Topic of the week: Roads
Submitted by James Protzman on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 8:24am
I was struck this morning by a comment on another blog by a person writing under the name UNCGOP.
Perhaps if the DOT and its croonies (sic) would have wisely and effectively spent money for the past year, then we would not be facing a state that used to be known for its road (sic), yet now can not even stake that claim.
Many are too young to remember, but there once was a time when people fried themselves in the mid-day sun, competing with one another for "best tan." Today "best tan" is a reliable indicator of ignorance and poor judgment. It will not be long before the same will be said of "best roads." In the years ahead, governments that continue to squander resources on more and more highways that spawn more and more sprawl will remind us of those 60-year-old sun-baked beautiful people: wrinkled, cancerous and not long for this world.
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Telecommuting
Telecommuting, now available because of Al Gore's interTubes. It sure beats fighting traffic.
Speaking of roads
Mike Munger is getting railroaded by the NC Bar Association.
I know plenty of lawyers who are great folks, but their professional association sure does suck. Sort of like the Realtors.
Off topic
A college student wrote that? A college student accepted at UNC? Please say it isn't so......
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
Two things on roads.
First, the NCDOT has been massively underfunded because of George W. Bush and his tax cuts. To the point that they can no longer keep up with minimum repairs. What that means is that repairs can only be done to the worst roads. Repairing roads once they reach that stage is much more expensive because you have to fix the underlying architecture and not just resurface. Unfortunately, because we can only afford to fix the worst roads, those that could be JUST resurfaced at a lower cost are allowed to deteriorate and then when they are fixed they need the more expensive repairs.
A second note, this is a stretch of recently resurfaced road in Orange County.
Aack! The picture didn't unload. I'll try again later. Anyways, it has white lines painted in the gravel/grass. Under that gravel is grass is old asphalt. We're now making the roads MORE narrow? Bikers around the state, you've been warned.
Not just more narrow
but more dangerous for bikers. The sides of that road will have different levels which can cause bikers big problems if forced to the side. Yikes!
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
Here is the road picture.
Isn't federal highway money....
Funded with federal gasoline tax revenues?
If it isn't, it should be.
Federal money
The Federal Highway Trust Fund gets revenues from taxes on gasoline, diesel, ethanol blend, and gas fuels used in vehicles, tires, some truck, trailer sales and heavy vehicle use.
The fund supports highways, highway and motor carrier safety, intermodal and transit programs. Some of the money is dedicated to mass transit and a small amount to a fund for leaking underground fuel tanks. Occasionally Congress directs some revenue to deficit reduction. As fuel efficiencies have increased, revenues have declined relative to highway use because the fuel tax is fixed per gallon, regardless of the price of the fuel.
Check out the Triangle area's STAC plan
This is the public comment period for the Triangle area's Special Transit Advisory Committee's report, which was published last week: STAC report page. I haven't read it all yet, but what I have, I like quite a bit, as a train and bus advocate. There's a long row to hoe, though...
- BJ