Jon Coupal’s recent argument against raising transportation fees or taxes (Profligate Waste Negates Justification for Transportation Tax Hike relies on an apparent premise that since existing transportation revenues are being misspent and/or wasted, repairing our transportation infrastructure isn’t justified. I suspect the real reason has more to do with a no new taxes philosophy, but I question the logic of continuing to ignore the condition of our transportation system which is so important to the State’s economy and our quality of life.
Our roads and bridges are in a sorry state, not to mention our rail and transit services. Even Mr. Coupal says that “no one disputes the dire need for improvements in California’s transportation infrastructure.” So, without quoting multiple statistics to prove the point, let’s just agree that the system needs to be fixed. And while Californians pay more for fuel and the state is at the high end of the gas tax rate, let’s also agree that it is more expensive to do business in California for many of the reasons that Coupal cites.
But let’s also not forget that it costs the average driver in this state nearly $800 a year in added vehicle repair and maintenance costs due to bad roads. And what about safety? We should be ensuring that the travelling public doesn’t have to worry about crossing a bridge that is structurally deficient because there isn’t sufficient money for an upgrade. Then there is the economy. Jock O’Connell, a Sacramento-based international trade economist, maintains that congestion and road conditions in the Golden State are significant factors in the cost of shipping goods, and that California’s highways are a “civic embarrassment.”
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