Posted on 02/25/2005 12:13:53 PM PST by calcowgirl
A legislative package that calls for the state to build more toll roads in partnership with the private sector, charge tolls in existing car-pool lanes and streamline the way it designs and builds new roads was unveiled in Sacramento on Thursday.
State Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak announced the makeup of the package Thursday, calling the "GoCalifornia" plan an innovative reform and revitalization measure for California highways.
"We're putting the 'go' back into California's transportation system which has stalled after years of neglect," McPeak said in a written statement issued from the agency's Sacramento headquarters. "GoCalifornia will help improve our roads and highways so people spend less time sitting in traffic and commerce can get to the marketplace without costly delay."
A transportation guru who helped shape the toll road portion of the package said Thursday he believes the bills are the state's best hope to begin solving its burgeoning traffic congestion and highway funding woes.
Robert Poole of the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank with ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and co-author of recent report calling for more toll roads in the state, said he believes the package is the state's best hope for easing congestion.
"The present system simply isn't working," Poole said in a telephone interview from a conference he was attending in Seattle. "This is the only chance we've got if we are going to have any sort of serious effort."
The state's pocketbook is empty when it comes to money for new road construction, Poole said, adding he believes people are willing to pay tolls to get to their destinations and that charging tolls for existing carpool lanes also can be a success. Some have argued that paying for existing carpool lanes amounts to charging state taxpayers twice ---- the first time to build the lanes and then to be able to use them.
"The vast majority of motorists can't use those lanes now," he said of existing carpool lanes. "This figures out a way to open them up to everyone and keep traffic moving.
Three lawmakers have introduced the legislation. state Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Pittsburg, introduced a bill that would allow the state to accept private sector investments and partnerships to build toll roads. It also would allow the state Department of Transportation to construct toll lanes on existing freeways for vehicles with two or more people and change the law to allow existing carpool lanes to charge tolls.
State Sen. George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, introduced legislation that would allow Caltrans to select a contractor to design and build a project under one agreement. That would replace the current system where the department designs the road and then awards the construction contract to a private firm.
The third piece of legislation sponsored by state Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, would allow construction to start prior to completion of all of a road project's design elements.
North County lawmakers were not ready to weigh in on the package. A spokesman for state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, said Thursday that the senator has not had a chance to evaluate the bills. The same was true for North County state Assemblyman Mark Wyland.
Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the business, transportation and housing agency, said the bills are all about cost-efficiency and improving transportation.
"These represent new ways of doing business to keep goods and services and people moving," Dorinson said Thursday.
Poole said he believes the legislation will fare well.
"This is a great step in fulfilling the promise the governor made when he said he was going to start a new era of highway building in this state," he said.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
AB 850 - Canciamilla - * Toll road agreements. - Introduced - 02/18/2005
SB 705 - Runner - * Design-build contracts. - Introduced - 02/22/2005
AB 1266 - Niello - * State highways: design-sequencing contracts. - Introduced - 02/22/2005
Very similar to what Texas is doing. Not exact, but similar.
"Public-Private Parntnerships". Socialize the cost, privatize the profit.
Of course it isn't, you've built few if any new roads in decades while the population exploded. BTW, I doubt the enviro's will allow any new roads anywhere they're needed anyway.
Still socialism, but for the wealthy..
Exactly. And you hear it all the time, anymore.
Motorists would be able to pay a toll to skip poky commutes, highway projects would be built faster and transportation dollars would be secure in two years, under a three-pronged attack on traffic congestion unveiled Thursday by the Schwarzenegger administration.
A major tenet of the "GoCalifornia" proposal calls for private investment to build new toll roads and so-called High Occupancy Toll Lanes, which are sometimes dubbed "Lexus Lanes" because they allow solo motorists to use car pool lanes for a fee that some say would limit access to those who can afford it.
Transportation Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak said the proposed moves will stem traffic jams and produce new toll lanes without costing the state extra money because private companies will front construction costs in return for a promise of toll proceeds, a practice already at work in Southern California.
(snip)
In his "State of the State" address last month and in his visits to newspapers in recent weeks, Schwarzenegger foreshadowed GoCalifornia. He made it clear motorists should pay higher tolls to use roads and bridges.
(snip)
In some areas, car pool lanes would be converted to toll lanes, with car poolers still riding for free. In other areas, new highway lanes will be added and tolls would be charged in the new lanes, McPeak said.
Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Pittsburg, who is carrying the toll financing bill for the governor, said the idea is to allow more public-private partnerships on projects such as new truck lanes on congested Vasco Road between Livermore and East Contra Costa County.
Commercial users would pay a fee to use private lanes, while the general public would still be able to ride for free but not have to contend with large, logy trucks.
"What we're trying to do here is create more opportunities than exist today to get projects up and running faster and not be locked into just one concept," Canciamilla said.
On the contrary, we've laid down plenty of additional lane miles these last several years, but we turned right around and sabotaged ourselves by painting those damnable diamonds all over them so only about 7% of the traffic can use them during the hours of heaviest congestion.
Just when the demand is HIGHEST the capacity of the system is LOWERED. NOW some whack-job comes out saying people should have to PAY to use those lane miles? Watch actual utilization fall below 3% during peak hours. Watch the toll money get raided by Sacredtomato to fund assorted busybody legislation and SIG-inspired programs around the state.
Thanks, no.
A more intelligent plan would start by eradicating the diamonds altogether thus freeing up the lane capacity to bear an even distribution of the demand. THAT would provide the basis for an accurate baseline from which to determine the need for additional capacity.
Widening and adding lanes is helpful but, my point is that new roads will be difficult to get past the whacko's.I thinke we've only had one new freeway in recent times and it was a toll road (in Orange county). BTW, I agree with you on the diamond lanes.
You summed up pretty much what I was going to say. Do away with the diamond lanes and get full use out of the existing roadway.
When this doesn't work, the dead-broke nanny-state will make all the lanes toll roads...just watch, you heard it here first
Existing lanes split 2-for-1 in all metropolitan areas...electric golf carts only within metro area (with thick, rubber bumbers all round). The only exceptions would be commercial trucks (huge toll & multi-million penalty for ANY injury or death to golf cart operator/passenger or pedestrian), police, fire & ambulance.
Citizenry could operate internal combustion vehicles only BETWEEN metro sectors (huge toll & pay at the pump liability for injury/death to cart operator/passenger).
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