Posted on 08/31/2019 2:20:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Gridlock on America’s roadways is increasing, according to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute – in part due to job growth that is “exacerbating” the nation’s traffic woes.
As a result, over that 26-year period from 1982 to 2018:
Traffic has also increased in many cities due to widespread ride-hailing. Once Uber and others roll out autonomous vehicle fleets, calling a car will be cheaper, more competitive and a potential burden on our streets. Exploring congestion pricing may become more important as we move toward a future where both electric and self-driving vehicles are taking up space on city streets. A car is a car, whether self-driving or people driven — taking up a great deal more space than buses, streetcars or trains.
Due to changes in driving patterns, the costs of traffic congestion and maintenance backlogs are ever-growing and current funding models are not keeping pace with city needs. According to the National League of Cities, congestion pricing could help to solve the growing infrastructure crisis in American cities. By piloting new technologies like congestion collection systems, local leaders have the opportunity to find ways to sustainably improve conditions on and around America’s roads.
(Excerpt) Read more at forconstructionpros.com ...
PING.
Abolishing the organized criminal organizations known as “labor unions” could solve it in a hurry.
Problem with “congestion pricing” is it acts like people are choosing to all be in town at the same time. “Curse all these people working normal work hours!” All you do is punish people with less flexible work schedules, who are also probably lower waged.
congestion pricing
another tax
The theory behind congestion pricing is really no different than what public utilities do when they charge more for electricity during times of peak usage.
A tax on working stiffs
More jobs? More people working? More traffic congestion?
Trump’s Fault!
Gee. The roads were pristine and easy to navigate when 0bama was pres__ent!
*SMIRK*
“I see you have some money there. Give it to me.”
What would it be like if all of the illegal immigrants were out of the country?
Taxes pay for infrastructure, there’s no getting around it. Infrastructure doesn’t magically appear.
How do you propose to pay for it?
Now THERE is an important question!
Exactly and this phony pro construction rag of course likes any type of additional tax that will go to more construction contracts. Not too obvious is it?
Start taxing the plug in electrics. Most of the road infrastructure is funded by gasoline taxes (or debt). Make the electrics pay a fair share.
We already pay taxes for infrastructure. This congestion pricing is just a way to extort more tax money out of the driving taxpayers. Often it uses highway lanes that already built by taxpayers and are now going to be toll roads.
Never liked peak usage pricing either. Again because it’s not a choice. I live in Tucson, it’s nearly 100 degrees right now. no matter what I set the thermostat to the AC’s gonna run most of the afternoon. Why should I have to pay more. Not like I have the option to move the house somewhere cool on summer afternoons. Off work traffic can be worse because the destinations tend to fewer. If you get away from the big retail areas you’re usually OK. And of course special events have a denser version of the work problem. 25,000 people all aiming for puck drop and all leaving at the final horn creates a traffic problem. I think the theory behind congestion pricing is that it sounds like it will reduce traffic, until people think about it just punishes a captive audience. It’s movie theater candy.
How inspired?
Clearly a visit to Londonistan!
It's called supply and demand. People lived out there before AC even existed, so it's not as if your electricity is comparable to food, water and oxygen when it comes to survival.
I think the theory behind congestion pricing is that it sounds like it will reduce traffic, until people think about it just punishes a captive audience.
Maybe, but it may also give people and their employers incentives to modify their travel as well. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adopted their own version of a "congestion pricing" model to encourage drayage truckers to pick up their loads during overnight hours. They imposed a surcharge on any transactions during peak daytime operating hours of the port and the surrounding highway system. The program was so successful that it sort of defeated the original purpose ... because now many of the terminals are seeing hundreds of trucks lining up to be the first ones through the gates the minute the surcharge period ends in the evening.
Thanks Tol,
Personally, I’d rather build the lane capacity and let people drive when they want, rather than having the state strongly ‘encourage’ people as to when they SHOULD be driving.
But maybe that’s because I won’t be on the receiving end of the HUGE amount of revenue schemes like this can generate for our government masters.
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