Category Archives: roads

1 State. Filling Gas Tax Hole with Tax on Hybrid and Electric Cars. 3 Points to Know.

The state: Maine

The tax proposal: Fill the $168 million annual gas tax hole with a tax on hybrid and electric cars

What opponents say:

  • A tax on hybrids and electric cars is not enough to fill the $168 million annual shortfall
  • Bonds are a tool, but shouldn’t be relied on for road and bridge maintenance

Bangor Daily News | Contibution by Transportation Committee Chair | Taxing hybrids and electric cars alone won’t solve Maine’s road funding problem

Transportation Utility Fees. TX Cities impose it. More TX cities considering it.

Which cities impost a transportation utility fee? Austin, Bryan, Corpus Christi

How is the transportation utility fee imposed? On a water bill

What does the transportation utility fee mitigate? Lessens reliance on on general funds for roadway maintenance and improvements

What city is considering it & how much revenue is anticpated? Killeen anticipates $4.9million in revenue.

The Final Vote by Killeen? Killeen is a solid NO on transportation utility fee

Killeen Daily Herald…

LOCAL Gov. TREND. Road Safety. Mandatory Safety Classes for Cyclists.

The City: Sacramento, California

The bike safety proposal: Unsafe bicyclists would be sent to mandatory traffic safety school instead of fining the cyclists.  

The current fine for unsafe bicyclists: $5

The new propsoed fees:

  • $25 first offense
  • $100 for 2nd offense within 1 year
  • $250 for 3rd offense within 1 year

Sacramento Bee | Should rule-breaking cyclists be sent to bike traffic school?

 

Economic Impact of Transportation Funding in Texas. By the Numbers.

  • $60 Billion  TXDoT’s  5-10 year estimate to improve urban connectivity
  • $20 Billion  TXDOT’s estimate to improve statewide connections &  border-trade projects
  • $516 annual cost per car per year for poorly maintained road damage, but in Texas it is more:
    • $838 in San Antonio
    • $815 in El Paso
    • $772 in Houston
    • $716 in McAllen
    • $549 in Corpus Christi
  • $70.6 billion economic impact of tourism in Texas for 2014
  • 630,000 direct Texas jobs in tourism in 2014
  • $6 billion in state and…

Campaign TREND. 5 trending transportation funding methods.

The Colorado U.S. Senate race features candidates touting new transportation funding mechanisms like:

  • Cut agency costs to spend more money on road construction
  • the federal government should not fund construction on state roads
  • the feds should fund road maintenance of federal roads and return the remainder of gas tax revenues to the states
  • switch to a vehicle miles traveled taxing system
  • expand energy production to public lands and use the tax revenue for transportation

Denver Business…

Republican State Chooses Road Bonds. Gives Governor More Power.

HOW: South Carolina legislature chose bond funding for transportation by:

  • Allocating $216 million in recurring funding for $2.3 billion in bonds over 10 years
  • Freeing up state funds to repair roads, interstates, and bridges

WHY did South Carolina opt for bonding?

  • 399 deficient bridges
  • The Governor is granted more power to appoint trasnportation commissioners, removing power from the joint legislative panel that selects commissioners
  • The legislature had the backing of the state’s…

Revenue Source. Gas Tax Alternative. 4 Pieces Intel from the West's Pay as You Drive Plans.

Which state is at the forefront of pay by the mile policies? Oregon has pursued this option for  the last 10 years & charges 1.5 cents per mile driven with a gas tax credit

Which state begins a pay as you drive pilot program in July 2016? California
 

Why is California looking for gas tax alternatives for transportation funding?

  • By 2035, California will lose 1/2 of its gas tax revenue to fuel efficieincy
  • Federal Funding
    •  The FAST Act offers $95 million in funding availability to…

5 Ways Politics Get in the Way of Better Roads. Better Bridges.

  • By 2015 the federal transportation funding gap to maintain transportation infrastructure will be  $1.4 trillion gap
  • U.S. Roads fell from #1 in the world to #11

What and who is to blame?

  • President Obama blames Republicans
  • Democratic Congressmen blame the stimulus package
    • too little transportation funds
    • too long wait to start projects
  • Fear of raising the gas tax according to Transportation Secretary
  • Republicans say a lack of faith in the federal government makes it difficult to…