June 9, 2008

Highway bond-doggle unlikely, now let’s stop toll roads

Posted at 9:22 AM by Chris Fitzsimon

The prospects for a transportation bond this session look dimmer and dimmer. A weekend AP story quoted House Speaker Joe Hackney saying he doubts that there will even be a discussion of a transportation bond before lawmakers adjourn.

The 21st Century Transportation Committee recommended that lawmakers put a bond of at least $1 billion on the November ballot to speed up the construction of highway projects. Thankfully, wiser heads are prevailing, pointing out that it makes more sense to wait until next year when the new governor and Board of Transportation are in place.

It also makes sense to wait until public confidence is restored in DOT before borrowing billions more for it to (mis)manage. Now if we can just get lawmakers to give up on building tolls roads this session too. Stephen Jackson with the N.C. Budget and Tax Center recently laid out the case against charging more people to drive here on The Progressive Pulse.

People paying four dollars a gallon for gas shouldn't have to pay extra to get to work. Not to mention that the money to build the toll road comes from the General Fund that ought to be helping struggling families with affordable housing and health care, not creating a big brotherish, high-tech, selective highway tax.

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2 Comments

2 Comments Add yours »

Rob Schofield 9 Jun 2008 9:36 am

Not to mention that we have GOT to start rethinking from 20 year-old plans to build endless sprawlways and get serious about things like smart growth and deemphasizing long distance commuting.

In case people had any doubts about the need to chart a new course, here are two items form this morning’s news:

1) Oil will soon top $150/bbl.

2) Even Bush seems to sort of get it: “We remind our friends and allies overseas that we’re all too dependent on hydrocarbons, and we must work to advance technologies that help us become less dependent on hydrocarbons,” Bush said on Monday as he headed out to Europe.

Bertha M.Holt 10 Jun 2008 1:59 pm

How about alamance County citizens paying for a Wake County toll road and then having to pay again to ride on it? Wow? first let’s get transportation in some sort of perspective for instance instead of toll roads ,how about a decent PUBLIC transportation system which is badly needed. B.lHolt

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