New Transportation Secretary Nominated

[EmpireBuilderFan1976]

Bush has nominated a new Transportation Secretary. Of course she has to be confirmed by the Senate. I figured there had to be some sinister reasoning behind him nominating her. If you read the last sentence of the following article, you will quickly figure out what it is.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6090500524.html

 

[Sam Damon]

I didn't need to read the last sentence in the linked article. All I needed to read were the following words in the first graf, "former federal highway chief."

Intercity passenger rail advocates will have to hit her hard with facts from the start, if we want to see LD trains survive.

 

[Sam Damon]

While I'm at it, let's look at this quote:

Bush Proposes To End Federal Gas Tax
Jan 2004 -- Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Administrator Mary E. Peters wants to replace the 18.4 cent per gallon gasoline tax with interstate highway tolls or some other public utility revenue raising model. The current federal gas tax goes into the dedicated Highway Trust Fund for building highways. Of course, Congress would have to pass such a modification of the fuel tax.

Original source material here.

 

[EmpireBuilderFan1976]

While I'm at it, let's look at this quote:

Bush Proposes To End Federal Gas Tax
Jan 2004 -- Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Administrator Mary E. Peters wants to replace the 18.4 cent per gallon gasoline tax with interstate highway tolls or some other public utility revenue raising model. The current federal gas tax goes into the dedicated Highway Trust Fund for building highways. Of course, Congress would have to pass such a modification of the fuel tax.

Original source material here.

I really wish Congress would give Amtrak a set amount of money each year. With NO strings attached, other than the money must go towards upgraded equipment and expansion of routes. Lets say at east 2 billion a year. That would be somewhat of a safe guard from the potential damage a government official could do to Amtrak because of their own personal agenda.

 

[cbender]

While I'm at it, let's look at this quote:

Bush Proposes To End Federal Gas Tax
Jan 2004 -- Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Administrator Mary E. Peters wants to replace the 18.4 cent per gallon gasoline tax with interstate highway tolls or some other public utility revenue raising model. The current federal gas tax goes into the dedicated Highway Trust Fund for building highways. Of course, Congress would have to pass such a modification of the fuel tax.

Original source material here.

I'd say that proposal is at least half way correct. While I don't see a need to reduce the gas tax, I would have no problem with turning the entire interstate system into toll roads. These are already quite prevalent in the Northeast, and have very little downsides that I can see. If people are unwilling/unable to pay the tolls (which are generally quite small, and based on distance traveled), they can take highways, thereby reducing interstate traffic. If they are willing to pay the tolls, then additional revenue is collected directly from the users of those roadways.

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

I didn't need to read the last sentence in the linked article. All I needed to read were the following words in the first graf, "former federal highway chief."
Intercity passenger rail advocates will have to hit her hard with facts from the start, if we want to see LD trains survive.

You make a great point here, Sam. Although it is the "transportation secretary," position we're discussing, IMO it would really make sense to appoint an actual railroader to that position. In fact it is so true the majority of our citizens don't want to end their love affair with their cars! But it sure wouldn't hurt for folks to bombard her with the facts regarding Amtrak and its place in the transportation system! Seems she is already in line with her views on "privatization!" At least they appointed a railroader to the president and CEO of Amtrak. Now due to some of the circumstances as well as his background, that could be a very good thing or a very bad thing! That fact remains to be seen, however, I sense a bit of security with Amtrak right now with some other issues involved! So hopefully this means all will be better than it has been for a while. OBS...

 

[George Harris]

While I don't see a need to reduce the gas tax, I would have no problem with turning the entire interstate system into toll roads. These are already quite prevalent in the Northeast, and have very little downsides that I can see. If people are unwilling/unable to pay the tolls (which are generally quite small, and based on distance traveled), they can take highways, thereby reducing interstate traffic. If they are willing to pay the tolls, then additional revenue is collected directly from the users of those roadways.

The catch is that on some low volume toll roads the toll revenue barely exceeded the cost of collecting it, and for some did not even get to it. Also, the unbalance between automobile and truck payments as a relationship to cost of maintenance atrributable to each is usually made worse. Frequently toll is per axle or even a simple cars / trucks, so that a truck is paying between 1.5 and 2.5 times the car toll which is an even worse ratio than you get from the fuel tax. To be equitable, the big truck toll should be somewhere between 10 and 20 times the automobile toll.

Everything about this person says she will be the secretary of highways.

