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Houston Deserves a Congressman Who Supports Public Transportation

AND who Brings Tax Dollars Home

(HOUSTON) July 29, 2012:  When James Cargas wins the Runoff Election this Tuesday, the voters in U.S. Congressional District 7 will finally have someone on the November ballot that will support METRO funding in Congress.

The incumbent, John Culberson, claims falsely that the existing Main Street Light Rail (Redline) was a waste of money and that no one uses it.  The fact is that the Redline has more than 37,000 passengers daily, far exceeding all pre-construction estimates.  Despite its limited reach, it is wildly successful.

More Houstonians should benefit from an expanded light rail system that reaches outside the Loop and connects our many residential and business centers.  The quality of life benefits are numerous and include: reduced traffic congestion, reduced need to build wider more expensive highways, increased ease of getting around town for seniors and people without cars, decreased pollution, increased air quality, and much more.

James Cargas, candidate for the U.S Congress, 7th District, supports METRO and accepting federal funding that will make light rail expansion possible.  He stated,

“I believe that the Houston metropolitan area requires a comprehensive transportation plan that includes expansion of the light rail system as well as increased use of clean natural gas hybrid buses.  This is not LA; we do not need to keep widening our highways as the city grows.  Instead of spending time in traffic, we should give Houstonians the option of taking METRO to work.”

Representative Culberson, who Cargas is running to unseat, is actively attempting to dismantle METRO’s light rail by turning down federal funding and sending it to other states.  He is wasting federal funds by calling for more studies and audits of METRO’s finances.  “We need to start building and stop studying,” Cargas responded.  He continued,

“Can you believe that the current Congressman, Culberson, has worked hard to deny Houston’s METRO federal funding?  Do you know that funds denied to METRO are allocated to other states and lost forever? Furthermore, we don’t need to spend more taxpayer funds on studies or audits; we need to start building.  That can only be done when we have a Congressman bringing Houston’s fair share of transportation funds home.”

Houston deserves better.