Posted on 01/08/2007 5:20:43 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Which is where both you and he go wrong. Merely because you live in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean that you don't benefit because cities have good roads. I guarantee that your food is warehoused near some large city, or passes through one in transit, or the workers that process it live there. Good free roads in cities mean you pay less for everything in life, even if you don't live there.
The economic performance of Houston helps even someone living in Brownsville or Waco or Pecos.
First, transportation costs are relatively small.
Second, there are but a few roads that are tolled and they are mainly local commuter roads
When it comes to the TTC, that is one of the mains reasons for tolling.
I don't recall the actual number, but probably close to 80% of NAFTA traffic goes thru Texas. If and when asian freight traffic is brought thru Mexico, a large percentage of that will be going thru Texas.
Texas is providing roads for 80% of the inbound and outbound freight for the entire nation. Except for an environmental study, the feds are not paying for any of this.
Tolling these trucks is entirely appropriate.
But that's not the proposal. The TTC is a virtual parallel replacement for existing freeways all over Texas. The NAFTA traffic you mention would be isolated on only a couple of roads. In particular, the northbound traffic passes through Oklahoma, and there is no panic in Oklahoma to toll booth I-35 in order to siphon money from Mexican traffic.
First, transportation costs are relatively small.
Then why cut off the inevitable development and the tax revenue that brings alongside free roads just to recoup costs of building brand new roads with tolls? I've brought up the subject of the Turner turnpike in Oklahoma (I-44) before, and how development is following I-35 north, but not following I-44. On the Tulsa end of the turnpike, there is development, but only because there is a free road to Sapulpa that parallels the turnpike.
Arizona has discovered that borrowing money and building freeways *before* there is a demand on that route, brings in development money and people from other places to enjoy the new city. The additional tax money pays off the freeway debts and you're left with civilization where there used to be desert.
Turnpikes are a method to extract money from an existing traffic load, while guaranteeing that major cities at the terminus of the toll road have transportation. They also guarantee that small towns along the route suffer the pollution and noise from the road, but do not share in business from that road, because people tend to stay on toll roads once they get on them. In other words, toll roads are a way for big cities to screw the people in small cities.
Oh, yes, never forget that double billing of gas taxes while driving on a road you paid for with tolls.
All these years later, without a doubt, not tolling the interstates had proved to have been a mistake. We now have a huge capital investment that is worn out and inadequate. The cost to repair and upgrade, as well as the chaos of repair and upgrade, make it unfeasible.
If they had been tolled, they would be in much better shape and form today.
As for AZ, you are paying for your roads with a half cent sales tax, a fuel tax substantially higher than that of Texas, lottery money, and borrowing to the hilt. The pol justified using the Rainy Day Fund for roads saying, "its raining cars and trucks".
By all accounts, AZ has traffic problems. I realize that you try to discount this but then your just a okie.
That turnpikes in Oklahoma, built around the same time as the Interstate highways, are not in good condition. Worse, the government lied when they claimed that tolls would be lifted when the turnpikes were paid off. Typical greedy government.
paying for your roads with a half cent sales tax ...
I posted links earlier on the total state tax burden, showing Arizona in the bottom half of the states, and only %0.7 higher than Texas. If that's what it takes to avoid the massive traffic issues of Houston and I-35, and avoid paying through the nose on turnpikes, I'll take it.
Just what is your agenda BF? You know too much about roads, and care about this issue too much to not have one.
I've admitted my agenda, I hate toll roads and refuse to drive on them. So what's yours?
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