 

[frj1983]

While I'm at it, let's look at this quote:

Bush Proposes To End Federal Gas Tax
Jan 2004 -- Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Administrator Mary E. Peters wants to replace the 18.4 cent per gallon gasoline tax with interstate highway tolls or some other public utility revenue raising model. The current federal gas tax goes into the dedicated Highway Trust Fund for building highways. Of course, Congress would have to pass such a modification of the fuel tax.

Original source material here.

I'd say that proposal is at least half way correct. While I don't see a need to reduce the gas tax, I would have no problem with turning the entire interstate system into toll roads. These are already quite prevalent in the Northeast, and have very little downsides that I can see. If people are unwilling/unable to pay the tolls (which are generally quite small, and based on distance traveled), they can take highways, thereby reducing interstate traffic. If they are willing to pay the tolls, then additional revenue is collected directly from the users of those roadways.

While on the one hand I would have no problem with this(toll roads), it brings to mind a problem I have noticed here in Illinois. The toll fee went way up on January 1st(2005), and then I suddenly started seeing semi-trucks on highways where I had never seen them before...not just one but many(often in violation of roadside signs: "Not a Trucking Road"). To avoid the larger fees, truckers admitted driving off the tollways and down country highway and making traffic in those areas worse. While I avoid the Illinois Toll Road, as much as possible, I could see the havoc this would create(truckers trying to avoid new fees)...unless of course rules were passed and stringently enforced.

Sorry, back to trains, I wonder if NARP has an "infopack" that it can arrange to drop on Mary Peter's desk as she sits down for the first time.

 

[cbender]

While I don't see a need to reduce the gas tax, I would have no problem with turning the entire interstate system into toll roads. These are already quite prevalent in the Northeast, and have very little downsides that I can see. If people are unwilling/unable to pay the tolls (which are generally quite small, and based on distance traveled), they can take highways, thereby reducing interstate traffic. If they are willing to pay the tolls, then additional revenue is collected directly from the users of those roadways.

The catch is that on some low volume toll roads the toll revenue barely exceeded the cost of collecting it, and for some did not even get to it. Also, the unbalance between automobile and truck payments as a relationship to cost of maintenance atrributable to each is usually made worse. Frequently toll is per axle or even a simple cars / trucks, so that a truck is paying between 1.5 and 2.5 times the car toll which is an even worse ratio than you get from the fuel tax. To be equitable, the big truck toll should be somewhere between 10 and 20 times the automobile toll.

Everything about this person says she will be the secretary of highways.

The collection problem can be solved by implementing a radio tag system, similar to EZ-Pass. The tags are used throughout the atlantic coast (and aparently now in Illinois too). A single tag gets you through all tolls. The tag is linked to your credit card, and a computer sorts out which highway agency gets what money. The tags even work at high speeds. I went through a booth in Delaware a few weeks ago at ~50mph. The toll showed up on my bill just fine.

I'm not sure how EZ-Pass deals with trucks, but I have seen them using it. I assume that the toll is set to be proportional to the size of the vehicle that the tag is assigned to.

Providing an example of the size of the tolls from my recent bill:

Aug 4: Mass Pike; I entered at plaza 15 and exited at plaza 9. Total toll: $2.65

Aug 18: NJ Turnpike; I entered at plaza 16E and exited at plaza 1 (Delaware Bridge). Total toll: $4.35

Aug 18: Delaware Bridge: $3.00

Google maps says that my travel on the NJ Turnpike was ~115 miles. My car gets 30MPG on the highway, so I used ~ 4 gallons of gas. Tax on gas purchased in NJ is $0.184 federal + $0.145 state = $0.329. Four gallons cost me $1.31 in tax. That is considerably less than the toll. Even if I do the calculation with NY gas taxes (the gas was purchased in NY), I end up with $2.01 in tax.

Truckers (and others) may try to avoid toll roads at first. However, out here the toll roads are packed, even though there are alternate, toll free routes. The toll roads end up being the quickest (unless stuck in traffic), so that is what people take. I'm not sure how to keep trucks off of highways, except to vigerously enforce local "not a trucking road" laws. A ticket is going to cost the trucker much more than the toll.

Tolls can be effective. They just have to be sufficiently large, and well enforced.

Besides, anything to get more people on trains, right?

 

[frj1983]

Besides, anything to get more people on trains, right?

Amen to that!