Posted on 08/31/2019 2:20:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Gridlock on Americas 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 nations 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 Americas roads.
(Excerpt) Read more at forconstructionpros.com ...
“The reality of electrical generation capacity planning and construction means that a kWH generated at time of peak demand costs / is worth a lot more than an off-peak one. Its basic economics, thats why.”
Previously the technology to monitor everyones meter so they could charge demand rates was not available cost-effective for household customers. Now that it is, they do it because they are now able to do it.
From what I’ve seen of Virginia and it’s PPP’s handling congestion pricing, I would be more amenable to something like Maryland’s Intercounty Connector has, with a modestly higher rate for rush hours than for the rest of the day, but certainly not soaring to the moon, like on I-66 inside the Beltway during morning tolling hours.
When an existing highway lanes starts to be tolled, it is typically a lane that has HOV restrictions at least part of the time. There are exceptions, such as with Texas 45 SE, south of Austin, in which a general-purpose highway built with gas taxes was then basically tolled from the get.
Certainly anti-housing legal environment and politics contribute to this. California is way under-built, i.e., has a desperate general housing shortage after @ 25 years of such behavior.
But creation of housing far away from where new jobs are being created is the real cause of transportation gridlock. Whole new communities with light industry are needed, and that just isn't happening.
how about, congestion limiting, instead?
Wouldn’t congestion pricing increase congestion? Drawing those employers who can perk their employees’ fees while shutting out the little guys employees, with the side effect of even more government congestion. City govts that have enough employees to populate a medium town is never a good thing for the taxpayer. Put a cap on it. This is the size of our town/city and what our taxpayers can afford and tolerate; and you’ll have to locate your business/retail centers outside in the ‘burbs or the next town over. Just like any residential planned community.
The problem is really (a) the real estate industry and (b) the corporate world and (c) the political class which jointly all prefer job development to keep pilling up more people where there are already more people, instead of where population density is lower.
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