Posted on 04/29/2007 2:42:40 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The transportation issues facing Texas Gov. Rick Perry earlier this decade were so severe that it was faster to take back roads from San Antonio to Dallas than Interstate 35. That's akin to taking Route 60 to Pittsburgh International Airport from Downtown to avoid the Parkway West.
Perry pushed through a package of highway construction projects driven by public-private partnerships, similar to the long-term lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike sought by Gov. Ed Rendell.
Texas' decision to turn to private companies to build and maintain 4,000 miles of highways in key corridors was in response to a business and population boom. Highways were clogged and air pollution worsened.
"Doing nothing was not an alternative," said Perry, who spoke last week with the Tribune-Review.
Perry's Trans Texas Corridor project would cost between $145 billion and $183 billion over 50 years. In return, private companies that built the roads would keep toll money.
The average Texas toll is about 13 cents a mile. Pennsylvania Turnpike motorists pay about 6.4 cents a mile.
Rendell continues to push his plan to tax oil company profits and lease the turnpike, but key lawmakers say the proposal is lifeless. Most have concerns about the oil tax.
"I have been advised by people who really know that it may not be constitutional," said state Sen. Barry Stout, of Bentleyville, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. "If Rendell gets this thing through it would be tied up in court for years, maybe decades."
Perry likes Rendell's turnpike plan, as long as revenue is directed only to transportation projects.
"If Pennsylvania needs new infrastructure, new lane miles, and if all the money stays in the world of Pennsylvania transportation, then that's worth having," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
The only thing that is going to result from private toll roads is increased tolls and increased traffic on free alternate routes as a result of the increased tolls.
"Doing nothing was not an alternative," said Perry, who spoke last week with the Tribune-Review.
b.s.
it implies--wrongly--that toll roads would solve air pollution.
"doing nothing" never was the alternative.
it never mentions the real alternatives, such as raising the gas tax and building new roads.
Rick the RINO Perry is to Texas what every politician is to their states. Kinda like noses, everyone has one.
Noses is nice for what he really is.
Building toll roads in the traditional manner, and maybe outsourcing the toll-collecting and other maintenance to private companies is also a good idea. Government needs to keep in mind that toll roads are a public resource, and while from strictly a business perspective it makes sense to raise tolls to fund the bottom line, that will just end up screwing over the working poor and it will simply move the traffic problem to the free roads.
Privatizing the toll collection (or hell, require EZ-Pass) and maintenance on a government owned toll road will solve the problems with traffic and keep toll roads open as a viable alternate route for traffic.
Perry is either bought off or has shit-fer-brains underneath that blow dried 'do. Prolly both.
There is no reason on earth Texas cannot set up a toll road authority that will issue bonds, build roads and collect tolls to pay off these bonds
It's just plain dumb to have foreign corporations do what the State of Texas should be doing
First, toll roads are completely consistent with conservative economic principles. Why should the government being in the road building business? Why should taxes be used to charge people for their use of roads? Tolls are better than gas taxes because they place the burden of payment on the consumer of the services. You can't get much fairer than that.
The only thing that is going to result from private toll roads is increased tolls and increased traffic on free alternate routes as a result of the increased tolls.
No. Private tolls roads will get roads built more cheaply and more quickly than government roads.
Without tolls roads, the government just wouldn't be able to keep up with demand.
Oh, and one more nice thing about toll roads -- you can expect the owners to try and maximize road throughput. The more cars, the more money they make. That means they have an incentive to price the toll so as to avoid traffic jams.
Compare that with "free" government roads where everyone sits going nowhere in traffic jams while burning gasoline that they paid tax on for the privilege of driving on a government road.
The slower you go, the MORE the government collects!
The REAL reason people hate toll roads is that it exposes them directly to the costs of travel. Apparently most people would rather pay more money in hidden taxes.
Out of sight, out of mind, as they say.
Why?
You really believe the state should provide a service that private industry can provide?
Perry’s Trans Texas Corridor project would cost between $145 billion and $183 billion over 50 years. In return, private companies that built the roads would keep toll money.
Gee, I remember from my classes in American governement (long ago), that building and maintaining roads was the second duty of government--right behind providing for the common defense. Something must have change in the intervening years.
Oh, and don't forget their duty to provide food and housing and medical care, right?
I'm not disagreeing that toll roads are a good idea. Government should own the asset, but use, as much as possible, private entities to build and operate the road. The main reasons traditional toll roads such as the Penna. Turnpike and the TPNJ cost so much to operate is because government is charged with collecting the tolls and maintaining the roads. These government employees cost much more than private employees (some toll collectors on the TPNJ make 100k a year) that it raises the overall maintenance costs accordingly.
That means they have an incentive to price the toll so as to avoid traffic jams.
And where does all that excess traffic that doesn't use the toll road go? It doesn't disappear, it simply goes to the free roads which often parallel toll roads. This strains the local governments which own and maintain these roads. For example, the last time I crossed one of the bridges that connects NJ to Manhattan, I paid a $6 toll and the traffic was backed up immensely. Say these facilities were privately owned and the owner found out that if they raised the toll to $100, it would significantly improve traffic flow. Well, it does, because fewer people use the facility, but then other transportation infrastructure, such as PATH trains and the like, get overflowed with extra users.
Furthermore, because fewer people are using the asset because of the high cost, the owner will not have an incentive to expand the asset.
yes
I think welfare came later—LOL!
Go read the CAFR (comprehensive or consolidate annual financial report) for the PA Turnpike - it throws off over $300 million per year after all expenses are paid. Our corrupt PA pols stick the money into the general fund.
Rick Perry is not a conservative. Rick Perry is a numbskull.
i strongly disagree.
thanks for replying.
BTTT
bump.
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