Posted on 06/25/2019 12:07:42 PM PDT by ro_dreaming
Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum (District K) offered the amendment, with the full support of Mayor Sylvester Turner, and it would have created an exploratory committee to research the new fee. “This is just an opportunity for us to look for another way to source some additional revenue,” she said as she rolled out the amendment. The amendment died because of a tie vote of 7-7 (two council members were out of chambers and couldn’t vote), but there wasn’t much of a discussion as to what exactly is a congestion fee and what commuters should expect.
(Excerpt) Read more at urbanreform.org ...
Is Houston an "old world city" (like London) - where the streets are narrow? No. We've already got one of the widest freeways in the county (I-10, west side).
I cannot wait until that idiot is voted out of office. However, with Houston electing a first-time official as the county judge (replacing a fairly effective Ed Emmett) who is now Linda Hidalgo (from Columbia) - this actually worries me a little that they'll keep Sly Turner as mayor/socialist/grifter in chief.
Politicians spend an inordinate amount of time devising new ways to sell our country back to us.
“Politicians spend an inordinate amount of time devising new ways to sell our country back to us.”
Why not?
The people tolerate it, in fact, they re-elect those that fleece them.
How to turn Houston into Detroit.
Step 1: put Democrats in charge.
The City of Atlanta was mentioning this very same thing recently. It’s what happens when every productive citizen has moved out of your stink-hole city. It’s Highway Robbery, LITERALLY!! That’s the best they can come up with to keep their welfare voter pets alive.
Northern Virginia has toll roads where the fee varies depending on volume of traffic. Lots of cars, lower toll. Fewer cars, higher tolls.
So is the Mayor suggesting putting toll booths on the most congested roads?
Because I can see where that might cause Houston to have to build a new City Hall on the smouldering remains of the old one.
That sounds like the exact opposite of Congestion pricing.
Democrats have ruined er run the city for decades. Very in bed with the property investor/developer interests
Hard to put tolls on interstate roads (I-45 and I-69)
Keep letting more and more people into the country... driving up housing prices and traffic and, then, come up with ways to financially punish you more. Enjoy.
A decade or two ago, I read that the most congested freeway in the US was in Houston. Don’t remember the name of it, but the article said rush hour there began at 3:00 AM. Evidently it’s even worse now.
How is the traffic situation in Houston. Are the streets similar to the abomination known as the Katy Freeway (which apparently is horrendously clogged in spite of the major widening project completed years ago)? Are most of the drivers during rush hour people commuting into and out of Houston from far-flung areas because the city proper is full of crinimals, illegals and non-English speakers?
If question 1 answers as “yes”, and question 2 answers as “no”, then a congestion charge might be appropriate, as long as some other taxes in Houston and Harris County are lowered as a compensatory measure.
Actually, it’s the other way around. As far as tolling goes, I would rather these “express lanes” use a tolling system similar to the Intercounty Connector in Maryland, rather than “congestion pricing.” I-66 tolls have exceeded 40 dollars inbound for a 10-mile stretch (> 4 dollars/mile) during morning rush hour, while the ICC’s rush hour pricing is a steady 22 cents/mile for a 16 to 18-mile road.
This seems to be the rage of larger cities. They want everyone that does not live in the city to pay for the infrastructure but un the end the money will go to something else like their slush fund for sexual harassment.
I would say that is not true, at least not for me. I drive mainly on 59 (I live in the Sugar Land area). Traffic is heavy at the height of rush hour, not so bad when rush hour is over. The evening one is about 3:30 - 6:30. Not sure when the morning one starts, but it is definitely not 3:00 AM. When I watch the traffic report in the morning at about 6:00, it is usually just starting to get heavy. Probably peters out by 9:00.
The worst traffic I was ever in was in Los Angeles.
Pilferribg funds for 90% pay pensions thanks to Lee Pee Brown
I’m a native Houstonian. I’ve lived in some fairly major (tourist) cities beside, Orlando and San Diego. I’ve visited most major cities (New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, etc.).
The worst two places I’ve experienced traffic was the 5/805 merge in Southern California, and Houston (could be 45, could be 59, could be Loop 610, could be 288). Right now, every - and I mean EVERY freeway in Houston is under some type of construction. The toll road Beltway 8, 610, 288, 45, 59/I-69, I-10, even FM1960/Hwy 6 and of course, the Grand Parkway/99 (which is 186 miles long, and as a toll road would cost you $28.00-ish to travel the length).
If question 1 answers as “yes”, and question 2 answers as “no”, then a congestion charge might be appropriate, as long as some other taxes in Houston and Harris County are lowered as a compensatory measure.
Government will never relinquish a finger of taxes, unless forced to by the people. Once government gets its hand on your wallet, it will not let it go.
Katy Freeway isn’t that bad - it’s 12 or 14 lanes across at the outer loop, and then drops down to 10 or 12. The problem is that when it gets to Hwy 6/FM1960, it drops to 8-10, and people don’t understand that the left lanes are for those staying on the freeway, the right lane is for those getting on/off. Plus, few know that you’re suppose to get up to speed, then merge. Most merge, then get up to speed (making those behind them hit the brakes).
So.... let me see if I get this right.... The more clogged up and less efficient the roads are, the more “tax” they will charge to the drivers/tax payers.
Sounds like there is some motivation here to make the problem worse, as an increasing revenue source.
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