BlueIndy a bad deal now and forever, argues State Rep. Cherrish Pryor

STATEHOUSE – State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) today issued the following statement as the BlueIndy electric vehicle program begins in the city of Indianapolis:

“So the grand experiment begins without any of us certain where it will go.

“Of course, this is exactly what we all should have expected from the very first time our mayor announced plans to bring this ‘service’ to our city.

“While some of the more onerous aspects of this enterprise were stopped immediately—such as the bizarre proposal to dump the bill on utility ratepayers across 10 counties—we are still going to see millions of our tax dollars being used on an untested plan that no one is too sure will be used by anyone except an elite few.

“Funds that could be used to make our streets safer will go toward offering a select number of people in a few choice locations around our city a chance to ride in a dumpy little car.

“As I have said from the start of this whole affair, we are being asked to pay a good chunk of the freight for a program that has never been studied, and never been tried. I can think of better ways to be bold and experiment than this. Here’s a thought: Why not use this funding to make sure our police have the most up-to-date tools they need to keep us safe, like body cameras?

“For most of us, BlueIndy will mean the loss of tax dollars, the removal of prime parking spaces, and added inconvenience. And for what? Who will benefit from all this?

“If this is the legacy that our outgoing mayor wants to have as he leaves office—a fleet of cars slowing rusting from disuse—then he is welcome to it. The rest of us will be paying the price for years to come.”