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* USA - INFRASTRUCTURES: Per-mile tolling seen as best way to go.
* California - Study argues electronic tolls could bridge massive Interstate funding gap
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Sep. 13, 2013: -- A new research study contends that toll revenues could cover “almost entirely” the roughly $1 trillion it will cost to reconstruct most of the deteriorating Interstate highway system over the next 20 years... The study, conducted by the self-described libertarian and nonpartisan Reason Foundation, says that humongous construction cost would consist of nearly $600 billion in rebuilding roadways and another$400 billion to add capacity...
The study lays out numerous reasons why “per-mile tolling is a better highway user fee than per-gallon taxes”:
° Per-mile tolls can be tailored to the cost of each road and bridge, rather than being averaged across all types of roads, from neighborhood streets to massive Interstates; this ensures adequate funding for major highway projects like Interstate reconstruction and modernization.
° Per-mile tolling reflects greater fairness, since those who drive mostly on Interstates will pay higher rates than those who drive mostly on local streets. ° If per-mile tolling is implemented as a true user fee, it will be self-limiting, dedicated solely to the purpose for which it was implemented (and enforceable via bond covenants with those who buy toll revenue bonds).
° Per-mile tolling will guarantee proper ongoing maintenance of the tolled corridors, since bond-buyers and other investors legally require this as a condition of providing the funds.
° Per-mile tolling also provides a ready source of funding for future improvements to the tolled corridor.
° Toll financing means needed projects, such as reconstruction and widening, can be done when they are needed, and paid for over several decades as highway users enjoy the benefits of the improved facilities.
° A per-mile tolling system using AET can easily implement variable pricing on urban expressways to reduce and manage traffic congestion.
However, study author Robert Poole, the foundation’s director of transportation policy, admits there is a major obstacle to putting in place nationwide AET: “The one needed enabler is permission from Congress to begin this transition” ...
Labels: infrastructures funds
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