Comments on: House GOPers Propose Filling Trust Fund With Stimulus Money http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Charles Siegel http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/comment-page-1/#comment-70691 Charles Siegel Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:39:08 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=6491#comment-70691 "It would be a good idea to put money into the FHTF because it is a long term program that will support highways, roads and mass transit throughout the United States." Americans would be better off with much LESS transportation. The average American travels twice as much now as in the 1960s, largely because of sprawl patterns of development, and there is no advantage to putting in all these extra miles on the freeways. We would be better off building more compact metropolitan areas where people don't have to travel such long distances. Clearly, we do need to spend much more on public transportation, because we have neglected it for many decades and because it helps to generate walkable neighborhoods that reduce the need for transportation. But it is a mistake to think that we should to expand transportation infrastructure in general. Thus, it is a mistake to assume that we are better off spending more on transportation overall. Even on streetsblog, people seem to assume that it an improvement for the new TEA to spend much more than the TEA it is replacing, regardless of how much of that money goes to transit and how much to freeways. That seems to be the key error in this debate. “It would be a good idea to put money into the FHTF because it is a long term program that will support highways, roads and mass transit throughout the United States.”

Americans would be better off with much LESS transportation. The average American travels twice as much now as in the 1960s, largely because of sprawl patterns of development, and there is no advantage to putting in all these extra miles on the freeways. We would be better off building more compact metropolitan areas where people don’t have to travel such long distances.

Clearly, we do need to spend much more on public transportation, because we have neglected it for many decades and because it helps to generate walkable neighborhoods that reduce the need for transportation. But it is a mistake to think that we should to expand transportation infrastructure in general.

Thus, it is a mistake to assume that we are better off spending more on transportation overall. Even on streetsblog, people seem to assume that it an improvement for the new TEA to spend much more than the TEA it is replacing, regardless of how much of that money goes to transit and how much to freeways. That seems to be the key error in this debate.

]]> By: Cap'n Transit http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/comment-page-1/#comment-70681 Cap'n Transit Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:29:28 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=6491#comment-70681 <blockquote>Congestion pricing is very unfair to the businesses (especially the street level businesses) that would be within the CP area.</blockquote> No, no, this has been debunked a thousand times during the congestion pricing debate. Do we have to see these uninformed statements repeated over and over again?

Congestion pricing is very unfair to the businesses (especially the street level businesses) that would be within the CP area.

No, no, this has been debunked a thousand times during the congestion pricing debate. Do we have to see these uninformed statements repeated over and over again?

]]> By: kmc http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/comment-page-1/#comment-70671 kmc Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:24:46 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=6491#comment-70671 The problem with having more local control is finding a way to pay for it. I do not support creating any new fees or taxes by the city or state to pay for any new mass transit initiatives. Congestion pricing is very unfair to the businesses (especially the street level businesses) that would be within the CP area. The best thing to happen is for there to be more cooperation and communication between local and Federal government. The reason why the Federal government is so involved in the highway system is because of the military. The military is why the national interstate highway system was built out in the 1950s. You are not going to see the Federal government back out of having control over the highway system. Another thing is the Federal government has access to more money than states. Acually, the Fed prints it. We'll see what happens. Privatization is still on the table. And since the banks are getting back on their feet, you'll see them getting back into the game of buying infrastructure. The problem with having more local control is finding a way to pay for it. I do not support creating any new fees or taxes by the city or state to pay for any new mass transit initiatives. Congestion pricing is very unfair to the businesses (especially the street level businesses) that would be within the CP area. The best thing to happen is for there to be more cooperation and communication between local and Federal government. The reason why the Federal government is so involved in the highway system is because of the military. The military is why the national interstate highway system was built out in the 1950s. You are not going to see the Federal government back out of having control over the highway system. Another thing is the Federal government has access to more money than states. Acually, the Fed prints it. We’ll see what happens. Privatization is still on the table. And since the banks are getting back on their feet, you’ll see them getting back into the game of buying infrastructure.

]]> By: Ian Hlavacek http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/comment-page-1/#comment-70581 Ian Hlavacek Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:23:49 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=6491#comment-70581 Well, except for the fact that the federal distribution methods for highway dollars and transit dollars are ridiculously out of line. Sure the FHTF ensures that transportation projects are built throughout the US -- but those projects are heavily weighted against sustainable transportation. More local control would mean that communities could have a more direct choice between highways and transit, and it's very possible that we'd see a lot more transit as a result. More on the federal funding disparity here: http://www.ctchouston.org/intermodality/2009/03/23/why-the-feds-like-pavement-but-not-rails/ Well, except for the fact that the federal distribution methods for highway dollars and transit dollars are ridiculously out of line. Sure the FHTF ensures that transportation projects are built throughout the US — but those projects are heavily weighted against sustainable transportation. More local control would mean that communities could have a more direct choice between highways and transit, and it’s very possible that we’d see a lot more transit as a result.

More on the federal funding disparity here: http://www.ctchouston.org/intermodality/2009/03/23/why-the-feds-like-pavement-but-not-rails/

]]> By: kmc http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/19/house-gopers-propose-filling-trust-fund-with-stimulus-money/comment-page-1/#comment-70571 kmc Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:11:52 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=6491#comment-70571 This is interesting. Because the Republicans have been trying to choke off funding to the Federal Highway Trust Fund since the 1990s. The Bush Administration wanted to replace the FHTF with programs like congestion pricing. Put the burden of funding infrastructure on states and local municipalities instead of the Federal government. It would be a good idea to put money into the FHTF because it is a long term program that will support highways, roads and mass transit throughout the United States. So I wouldn't knock the Republicans for doing this. It's just ironic they are doing this because of their position to the FHTF in the past. This is interesting. Because the Republicans have been trying to choke off funding to the Federal Highway Trust Fund since the 1990s. The Bush Administration wanted to replace the FHTF with programs like congestion pricing. Put the burden of funding infrastructure on states and local municipalities instead of the Federal government. It would be a good idea to put money into the FHTF because it is a long term program that will support highways, roads and mass transit throughout the United States. So I wouldn’t knock the Republicans for doing this. It’s just ironic they are doing this because of their position to the FHTF in the past.

]]>