News:

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on what errors you encountered from the forum database changes made in Fall 2023. Let us know if you discover anymore.

Main Menu

Study: Roadways don’t yield sufficient gas tax revenue to cover upkeep costs

Started by cpzilliacus, January 30, 2015, 02:24:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

cpzilliacus

Washington Post: Study: Roadways don't yield sufficient gas tax revenue to cover upkeep costs

QuoteUnderstanding the traffic congestion that smothers Washington and most major cities is a simple numbers game: Since 1960, the U.S. population has grown by 135 million and the number of motor vehicles on roads has increased by 179 million, traveling almost 2.2 trillion miles farther.

QuoteYet the network of roads to handle those burgeoning numbers grew by just 15 percent during those 55 years. Already lagging behind the demand, and with hundreds of thousands of miles in need of repair, the roads will be asked to absorb a population expected to swell by an additional 100 million in the next 50 years.

Quote"Highways are incredibly important, but we have spent decades trying to solve every mobility need with big roads, and it hasn't worked,"  said Kevin DeGood of the Center for American Progress (CAP). "What we need is a system that provides people with real choice."

QuoteDeGood co-wrote a report, released Wednesday, that challenges the status quo in transportation thinking and debunks the belief that highways can pay for themselves while public transit cannot.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


Brandon

DeGood is full of it.  If you raised the tax, then they'd pay for themselves.  Ditto if you raise fares on public transit.  Ditto for toll roads (which is why they raise tolls every so often).

About his group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_American_Progress
Make of it what you will.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton, "Game of Thrones"

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg, "Monty Python's Life of Brian"

jeffandnicole

Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 30, 2015, 02:24:53 PM
Washington Post: Study: Roadways don’t yield sufficient gas tax revenue to cover upkeep costs

QuoteUnderstanding the traffic congestion that smothers Washington and most major cities is a simple numbers game: Since 1960, the U.S. population has grown by 135 million and the number of motor vehicles on roads has increased by 179 million, traveling almost 2.2 trillion miles farther.

QuoteYet the network of roads to handle those burgeoning numbers grew by just 15 percent during those 55 years. Already lagging behind the demand, and with hundreds of thousands of miles in need of repair, the roads will be asked to absorb a population expected to swell by an additional 100 million in the next 50 years.

Quote“Highways are incredibly important, but we have spent decades trying to solve every mobility need with big roads, and it hasn’t worked,” said Kevin DeGood of the Center for American Progress (CAP). “What we need is a system that provides people with real choice.”

QuoteDeGood co-wrote a report, released Wednesday, that challenges the status quo in transportation thinking and debunks the belief that highways can pay for themselves while public transit cannot.

His statement "we have spent decades trying to solve every mobility need with big roads" is incredibly false, because we have spent billions on mass transit over the past several decades.  In almost every city, there are additional bus lines, train lines, light rail lines, subway lines, etc, etc, etc. 

THAT is what hasn't worked: the Billions spent on mass transit. He needs to quit acting as if not a single penny has gone to mass transit. 

PHLBOS

GPS does NOT equal GOD

cpzilliacus

Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 30, 2015, 02:48:46 PM
His statement "we have spent decades trying to solve every mobility need with big roads" is incredibly false, because we have spent billions on mass transit over the past several decades.  In almost every city, there are additional bus lines, train lines, light rail lines, subway lines, etc, etc, etc. 

THAT is what hasn't worked: the Billions spent on mass transit. He needs to quit acting as if not a single penny has gone to mass transit.

Agreed.  Since the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law by Nixon (on 1 January 1970, the same year as the first Earth Day), there has been precious little mileage added to the U.S. freeway network.  The nation has spent billions building (mostly ineffective in terms of highway congestion relief) rail transit systems in a few lucky metropolitan areas including these (San Francisco/Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Portland (Oregon), Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Washington (D.C.), Baltimore and New York (City)).

And there are many other laws and regulations that apply when any state wishes to build a new highway, making it difficult to do, and in some cases a hazard to the careers of elected officials that must approve them.

Aside from New York City, I really question what good any of these systems have done, besides creating systems that will require enormous sums of taxpayer dollars to maintain and overhaul as they age.  Money that traditionally has not come from the patrons of these systems.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

froggie

QuoteHis statement "we have spent decades trying to solve every mobility need with big roads" is incredibly false, because we have spent billions on mass transit over the past several decades.  In almost every city, there are additional bus lines, train lines, light rail lines, subway lines, etc, etc, etc. 

THAT is what hasn't worked: the Billions spent on mass transit. He needs to quit acting as if not a single penny has gone to mass transit.

I think the more appropriate reason is *all of the above*.

Regarding the roadway portion of funding, Brandon is right...it could be done if the gas tax was raised.  But it would have to be raised by a significant amount if we wanted to make a significant dent...or wean local roads off of local property taxes (back of the envelope number for the latter suggest it would have to go up at least $0.60/gal for such).  As it is, it'd have to go up about a dime just to wean the Federal HTF off of General Treasury transfers.  But increasing the gas tax by any amount has been HUGELY unpopular politically.

NE2

pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

Brandon

Quote from: Moonbat on January 31, 2015, 04:00:55 PM
Quote from: Wingnut on January 30, 2015, 02:29:45 PM
About his group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_American_Progress
Make of it what you will.
They're the good guys.

Not necessarily.  There are no "good guys" or "bad guys" here.  You define them as "good" or "bad" due to your worldview.

BTW, two can play at that game.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton, "Game of Thrones"

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg, "Monty Python's Life of Brian"



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.