Posted on 04/07/2007 7:00:29 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The growing traffic congestion in Texas is a multipronged problem that cannot be solved by one policy.
At a time when toll roads appear to be state leadership's primary answer to the dilemma, a bill proposed by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, has merit.
The legislation would index the gas tax to the Highway Cost Index, or the cost of highway construction over time.
According to Carona's office, the bill by 2030 would generate about $16 billion in gas tax revenue — or 31/2 times more than the current gas tax would.
Not only would more money be available for transportation infrastructure, consumers would pay less over time, according to Carona's office.
The cost to the typical driver in 2030 would be an additional $21 per month, compared to an additional $100 in toll and additional fuel costs if the gas tax remains static.
Texas drivers have gotten a cheaper-than-warranted ride for too long. The gas tax, a pairing of 18.4 cents in federal taxes and 20 cents in state taxes, has not been raised since 1991.
Tax bills must originate in the House. Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, has proposed a similar bill that indexes the tax to the Consumer Price Index, which rises more slowly than the HCI.
Both Carona and Krusee chair their respective transportation committees.
Lawmakers should seriously consider pursuing legislation that indexes the gas tax to the highway index rather than the consumer index.
Something must be done about the growing congestion on Texas roadways.
Toll roads are one of the cornerstones of Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor, a web of roads, railroads and communications and utilities lines scrawled across the state.
In some cases, privatized toll roads make sense. They provide upfront funding to build the necessary infrastructure. The speed this method can bring to launching a project is a crucial asset as the state falls farther behind its roadways needs.
But toll roads should by no means be the only tool the state uses to relieve pressure on state highways and byways.
An indexed gas tax should receive a fair trial.
I wonder if that was one of Sen. John Carona campaign slogans? It should be next election. Dallas FReepers, remember this republican who doesn't believe taxes are high enough.
The problem with that is, if you turn the whole interstate system in Texas into toll roads, Texans will essentially be paying twice for it, once already through taxes, then again through tolls.
No, the real problem is that the excise tax barely covers the maintenance on the roads we already have. Another problem is that fuel taxes do nothing to allocate the use of roads. You pay the same fuel tax whether you drive during rush hour or during off peak hours. Toll roads can and do charge more to drive during peak times. Ever try to catch a plane at IAH starting near downtown Houston during rush hour? The Hardy Toll Road is much faster and more reliable than either I-45 or US-59.
The toll roads around Houston have all been built ahead of schedule and well below budget. Compare that to publicly funded roads that are always behind schedule and over budget. Building new roads on new rights of way will be much faster and cheaper than piecemeal expansion of existing roads. Look at I-35. It has been in the process of being expanded from 2 lanes each direction to 3 lanes from south of San Antonio to Hillsboro for over ten years. In order to build the expansion, the whole road is being completely rebuilt, because the original layout doesn't meet modern specifications. There's the expense not just of building the expansion, but rerouting exiting traffic while the old highway is torn out, the right of way regraded, and each new section is built. It might be finished in another ten years. Unfortunately that extra capacity was needed 20 years ago. By the time the I-35 expansion is finished, it will be 30 years behind the need. After that expansion is finished, there isn't any room to build any more lanes except if they're elevated. You can build lots of lanes on new rights of way for what it costs to build each elevated lane.
The TTC corridors don't just have highway lanes, they also have double tracked freight rail. It will be possible to operate trains from border to border across Texas at 85 mph, because there won't be any grade level crossings. This will allow railroads to abandon lots of old single tracked rail that goes through cities and towns and have lots of dangerous grade level crossings. The old abandoned rail rights of way could be used to expand highways or be converted to commuter rail or other uses. The rail system in Texas is breaking down, and was never designed for the current population of Texas much less the population in 2040 when we'll have double our current population . The rail lines in Texas were laid out in the nineteenth century when Texas was sparsely inhabited, and most of it is just single tracked.
We can stick our heads in the sand and pretend that our current infrastructure with a few upgrades will be enough. The currently proposed upgrades to existing highways will be obsolete before they are even started.
BTTT
You didn't look hard enough. SA is a sanctuary city. The reason more people speak English is because SA is a tourists destination. All those Germans and Chinese need a common language like English to communicate.
Have any of the rail owners signed on to this project? Last time I heard, there were many conflicts of interest.
Yes, especially on the corridor that will parallel I-35.
One of these days the traffic density could fall to zero and stay there. All it would take is some Iranian hero with an itchy trigger finger.
Do you have a source? I can’t seem to find the one I was looking for.
bump.
The best way to do this thing is to make sure the entire gas tax is spent on roads. Then, there would probably be more trust from the people for raising it. In TX, that would require a constitutional amendment to redirect 25 percent from schools to roads, as well as redirecting the other misspent 20 percent to roads.
In theory, a gas tax is a great idea. It’s a tax on consumption, proportional to the amount of said consumption, and it promotes conservation.
The problem, as people have mentioned, is lawmakers diverting the funds.
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