In the time of unstable international energy markets, GHG emission knowledge, and the effects of global warming, it is especially surprising that there has been little if any federal response, and that State, Regional and Local governments have been so slow to act.

Many believe it is politically impossible to implement, but given the indifference of many state, regional and local officials towards incresed transit aspirations, not to mention intercity rail, it would seem appropriate to end the 50-year fixation with highway spending (much of which is wasted on chasing sprawl in a race that cannot be won) and redirect all existing federal funding to transit projects. Under this approach, only system maintenance and ITS would be elegible for federal highway funds. State, regional and local officials could then direct their efforts to raising revenues from their electorate for highway projects, and the tables would be turned in favor of transit spending.

And, while we read daily about the gridlock in the air traffic control system, it’s especially surprising that few have made the intellectual connection to an obvious ingredient in the solution to air traffic congestion–rebuilding the inter-city rail network and infusing far more funds into AMTRAC and regional rail networks, thereby reducing demand for shorter-distance flights.

On the matter of the gas tax, one wonders what sort of citizens we are who numbly and passively shell out dollars for fast increasing gasoline and diesel prices of $1 or more per gallon (most of which leaves the country), while screaming like stuck pigs if someone suggests increasing the gas tax or other taxes/fees by 5-25 cents to invest in our own infrastructure!

With respect to G.Dutch’s observation on the spending for TOD developments: I understand why those decisions were made- to provide attractive residential alternatives as an incentive to choose a TOD lifestyle. But I think you are right, the general public won’t make that connection.So if we cut off the free ride to the country, and then the public decides it does want TOD or to stay close to city centers, then it will be up to the development community to respond to that market pressure. After all they have been making money “hand-over-fist” at the expense of the public in terms of what it will cost (in both dollars and political capital) to fix our infrastructure. When the profit potential arises, the developers will be there!

Fred Jandt’s statement about the US not “in desperate straits” needs a bit of work, if one looks at the full picture of water, sewer infrastructure, electrical distribution, etc. THEN add road maintenance like potholes, crack sealing, drainage, repaving, safety striping. Add bridges & tunnels. Now we are getting close to the size of things… New roads are things politicians can put their names on, not rehabs and upgrades and retrofits and relining tunnels and replacing electric transmission lines and, er, rebuilding bridges.

In 1985 this writer concurred with an article in the Sacramento BEE stating the infrastructure problems of CA, beginning a thinking process with the following result: The basic infrastructure/transport rehab is not achievable without attention to a methodology that looks at something like the Military “Second Dimension Surface Transport Logtistics Platform”. Again, looking at the WWII mode, we suspended the rush from railway based commerce during the big war, using every mile of branchline, interurban track and creaky piece of equipment, -so that- we could focus commerce best utilizing highways to highways, and that which could or recently had been rail-hauled, went back to rail haul for the duration. Now we are faced with a similar crunch, this time an energy crisis coupled with need to upgrade infrastructure including massive alternative transport upgrades. Somewher in all this, the need to rehab and extend railway capacity & reach, connected to renewable energy infrastructure growth, seems obvious.

Where, in the forest of bright young staffers, glued to their respective presidential wannabes, are the rail savvy men & women that will diligently study the methodology of railway operation and distribution, so necessary to “keep ‘em rolling” thru the daunting task of infrastructure repair & modernization facing our dear country? Railroad corporate executives need to allow time from the golf course and the other perks of their exalted status, to get in touch with the MBA’s of tommorrow, and recent grads too- explain how the rails work, and why they must grow with all due haste…!

As an example of the misuse of revenue, in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has spent $45 Million in gas tax revenues on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) consisting of constructing 16,000 apartments in high density housing projects. The $45 Million was just for building the apartments alone and none of it went to buying transit vehicles or maintenance facilities.

Here in California, the voters are not at all pleased with the idea raising gas taxes or implementing “congestion pricing” when they know that the money has been (and will be) siphoned off for TOD projects instead of highway construction or maintenance.

If the misuse of funds collected from gas taxes keeps up, it’s a sure bet that the voters will rebel with another “Prop 13” style initiative that will cut off all financing for transit.

http://www.artba.org/economics_research/reports/gas_tax_history.htm

Moreover, we need to invest in maintaining and improving the infrastructure we have today before we start building even more lane miles.