Search

  • Google



« DOT moves U.S. High-Speed Rail closer to reality | Main | NHTSA proposes consumer-friendly tire efficiency labeling »

June 18, 2009

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e551eea4f58834011570317d37970c

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Let's face reality on the Highway Trust Fund, not rush comprehensive legislation:

Comments

A great approach to a real issue facing us this at this very moment. Get it done, Mr. Secretary. And thank you.

I agree that we can't and shouldn't go through this every year. But why does that mean that we have to have yet another "emergency cash infusion" this year? Isn't there still time to do something easy and long-term, like increase the gas tax, which hasn't been raised to keep pace with inflation for years?

I don't see another cash infusion as leading towards a long term solution. I see it as a recipe for yet another cash infusion next year, just like with the AMT "patch" every year.

I understand the concern about raising gas taxes in a recession but a good case can be made why this is the idea time to raise gas taxes.

As a result of high gas prices last summer and the recession, vehicle miles travelled have already started decreasing. People have already proven they can adapt quickly to high gas prices so the impact of an increase in the gas tax will be minimal.

By decreasing gas use, a rise in the gas tax will mean that more of the money that people spend will stay in the US economy. This will speed the recovery. Reducing gas use could also help prevent larger price increases during the recovery which could stop the recovery in its tracks.

An increase in the tax will send a strong signal to both consumers and the auto industry that smaller, more fuel efficient cars are the wave of the future. Consumers will be more likely to purchase smaller cars during the recovery and manufacturers will feel more confident in spending the billions of dollars required to develop fuel efficient cars.

Higher gas taxes will also encourage developers to build denser walkable mixed communities that are closer to city centres and people will be more likely to purchase such housing. This will help further reduce gas usage.

The recent reduction in driving has led to lower traffic fatalities and I assume fewer injuries as well. This reduces both suffering and health care costs. At a time when the President is trying to find health care solutions, this seems like an ideal time to make the link between driving and health care.

The other risk of delay is that this will move the debate too close to the mid term elections making raising gas taxes more problematic. If the decision is delayed until after the mid terms, there may no longer be the political support in Congress for higher gas taxes and transportation reform.

we dont have 18 months -- the need is now and real.

I think it is very risky to delay the tranportation bill for 18 months. We need real reform and we need the proposed $50B to truly implement high speed rail. In 2011, if republican even pick up a couple senate seats, the political will for change may be gone or seriously diminished. I just am always dumfounded how little priority transportation is given in this country. It is always at the bottom of the list. It would be a terrible shame if we blow the chance to really start to construct a high speed rail system (13B is really not enough to do even one line).

Mr. Secretary,

While I support raising the gas tax to help keep this fund solvent and discourage excessive driving, I think it is possible that the general shift to more efficient vehicles and less driving will mean that higher gas taxes will not bring much higher tax revenue so the fund should seek other means of revenue generation. I would suggest increasing taxing heavier vehicles.

The CAHSR project is going to need
some real big Federal funds by 2012..so an 18month delay may hurt our projects timelines.

I hope that USDOT will re-examine the environmental review process.
The intent is well founded, but its execution on projects of all scales needs to be significantly improved & streamlined. When funding is so tight, we can't afford these inefficiencies in project delivery.

I understand the huge undertaking of road construction, but it always seems to take so long for anything to get done. I know it already is a huge expenditure but I wish it could be done faster. It ends up just hurting the citizens by taking up huge amounts of time.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.

Subscribe

  • E-mail updates
    E-mail updates
  • RSS feed
    RSS feed
Bookmark and Share
Add to Technorati Favorites