding-fastracks-without-a-tax-increase/.]

So, the Listening Tour continues.  The current schedule calls for an RTD Board decision on pursuing a sales tax increase some time in August, assuming the Board plans to seek a November, 2009 vote.  In the meantime, please let me know where you sit amidst this debate.