New at Reason

August 13, 2007

Relying on research from the Reason Foundation, Steve Chapman explains why your elected legislators make such a hash of transportation policy.

Comments

|8.13.07 @ 7:41AM|#

This is easy to fix.You abolish the federal gas tax and let the states raise the revenue.They can adjust their rates accordingly.Let the locals decide on projects.The fed. gas tax is a fraud anyway.It all goes to the general fund.Plus,it costs money to send a dollar to

|8.13.07 @ 7:44AM|#

the states.

|8.13.07 @ 8:14AM|#

Oh, the Bud Shuster Highway....is that the one that goes up to State College? Or is that the one that goes between Breezewood and Harrisburg? (I keep getting the Bud Shuster Highway mixed up with the Bud Shuster By-way. All I know is that the two meet at the Bud Shuster Interchange. I am not making that up.)

I really hate Bud Shuster.

Nice highways, though.

|8.13.07 @ 8:59AM|#

It's the one that goes all the way from Corning, NY down through Altoona, PA. That highway is the most barren, hideous, landscape-destroying highway I've seen. At least in the northern sections of it, it's completely visible from the valleys it circumvents.

|8.13.07 @ 9:07AM|#

the worst defense of highway earmarks came from Rep. Tom Davis of Northern Virginia. He complained his district south of Washington was growing and traffic was getting pretty bad. He guiltlessly said he had no problem earmarking funds to build roads for his government worker constituents. Republicans that benefit from runaway government shouldn't be allowed to call themselves Republicans.

|8.13.07 @ 9:15AM|#

One of the things I liked about John Kerry is that there is not Kerry Highway, Kerry Bridge, Kerry Overpass, or Kerry Tunnel anywhere to be found.

Which is pretty good, when you consider that the politicians in Massachusetts have gone on to naming things after their wives and mommas.

|8.13.07 @ 9:35AM|#

Interesting that Mr. Chapman chose the shopping mall analogy as many shopping malls that fall into disrepair often fund their makeovers using TIF money.

|8.13.07 @ 9:43AM|#

Somehow, Jim Clyburn (D-SC), didn't get the "No new bridges" message. Despite the protests of environmentalists, government watchdogs, and most of the state, he's pressing on for his own "bridge to nowhere".

And of course, the race card has already been played.

|8.13.07 @ 10:12AM|#

The "Bud Shuster Highway" aka Interstate 99 services the extremely congested Bald Eagle to Altoona corridor.

Rhywun|8.13.07 @ 11:28AM|#

Somehow, though, spending money to build new transportation links while letting existing ones deteriorate masquerades as sound policy on Capitol Hill.

That is, however, the American way--from roads to railways to entire cities.

|8.13.07 @ 11:35AM|#

Much of the problem of neglected maintenance arises from the fact that almost all roads and bridges are owned and operated by the government-which doesn't have the same incentive as private companies to preserve valuable assets.

If a shopping mall lets its facilities decay, customers will go elsewhere.

Right, because in no American city will you find private property, especially big-box shopping malls, in a state of decay.

Rhywun|8.13.07 @ 11:42AM|#

The "Bud Shuster Highway" aka Interstate 99 services the extremely congested Bald Eagle to Altoona corridor.

I like how he got the number "99" written into the law when in theory, according to precedent, I-99 should follow the Eastern Seaboard about 50 miles offshore.

|8.13.07 @ 1:44PM|#

No one wants to pay to maintain infrastructure in the US--it isn't sexy.

Japan, of course, had the opposite problem--tons of money into infrastructure and repairing such because it provided $$$ for the people back home.

Could we maybe go for a happy medium? Decide that we're not going to spend money on new construction until we're certain all the old stuff is up to par? We could put a plaque on the side of the bridge/highway/whatever commending the politician who got the funding for it.

|8.13.07 @ 6:23PM|#

Rhywun-

He also chose the designation 99 because he thought it was "nifty".

Rhywun|8.13.07 @ 11:14PM|#

Maybe he's a Barbara Feldon fan.