Posted on 03/06/2010 8:47:30 AM PST by Tribune7
As we ponder how to fight global warming (ho ho ho), become less dependent on foreign oil and get our economy back in gear consider that highway congestion costs us about $76 billion annually in wasted time and fuel, and the remember that our interstates are a bit behind in maintenance, according to Robert W. Poole, Jr., an M.I.T-trained engineer who directs transportation studies at Reason Foundation.
Washington taxes us 18.3 cents per gallon and there are those who would lead you to conclude that that is not enough since the maintenance shortfall is between $60 and $90 billion per year and the federal Highway Trust Fund tasked to pay for the work is in the red, $8 billion so in 2008.
(Excerpt) Read more at billlawrenceonline.com ...
Probably a lot more the 25%.
A couple years back Carl Levin was trying to get highway funds to save Tiger stadium. He wanted to put a bus stop in it to justify it.
Now we’re going to spend some 200 million out of highway funds in Michigan to build a fantasy railroad at the same time we’re letting some roads go back to dirt.
Just like with the Social Security fund. Washington takes the money to spend on other big government programs. Its time states paid for their own roads and confiscate the gas tax.
We could eliminate earmarks if we kept 90% more of the money in the areas where the revenue was generated to begin with.
There’s a ton of stimulus money being used for things the fed highway money should have been in place to provide.
Chop from here*Skim from there*
Oh dear, we need jobs* Oh, look, a highway is crumbling
It’s very silly when one looks at it....
One of my sons is a long hauler - up and down, back and forth across the country weekly.
He can tell when he crosses the state line into a long-time democrat ruled state - by two things: He should put of a kidney belt and there's a toll booth around every bend... and usually, due to state taxes of gas - much higher gas prices.
I can even tell when I'm talking to him on the phone! He uses a blue tooth ear piece with a background sound blocker. Normally, it sounds as though he sitting here in my house - then all of a sudden, loud noises rattling the truck - "I say, for example, "You just got into Illinois?"
"Roger that."
This is so typical of legislation in Washington. It always leads to scope creep and accompanying higher taxes.
you say “There’s a ton of stimulus money being used for things the fed highway money should have been in place to provide.”
WRONG!
the only thing the money has been used for is outrageously expensive signs that say, along the highways: “Your stimulus money at work” - but there is no WORK.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/17/senate-dems-approve-road-signs-that-tout-stimulus/
see one states signs
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/highway_signs_identifying_fede.html
Just the other day I read an article that said urban bus riders only pay about 20% of the actual cost. The rest of us pick up the other 80%.
I’ve been on a city bus exactly once in my 45 years.
“urban bus riders only pay about 20% of the actual cost”
This week I was behind an alternative energy powered bus that only had one passenger. Even if the fuel was free this still would provide a satisfactory ROI.
The difference in roads between Pa. and N.J. and Md. vs. Va. and N.C. and S.C. and Ga. & Fla. is noticeable.
Yep, it just goes into the big ole slush fund. Then it is doled out to what ever porkulus project. Same thing here in Kalifornia with any of the fees.
To continue a dream from a couple of days ago, the Restoration DoT Task Group would eliminate a great deal of regulation and reduce the staff to two groups: one to travel the freeways and highways to determine their actual condition, and one to contract for repairs based not on the lowest bid, but on the best combination of price, durability and weight-bearing capacity.
1. Federal Highway Tax Money should only go for Roads. Associated bike trails, walkways and sidewalks should only be paid for by states and municipalities.
2. We need to start a national project to make the National Interstate System to be 6 lanes (3 opposing lanes)on ALL interstates.
I work in the bus sysem’s maintenance department.
Back in the 1980s, Alabama’s idiot governor Fob James got a five cent gas tax for roads and bridges because they were all in such bad shape and needed repair. Only a couple of years later, ole Fob was back saying we needed a five cent gas tax increase to fix roads and bridges because they were all in such bad shape and needed repair. Too date, the roads still suck and the bridges are falling down. Wonder where all that state road tax money went??? For every road around here that gets repaved, 15 need it. There is one 10 mile portion by my home area that they paved the first 4 1/2 miles of it, ran out of money and it took 2 years for them to come in and finish the other 5 1/2 miles of the repaving. Why start when you did not have the money to finish it any way? They left one lane higher than the other because they repaved one lane for a couple of miles and did not finish the job.
I hope he plans his trip to spend as little time and money in those places. Starve the beast.
I can’t believe Alabama roads are as bad as the ones in the Northeast.
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