Fort Worth Streetcar causing a Scene

We have to give NBC 5 credit on their streetcar story last night, they said they wanted to get BOTH sides.  What a refreshing change.  They interviewed a streetcar saleslady and Fort Worth City Councilmember, Jungas Jordan.  Did he really say he is worried about the cost?  Wait, one more surprise, Mayor Moncrief says he is undecided on the streetcar. Really?  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram said he was talking to folks about the streetcar the city hopes to get.  Why would you hope to get a streetcar if you were undecided?
Check out NBC 5's story here.

Another good article on the Fort Worth Streetcar issue "What Fort Worth’s Political Class Means by ‘Financially Viable’ on Whoplanswhom.com brings up some interesting players in the game, such as HDR Engineering and are you ready for it, the COG.  (North Central Texas Council of Governments).  Imagine that.

Granted, part of the problem with this claim is the source of the funding for the study in the first place. The consulting firm, HDR Engineering Inc., is widely known for government transit planning and has a reputation to maintain among government bodies. If HDR began releasing findings that predicted the overall unfavorable consequences of government meddling, then HDR might begin to receive fewer government contracts.

Making this even more suspect, the original source of funding for the Fort Worth study came from the Regional Transportation Council, an arm of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), totaling approximately $1.6 million. Nearly one million dollars went to HDR. For those who do not already know, the NCTCOG has been on a tear in recent years to push for tolled lanes on existing free highways and for an extension of existing government-managed mass transportation.

So is it any surprise that the city council of Fort Worth and the NCTCOG got exactly what they paid for?