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Can Congestion Pricing Help Fund Infrastructure?
For Construction Pros ^ | August 26, 2019 | Jessica Lombardo

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

Gridlock on America’s 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 nation’s 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 America’s roads.

(Excerpt) Read more at forconstructionpros.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Massachusetts; US: New York; US: Virginia; US: Washington; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: congestionpricing; construction; cordonpricing; england; fees; funding; i66; infrastructure; london; manhattan; massachusetts; newyork; nyc; tolls; traffic; transportation; usercharges; virginia; washington
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1 posted on 08/31/2019 2:20:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: BobL; oldvirginian; GreenLanternCorps; sphinx

PING.


2 posted on 08/31/2019 2:21:14 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Show me the people who own the land, the guns and the money, and I'll show you the people in charge.)
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To: All
Gov. Charlie Baker open to charging fees on ‘managed lanes’ to reduce traffic congestion (8/8/19)
3 posted on 08/31/2019 2:23:25 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Show me the people who own the land, the guns and the money, and I'll show you the people in charge.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Abolishing the organized criminal organizations known as “labor unions” could solve it in a hurry.


4 posted on 08/31/2019 2:24:47 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.")
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Problem with “congestion pricing” is it acts like people are choosing to all be in town at the same time. “Curse all these people working normal work hours!” All you do is punish people with less flexible work schedules, who are also probably lower waged.


5 posted on 08/31/2019 2:29:57 PM PDT by discostu (I know that's a bummer baby, but it's got precious little to do with me)
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To: discostu

congestion pricing

another tax


6 posted on 08/31/2019 2:35:33 PM PDT by rintintin
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To: discostu
That's a good point. On the other hand, I've noticed a gradual trend that has developed over time here in my metro area: Holiday, weekend and special event traffic on many major roads is now comparable (and in some areas, WORSE) than weekday commuter peak traffic.

The theory behind congestion pricing is really no different than what public utilities do when they charge more for electricity during times of peak usage.

7 posted on 08/31/2019 2:37:56 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

A tax on working stiffs


8 posted on 08/31/2019 2:38:19 PM PDT by hiho hiho
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

More jobs? More people working? More traffic congestion?

Trump’s Fault!

Gee. The roads were pristine and easy to navigate when 0bama was pres__ent!

*SMIRK*


9 posted on 08/31/2019 2:39:12 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden.~Alfred Austin)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“I see you have some money there. Give it to me.”


10 posted on 08/31/2019 2:39:45 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.")
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What would it be like if all of the illegal immigrants were out of the country?


11 posted on 08/31/2019 2:43:04 PM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
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To: rintintin

Taxes pay for infrastructure, there’s no getting around it. Infrastructure doesn’t magically appear.

How do you propose to pay for it?


12 posted on 08/31/2019 2:45:55 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: ActresponsiblyinVA

Now THERE is an important question!


13 posted on 08/31/2019 2:46:44 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: rintintin

Exactly and this phony pro construction rag of course likes any type of additional tax that will go to more construction contracts. Not too obvious is it?


14 posted on 08/31/2019 2:47:58 PM PDT by Okeydoker
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Start taxing the plug in electrics. Most of the road infrastructure is funded by gasoline taxes (or debt). Make the electrics pay a fair share.


15 posted on 08/31/2019 2:48:52 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: FreedomPoster

We already pay taxes for infrastructure. This congestion pricing is just a way to extort more tax money out of the driving taxpayers. Often it uses highway lanes that already built by taxpayers and are now going to be toll roads.


16 posted on 08/31/2019 2:49:56 PM PDT by Okeydoker
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To: Alberta's Child

Never liked peak usage pricing either. Again because it’s not a choice. I live in Tucson, it’s nearly 100 degrees right now. no matter what I set the thermostat to the AC’s gonna run most of the afternoon. Why should I have to pay more. Not like I have the option to move the house somewhere cool on summer afternoons. Off work traffic can be worse because the destinations tend to fewer. If you get away from the big retail areas you’re usually OK. And of course special events have a denser version of the work problem. 25,000 people all aiming for puck drop and all leaving at the final horn creates a traffic problem. I think the theory behind congestion pricing is that it sounds like it will reduce traffic, until people think about it just punishes a captive audience. It’s movie theater candy.


17 posted on 08/31/2019 2:51:24 PM PDT by discostu (I know that's a bummer baby, but it's got precious little to do with me)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

How inspired?
Clearly a visit to Londonistan!


18 posted on 08/31/2019 3:02:29 PM PDT by Ex gun maker. (Unconstitutional "Law" is void from inception.....)
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To: discostu
I live in Tucson, it’s nearly 100 degrees right now. no matter what I set the thermostat to the AC’s gonna run most of the afternoon. Why should I have to pay more.

It's called supply and demand. People lived out there before AC even existed, so it's not as if your electricity is comparable to food, water and oxygen when it comes to survival.

I think the theory behind congestion pricing is that it sounds like it will reduce traffic, until people think about it just punishes a captive audience.

Maybe, but it may also give people and their employers incentives to modify their travel as well. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adopted their own version of a "congestion pricing" model to encourage drayage truckers to pick up their loads during overnight hours. They imposed a surcharge on any transactions during peak daytime operating hours of the port and the surrounding highway system. The program was so successful that it sort of defeated the original purpose ... because now many of the terminals are seeing hundreds of trucks lining up to be the first ones through the gates the minute the surcharge period ends in the evening.

19 posted on 08/31/2019 3:04:02 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Thanks Tol,

Personally, I’d rather build the lane capacity and let people drive when they want, rather than having the state strongly ‘encourage’ people as to when they SHOULD be driving.

But maybe that’s because I won’t be on the receiving end of the HUGE amount of revenue schemes like this can generate for our government masters.


20 posted on 08/31/2019 3:11:26 PM PDT by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart - I just don't tell anyone.)
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