4 responses to “High Cost Rail – Part 60”

1. pat giorni

   September 29, 2011

   Just out of curiosity, who commissioned the poll?

2. pat giorni

   October 3, 2011

   From an email by the author of this post:
   Lots has been written in the last few days about this new poll that emerged last week showing 62.4% of the public would vote not to fund the High Speed Rail project. Some have written that the poll is bias but compare it to the Authority’s poll conducted 15 months earlier See if you think either poll is biased.
   http://www.examiner.com/transportation-policy-in-san-francisco/newest-high-speed-rail-poll-vs-the-authority-s-poll

3. Joe

   October 3, 2011

   If you are interested in the details, including the wording of the questions, they are here:
   http://www.probolskyresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Probolsky-Research-State-Spending-and-High-Speed-Rail-Results-Memorandum1.pdf
   The SacBee article on the poll notes that Probolsky included the “fun questions” in a wider survey. Details are here:
   http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/09/high-speed-rail-project-rates-low-in-voters-priorities-poll-finds#storylink=misearch

4. pat giorni

   October 8, 2011

   From the Oct. 8 Daily Journal…
   http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&title=Letter: California money for schools and seniors, not high-speed rail&id=110227
   Editor,
   A new Sept. 29 statewide poll (Probolsky) confirms California voters would overwhelmingly vote to spend limited state money on education/tuition, mentally ill, water, environment (75 percent) over a “high-speed train” between San Francisco and Los Angeles (11 percent). And 63 percent vote to end the high-speed rail boondoggle now and 61 percent said they would never take a high-speed rail train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The results are not shocking. Due to California’s bad budget, in 2011-12 we see: protests at UC and CSU from 26 percent tuition increases, lawsuits from cities/nonprofits due to state taking their money but releasing convicted felons into our communities, senior centers and state parks closing, raiding of city redevelopment funds, cutbacks in social services, etc. In contrast, high-speed rail cost estimates continue to rise to $67 billion-$100 billion and feds only providing $3 billion, with California liable for $97 billion and additional cost overruns. Call Gov. Jerry Brown at (916) 445-2841 and Treasurer Bill Lockyer at (916) 653-2995 to kill the boondoggle now.
   Mike Brown
   Burlingame