Posted on 08/31/2019 2:20:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
“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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