A trust-us plan for rail

Before asking voters to fund light rail, shouldn’t commissioners be able to say how it will be built on Broward Boulevard out to University Drive, along US. 441/SR 7 between Commercial Boulevard and Sterling Road, and on University Drive from Sunrise to Nova Southeastern University?

Will the train take one or two lanes from these roads? Will it instead take their medians and left-turn lanes? If so, won’t more right-of-way be needed so that trains can pass one another? Where will the stations go? How many passengers are projected? Why are other systems losing ridership?

County Administrator Bertha Henry’s staff says all those details will be figured out later. First, they need the money, then they’ll do the studies, craft a plan and do community outreach.

Shouldn’t the community be consulted first?

A key lesson of the Wave is that a good number of people felt the plan didn’t make sense because of the route, the costs and the overhead wires. The county’s proposed light-rail plan — if you can call it that — feels like deja vu all over again.

Consider that the last time Broward proposed light rail down Broward Boulevard, Plantation’s then-mayor said “over my dead body.” Today’s mayor recently told us no one had discussed the idea with her. But Davie and Lauderdale Lakes leaders are clear: their residents don’t want light rail along 441 or University Drive.

So what happens if the county collects $4 billion for a light-rail system the community ultimately rejects? The money will be spent on other things, we’re told. What’s with that? Would a bank lend you gobs of money for something you may not build? Why should taxpayers be any different?