-----Original Message----- From: Melissa Wyatt Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 11:10 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [TCMetro] Re: "Buy In" to carpool lanes
I think this 'buy in' idea is elitist and flat out in opposition to the concepts of responsible growth. Dozens of transportation studies have shown that the provision of additional freeway lanes serves to increase the volume of traffic. [TB] I'm not sure that I understand how it is "elitist" to charge someone for what they use. In this case additional lanes are not being proposed, Senator Day is proposing that we get more use from what we have already built. [Wyatt again] And now they're planning to extend 394, gutting the town of Long Lake and accommodating the further push west. The monies used for this aren't being paid for by the people choosing to live there. They are paid by state and federal transportation dollars, distributing the cost amongst us all for the benefit of a select few. [TB] This is the same arguement we hear for the state not funding the operation of light rail, that it should be paid for by the select few who use it. Both argruements take a very narrow view of our transportation system. The system has a large number of inter-related parts. We need to fund it as a system. Should we send the bill to the people of Warroad and Roseau for the highways leading to those cities or should we as a state provide those roads because, among other things, the manufactured produces those cities produce add to the economy of the entire state? Roads are only a part of what causes our sprawl. We don't have any real teeth to regional planning. We allow the regions 200 municipalities to do such things as establish 10 acre minimum lot sizes. We extend water and sewer lines to make fringe areas buildable. [Wyatt again] Why don't we work on a toll system? [TB] Which is exactly what Day is proposing. The proposal that was earlier described as "elitist". This proposal just sets the toll as an annual amount instead of collecting it in a large number of transactions. [Wyatt] When you hit people in the pocketbook, it will start to affect their choices. [TB] It will, however, an interesting remark coming from one who has described a proposal to do just that as "elitist". We need to incent people to move from single occupancy vehicles to some type of mass transit. Perhaps a 100% parking tax to park in the core city. What if we made public transportation free? Would that move people out of their cars and onto a bus or train, even into a van pool? Would it be cost effective to provide free mass transit rather than build additional roads? Terrell Brown Minneapolis/Loring Park terrell at terrellbrown dot org __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Metropolitan Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/tcmetro Rules: Sign posts with real name. You may not post more than twice a day.
