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State Sen. John Carona is to be commended for his recent announcement, but more work remains and more leadership is necessary.
The Dallas Morning News, in my opinion, does a fine job of reporting on transportation news. In other words, they act as a capable mouthpiece for the Texas Department of Transportation and North Central Texas Council of Governments in the dissemination of the propoganda...er, 'information' and policies those two organizations seek to educate the public on. Policies like 'managed' toll lanes, Public-Private Partnerships and the Trans Texas Corridor.
But they don't do the best job of informing the public on alternatives or in questioning those government entities and the bureaucrats and politicians in charge of determining strategies and figuring out how to pay for them.
But reporting they do pretty well. "Bureaucrat 'X' from entity 'Y' said 'such-and-such' about strategy 'Z.' " That's about it.
The DMN is reporting today that my State Senator, John Carona, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, has seen the light--or at least a few beams of the same. Sen. Carona has announced that he will propose a 10-cent increase in the gas tax next year. Unfortunately, the DMN doesn't detail if existing gas tax diversions will be eliminated and if the new taxes will be collected, budgeted and spent locally or shot to Austin where TxDOT can continue playing games with these funds.
State Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) is jointly proposing a 10-cent gas hike with Sen. Carona.
You see, the problems that were supposed to have been dealt with in this spring's Legislature as far as reforming TxDOT and the State's transportation system, have still not been dealt with. Existing gas tax diversions persist. Despite the supposed 'second death' of the Trans Texas Corridor, the agency's toll lane / toll road strategies and focus continue. And congestion relief, one of the simplest and easiest issues in the spectrum, remains the last one anyone in the industry is talking about. Heck when a humble finance guy can figure out the problem and the solution to freeway congestion, you would think TxDOT and NCTCOG would jump at the opportunity to win friends and influence people in the public with what U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions might label "common-sense solutions." Not so.
Legislators referred to 2009 as "The Year of Transportation." And perhaps it was, if you consider the congested, underfunded, red tape-laden state of the sector at present. But as far as actually getting anything done? 2009 will be remembered as the year the Legislature "moved to the Left"--and what a tremendous success that turned out to be!
Well, hopefully Sen. Carona has seen the light. Although the DMN reports that Carona will once again introduce his "local option taxing" proposal which would allow local County Commissioners Courts to approve local taxes, he is at least recognizing that gas taxes need to be addressed. No mention was made of the 25% diversion from gas taxes to education that has been occurring since the early 1990's. But at least by listening to citizens groups including Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF...and yours truly!), Carona is beginning to allow all alternatives to receive their full consideration and deliberation.
Much remains to be discussed in transportation strategy, both short-term and long-term. But at least Sen. Carona appears to be willing to consider taking that leadership position that has been so lacking in the State Senate for many years. As the Chairman of the Transportation Committee, I commend him for this move and say...it's about time! But as TURF Founding Director Terri Hall says, "Nobody is beyond redemption."
What must happen next? DMN, take note--this is where you ask questions and make recommendations to truly inform the electorate. Next, we must first end all diversions of existing gas taxes. Education must be funded through the general budget. Transportation must be funded through transportation-related sources of tax revenues such as gas taxes. Period. Then we must both pass Sen. Carona's 10-cent gas tax hike as well as peg the gas tax to inflation. The combination of these measure will shore up the funding situation, and probably completely render toll roads unnecessary going forward.
Next, we must solve the traffic congestion problem immediately. I have personally addressed this matter with both TxDOT and NCTCOG. They are not interested in my remarks because congestion, in their minds and strategies, necessitates toll roads. You can see why they thus oppose my proposals. This must end and tough questions must be asked of TxDOT, NCTCOG and Legislators as to why these strategies have not been implemented. They work. I can drive down any freeway nationally and point out what the problem is and how it can be solved.
I have said that existing freeways can take higher levels of traffic flow. The problem is not the freeway lanes--it is the placement of entrance and exit ramps. Introducing new traffic to the right lane on an entrance ramp followed by an exit ramp that removes traffic from the right lane causes weave, which is the root cause of congestion. It is literally as simple as closing and reversing half of ramps and can be accomplished almost overnight at significant savings to commuters as well as an immediate reduction to congestion.
Acknowledging that strategies pushed to-date have not worked is the first step toward implementing the correct ones. So I as one who has been very critical of Sen. Carona's transportation record must say...attaboy, John! Keep this up. Listen to the People--they are and have been ahead of their Representatives for many years on transportation issues. You said so yourself in our little Q&A session last December.
And to the DMN. Time to step it up, boys. This decision on the part of the good Senator did not come because your reporters have been playing mouthpiece for TxDOT. It comes because citizens like myself and organizations like TURF have hounded the Legislature for many years. It would magnify our efforts if the free press would begin to do its job and ask the same tough questions that we have been asking.
Comments
Before the Legislature starts raising our gas tax, they need to quit diverting the gas tax we are paying now for other projects that are sometimes not even related to transportation. If they do raise the gas tax 10 cents, who is to say that the Legislature wont divert that money to other feel good projects? Raising taxes before addressing the diversion of existing tax would be stupid.
The school diversion has been around for decades not since 1990s.
The DMN reported extensively on tax hike efforts during the session, it was defeated.
TURF, defeating options while clamoring for more options?
Conservatives don't put a tax increase on the table before ending diversions.