Posted on 11/04/2016 1:09:26 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
They may not ride in crammed trains or carry angst over potholes but feuding presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both want to fix America's infrastructure.
The focus on improving public transit and highways couldn't come soon enough for local commuters, say two experts.
"There is a desperate need to invest more into mass transit in Chicagoland," Regional Transportation Authority Chairman and former state senator Kirk Dillard said.
"Most states significantly assist in the mass transit arena, but that is not the case today in Illinois," Dillard added, noting New York City budgets about $196 per capita on mass transit compared to $80 here.
Republican Trump promises to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure over 10 years. Democrat Clinton proposes allocating $275 billion over five years and creating an "infrastructure bank" that could offer $225 billion in loans for local projects. Neither candidate has offered specific details on how to pay for their programs.
Trump, though, says his plan would be revenue-neutral and supported by leveraging "public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives."
Clinton says she will use business tax reforms to raise revenues.
"What concerns me is that both candidates have spent a limited time talking about transportation," Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett said. "We need roads and we need a strong highway system, but we also need improved and expanded transit options and options for walking and biking."
Clinton's overall infrastructure agenda includes clean water, high-speed internet access and clean energy. She is promising to fix deteriorating roads and reduce gridlock, invest in commuter rail, and speed up installing "NextGen" satellite technology to move air traffic more efficiently.
Trump has a broad infrastructure plan seeking to ensure clean drinking water and expand energy projects such as the Keystone pipeline. He intends to repair dangerous bridges and upgrade "Third World" airports. "No one can build better than I can; nobody knows construction like I do," Trump told FoxBusiness.
Whoever is president needs to resolve the decline in gas taxes, which fund transportation, caused by more fuel-efficient cars hybrids and electric vehicles, experts say.
That trend means that while the Illinois tollway can pay for a massive road-building program, the state is hard-pressed to modernize vital corridors like the Eisenhower Expressway, Barrett said.
"It doesn't make sense that we are limited in thinking about what the region needs based on whose turf you are talking about," Barrett said.
Dillard worries the GOP Party platform proposes phasing out transit funding but noted that Trump disagrees with his fellow Republicans on that issue.
Both candidates, Dillard said, "understand the need for mass transit and how a new generation of workers lives in a world of mass transit, Uber, Lyft, Zipcars and Divvy bikes."
When the Feds contribute $80 to mass transit, $73 of that goes into a sinking union pension fund.
Socialists. They never stop wanting someone else to take care of them.
And they, of course, never stop wanting to take care of you.
Is that the President’s job?
Trump doesn’t care about potholes? There isn’t a NYer alive who doesn’t despise potholes - I’m sure his limo has taken lots of hits on cross streets. That’s how bad they can be. Hillary doesn’t even know what a pothole is and Huma is no longer there to tell her.
Huh?
I hadn’t thought of the commute aspect to the election. Fewer jobs mean less people driving to work and less traffic. My commute could be a nightmare if Trump wins.
Good grief! I don’t need the President of the United States to be worried about my freaking commute!
This is a local issue. The FedGov should focus on other things.
They don’t want to take care of you so much as they want to tell you how you should live.
Whoever is president needs to resolve the decline in gas taxes, which fund transportation, caused by more fuel-efficient cars hybrids and electric vehicles, experts say.
A vote for Hillary is a vote for lighter traffic. Commutes will be easy when no one is going to work.
I work from home, so my commute is great.
Doesn’t matter, not a president nor government’s job.
KYPD
Do these people not have state and local officials?
He isnt running for mayor of your town.
Trump ...fix and upgrade roads.
Hillary... what’s left after payoff to unions an local pols, build walking paths, solar powered mass transit, bullet trains, an oh..little bit for Hilly.
And in 4 years, Dems will be back at the trough demanding we spend even more because not one bridge got fixed
A cheap and quick improvement would be to get rid of HOV.
People stupidly relying on the nanny state to fix every problem is exactly why this country is in a massive debt and political corruption mess
Local rights, local power, local responsibility
They’ll make the trains run on time
Commuting is a local problem to be solved by local pols that steal from peter transportation to pay paul personalenrichment
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