KC Votes "No" on Streetcar expansion

[spuwho]

This wasn't a vote against streetcar specifically, people saw it for what it was, a taxing district to justify BRT. They said "no".

Per Trains NewsWire:

Voters defeat Kansas City streetcar expansion in primary election

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Voters in a primary election have rejected a proposal that would have funded an expansion of the starter streetcar line while construction of the new Kansas City streetcar project begins this week, the Kansas City Star reports.

More than 60 percent voted "no" on Question A, which asked voters to approve the creation of the "Kansas City Urban Rail Transportation Development District" which would have established a new taxation district to manage streetcar system expansion as well as the acquisition of new vehicles to establish a bus rapid transit line.

"Finally, the city can get back to the business it should have been doing and attend to the things that are important," says Sherry DeJanes, a Kansas City lawyer that leads the opposition to the streetcar project.

Disappointed at the results of Tuesday's vote, Kansas City mayor Sly James assures the public, "We're not going to let the starter line be the end of the line for this thing," James says. "It's ridiculous to think that."

The mayor had campaigned hard to expand the streetcar beyond downtown to the city's east side and take advantage of matching federal grants while they are available.

Tuesday's vote also squashed a statewide sales tax initiative that would have funded transportation projects including highways, bridge infrastructure, and transit.

The downtown Kansas City streetcar is a two-mile "starter" line connecting Union Station with 16 additional stops in the city's central business district. The line will be operated by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, and is expected to begin carrying passengers in 2015.