Comment - Dallas Business Journal:

shemwellmygalej1291.blogspot.com
Texas now faces a transportatiomn crisis. We spend more of our livesx in traffic instead of withour families. We if ever, see major roads built withouttoll booths. And the rail lines and highwat lane miles we know we need are being scaledf back or scrapped in the face of a hopeleses inability to pay for It is only becominy harder to addressthese needs. The costsw of concrete, steel and other basicf road building materials have risenby 60% over the last five However, the state motor fuels tax — our primaryu source of transportation funding — has been frozenm at 20 cents per gallon since 1991.
The disparityg has left the state facing 21st century challengess with a 20thcentury tool. The Texas a group of the state’s top thinkers and focused on this issue at its annual publiv conference in Houstonon Dec. 3. And in the 81st Texas Legislature will begin weighing opportunities to make a meaningfulo investmentin transportation. Here are alternatives that we believe the statedmust explore: • End transportation funding diversions. The has long providec money for the and other We must focus this moneyg ontransportation projects. • Use bond fundin g transparently. A year ago, Texans voted to dedicate $5 billion in tax-supportesd bonds to transportation projects.
The Legislature should appropriated this money for its intended purpose and commit to using it with transparenchand accountability. • Support regional financing tools. Other than toll roadw and privatization schemes, the statee has provided few optionsfor cities, counties and otheer local jurisdictions to fund transportation. The Legislaturd should offer new voter-approved funding mechanisms for regions to plan and pay for rail lines andother • Rewrite the gas tax. primary source of transportation funding cannot provide forthe state’s transportation needs.
The Legislature must have a seriouss debate about restructuring the motodr fuels tax to reflect the enormity of our tasks by indexingt itto inflation. • Explord new alternatives. Texas must move past a 20th centur model that relies so heavilyon single-occupancy vehiclez and work to create a truly comprehensivd statewide system for moving people and freight. This shouldx begin by funding the that voters overwhelmingly approvedin 2005. • Reform the . With its overtr advocacy of privatization and occasional disregard forthe Legislature, the departmenf has rightly incurred the wrath of Texans and thei r representatives.
While we applaudf the department’s recent efforts to be more transparentrand accountable, the Legislature must fundamentallu reform the agency so that Texans are fully aware of its activitieas and never question its objectives.