CA has the worst roads in the nation and they continue to deteriorate. We have to fix them NOW. The nonsensical "pay as you go" proposal would not correct the problem. An analogy -- do you borrow and buy a house, than pay on the loan, while using the house and living in it or do you think it's smart to buy a few bricks and build it a few bricks at a time -- and maybe finish it in 40 years? Where would you live in the meantime?
CA roads are in horrible condition. Anyone who drives can see that daily.
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California Tops the List of Worst Roads in the Nation
http://www.allstays.com/Features/CaliforniaWorstRoads.htm
Dec. 27, 2001--California's rutted, cracked and neglected roads now rank at the bottom of all 50 states in roadway quality and per capita dollars being spent to improve them, according to a new study from Transportation California.
Last year the state's roads were third worst in the nation. With 37 percent of 168,000 miles of state and local roads rated poor, the state has fallen to dead last on the list, according to The Road Information Program, which prepared the study. Other states in the bottom five were Louisiana, 27 percent; Massachusetts, 25 percent; and New Jersey and Missouri, 21 percent.
``A generation of underinvestment in California's streets, highways, overpasses and bridges has resulted in a shameful deterioration of what once was a showcase transportation network,'' said Larry Fisher, executive director of Transportation California, the state's leading transportation advocacy and public education organization.
Used to live there. Every time I visit these days, the roads are even worse. But I question whether the solution is more borrowing. The problem is the legislature spends money on its silly leftists pet projects and nothing on what the people want. Seems to me all the borrowing approach would do would be to let the leftists satisfy the clamor for better roads without sacrificing any of their pet programs. Make them choose. Make them run on more medicaid instead of repaired roads. We just allow them to hide their irresponsibility by fixing one of the apparent problems that people actually see and care about.
Yes, many of the roads are in poor condition.
Huge amounts of money are collected to go to the "roads" already in various taxes. Much of it never makes to the claimed cause. In addition huge amounts of money are spent on endless environmental reports/projects on our roads that make simple projects needlessly complex and expensive. It is about time we spent out money more wisely instead of trying to throw more money at it just like we do our schools.
The politicians always short our our roads and law enforcement (direct the funds elsewhere) because they know they can always go back for more. I'm tired of it.
Sorry, that's nonsense. Take a drive through southwestern PA if you want to see bad roads.