A call for help and advice: how do you fight city hall?

[ochazuke]

The powers that be in my city are on a capital improvements spending binge, putting in huge, unneeded bridges and four-laning roads all over the place.

Now, they've targeted a two-lane road that winds though a large public park and a heavily wooded river valley. They want to make it four to six lanes wide even though 90% of the route is residential with little traffic coming off or getting on the road.

Does anyone in DU land have experience thwarting such projects? There are hundreds and maybe thousands of people in this area opposed to the project, but the politicians, Public Works, and their hired consultants all think it's great, and us little people have no organized resistance.

Federal monies are involved in part of the project, so I think they have to do all sorts of impact statements and etc. But I suspect that they are trying to subvert or ignore public comment.

Please help!

[starroute]

1. Google is your friend

Partly it depends on where you live -- there may be organizations in your state that could help you out, or there may not. But start with a phrase like "anti-road" and see what you get. (A lot of it will be from England, where the anti-road movement is very active, but much of it will be closer to home.) Make a list of key phrases and organization names from the sites you find, and then look those up. Within two or three steps, you should be focusing in on groups that are either in your area or have done exactly what you're trying to do, and then you can contact them directly for ideas.

(There was a major movement a couple of years ago to oppose a road that was set to cut through a park, I think in Wisconsin. You're likely to come up with information on that, and you may find it's a useful model.)

You could also try the Green Party. Nader may be controversial here at DU -- but at the grass roots level, the Greens have some pretty good resources for environmental support.

Good luck, and please do report back on how it goes.

[ochazuke]

2. Brilliant!

I'm getting some interesting pages -- have yet to read them though. How can I keep "anti road rage" hits out of the results?

[starroute]

4. Enter "anti-road" -rage

Any word with a minus sign before it will exclude all pages that contain that word.

[TXvote]

3. The Court of Public Opinion

Talk to your local reporters. Hand them facts about impact, overspending, cronyism, anything they can use as a centerpiece to then gather public comment from the thousands that oppose this issue. Politicans will only sway when the papers and nightly news are showing public opposition. And get a lawyer. Anything you can do to get an injunction or hold on the project is a step in the right direction. An existing org may alredy be considering this. You need to buy some time or they will be out with bulldozers before you know it.

Best of Luck

[ewagner]

5. A couple of points that might help

First, there is absolutely nothing that raises the pucker factor in a local official like a crowded City Council Chamber. If, in dded so many people are against this, organize them (via telephone and neighborhood "coffees") and go to the City Council meeting en mass. Most councils have a provision for letting Citizens speak during the meeting, if not, put the hammer down on your alderman and get him/her to recognize you or your appointed spokesman. (After, of course, you have had your organized group call him/her individually to express your outrage and tell him/her you will vote for a blind newt rather than support him/her for re-election)

If Federal funds are involved, there are usually two requirements built into the grant award: Citizen Participation and Environmental Impact. Citizen participation is usually a small public hearing to which the City Government has to demonstrate that it has made a serious effort at outreach to obtain citizen input. Usually they just print the smallest legal notice of a public hearing to be held within the confines of a city council meeting. The EIS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT) must be available for public review and comment. If it has not been , then a letter to the regional office of the grant agency, (HUD, Dept of Commerce, etc)will stop the entire process dead in its tracks.

When I was a Mayor, my worst nightmare was to walk into Council Chambers and see the room packed to capacity when I didn't have a clue why those people were there. Fortunately, it only happened once. On the other hand, I have been on the other end and blindsided the hell out of the Mayor and Council and it was extremely effective.

Your last resort, as always is to get a bunch of your supporters together and run for city council as a block, or get behind somebody to run for Mayor.

At any rate, good luck to you.

[ochazuke]

6. These are great ideas

Thanks a lot and keep 'em comin'! I'll be showing your replies to my neighbors as a basis for a plan of action.

[Turboten]

7. Try This

cmorea:

First I am in the road "business", so I have a little experience.

If Federal funds are being used, try these items on for size. But I am going to make you do a little work.

1. For the park issue, try a search on "Section 4F of the DOT Act of 1966"

2. Attack the purpose and need statement on the EA/EIS.

3. Look up the difference of an EA and EIS.

4. Form a Citizen's Advisory Group. Again from experience they shut down a project here where I live.

5. Look at the projected traffic on this road, see if you can attack there methodology and if there is really that much traffic. The Feds will "generally" not approve a road if the traffic is not there.

6. If you really want to get nasty, by an AASHTO Green Book. This should be the BIBLE for your DOT. Warning this book is not cheap, but you will empress the hell out of them if you have one.

7. WRITE letters, call, this is a election year remember.

8. The Feds require a lot of public involvement, you can look on the FHWA website and look over their environmental section for this and other tid bits of information.

9. Last remember, I think it takes an average of 4-5 years for an EIS, people move, People get busy with their lives, keep up the pressure. The City will try to wear you down.

But beware, I have seen where a project was not done and the DOT/city just "forgot" about this road. Packbacks are a *itch.


good luck