Tired Of Nichols' Diatribes Against Rail

Dear Editor,
    I am tired of Lee Nichols' diatribes against rail. His articles on the Red Line have been one-sided and critical, but his latest on the urban rail proposal [“Why Rail?,” News, April 8] is extreme in its bias. Randal O'Toole is a tool of the oil industry and receives significant funds from them, yet Nichols writes his whole article around his opinions. That's like writing an article around the extreme opinions of a tea partyer on social programs. O'Toole's articles are not published in peer-reviewed journals because they are full of lies and distortions, which have been refuted by several people. In addition, Nichols cites two local "road warriors" (anti-rail advocates), but does not even cite one legitimate rail advocate, of which there are many in Austin. (Mike Dahmus has been only critical of the Red Line.) How did this article make it past the editor's desk?
    I have heard from a couple of sources that Mr. Nichols does not understand the issues. The city is entering an important stage in our history with the upcoming bond election for rail. Please take Mr. Nichols off of the rail/transit beat and put someone on who is well-educated and informed on transit and rail in particular.

   [Lee Nichols replies: Pantell's letter inaccurately describes both my article and my position on rail. First off, I did indeed quote "legitimate rail advocates" – perhaps she overlooked the comments from Celia Israel of the Alliance for Public Transportation and Todd Litman. As for my "bias" on rail: You seem to be confusing my overall position on rail with my position on the Red Line. In fact, I was part of the Chronicle editorial board that endorsed both the failed 2000 light rail referendum and the 2004 Red Line vote, and have spent many years advocating for rail. However, as I've taken up the transportation beat and studied the issue more, I've come to realize that not all rail is good. As I noted in the article: When the Red Line runs over budget and serves very few people, it just plays into the hands of those who argue that all rail is bad. I would hate to see Austin make the same mistake twice.]