๐๏ธ Mondays with Morales - ๐๐จ RTA Next: Tucson's Public Transit Dream or Suburban Sprawl Nightmare?
๐ณ๏ธ The Rigged Game: RTA's Unfair Voting Structure ๐ถโโ๏ธ๐ฒ Beyond Cars: Tucson's Need for Multimodal Transportation ๐ธ Follow the Money: Where Are Your Tax Dollars Really Going?
๐ Mondays with Morales: Time to Derail the RTA Next Plan?
ยกBuenas tardes, mi gente chingona! Maextro Morales here, kicking off another week with some straight talk about what's really going down in our Comunidad. Today, we're talking transportation, and let me tell you, this RTA Next plan has me more heated than a jalapeรฑo on the Fourth of July.
Listen up, porque this is important. The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) has been around since 2006, funded by our hard-earned pesos through a half-cent sales tax. They've been promising us the moon and the stars, but what have we really gotten? More roads for the suburbanites to zip in and out of our city faster than you can say "gentrification."
Now, don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against our vecinos in Marana, Oro Valley, and Sahuarita. But why are we, the people of Tucson, bankrolling their commute? With gas prices higher than my tรญo after too many cervezas and climate change turning our desert into an horno, we need to get serious about public transportation.
The RTA board, with its one-vote-per-entity structure, is like a rigged game of loterรญa. Tucson, the heart and soul of Pima County, gets the same say as places with a fraction of our population. It's time to call this what it is: a raw deal for Tucsonenses.
So what do we do, mi gente? I say it's time to stand up and say "ยกYa basta!" to this injustice. If Marana, Oro Valley, and Sahuarita want more roads, let them fund their own transportation plan. Tucson needs to focus on Tucson. We need buses that run more often than your abuela's telenovelas. We need light rail that connects our barrios and not just college students. We need bike lanes that don't disappear faster than the last tamal at Navidad.
The rising cost of gas isn't just hitting our wallets; it's choking our air and cooking our planet. We're living in a desert, for crying out loud! We can't afford to keep acting like we've got resources to burn. Public transportation isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have for our survival and the survival of la Madre Tierra.
So here's what I'm saying, and listen closely: If this RTA Next plan doesn't put public transportation front and center, if it doesn't prioritize the needs of Tucson over the wants of the suburbs, then maybe โ just maybe โ we need to vote it down.
I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "But Maextro, won't we lose out on funding if we do that?" And to that, I say: sometimes you've got to lose a little to gain a lot. Better to start from scratch than to lock ourselves into another 20 years of car-centric planning that leaves our most vulnerable comunidades in the dust.
Here's what we need to demand:
More frequent bus service, especially in low-income neighborhoods
Light rail connecting major areas of the city
Protected bike lanes that form a real network, not just random stretches
Pedestrian-friendly streets where our abuelos can walk without fear
Transit-oriented development that brings jobs and housing close to transportation
If the RTA Next plan doesn't deliver on these, then maybe it's time for Tucson to go our own way. We can create our own transportation plan, one that truly serves our community's needs.
So what can you do, mi gente? Educate yourself. Attend those RTA meetings. Raise hell if you have to. And when the time comes to vote, remember: a bad plan is worse than no plan at all, especially one we are stuck with for 20 years.
Until next week, this is Maextro Morales, reminding you to stay woke, stay fierce, and always question authority. The future of our city is in our hands. Let's build a Tucson that moves everyone forward, not just the privileged few. ยกSรญ se puede!
๐ฐ Key Takeaways:
๐ Tucson needs to prioritize public transportation over road expansion
๐๏ธ The city should focus on its own needs rather than subsidizing suburban commutes
๐ก๏ธ Climate change and rising gas prices make public transit more crucial than ever
๐ณ๏ธ If RTA Next doesn't prioritize Tucson's needs, voters should consider rejecting it
๐ฒ Improved bus service, light rail, and bike infrastructure are essential for Tucson's future
๐ฐ The current RTA structure unfairly dilutes Tucson's influence despite its larger contribution