tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741412946805763929.post8800449259749746702..comments2024-03-28T03:50:29.923-07:00Comments on Shoreline Area News: Rep. Farrell introduces bill to support transportation with vehicle excise taxCarl Dinsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741982015985286521noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5741412946805763929.post-69502358183104368572013-03-10T13:31:31.403-07:002013-03-10T13:31:31.403-07:00Indications are that our existing roads and bridge...Indications are that our existing roads and bridges are falling apart. The question we need to have answered is "why?" WSDOT needs to be required to provide a great deal more transparency than they do now. I received a survey from the Voice of Washington that indicates that it would take a 33¢ increase in gas taxes just to maintain what we have, which IMO should be our highest priority. But, with transparency. Why are our gas taxes so much higher than most other states? Are we maintaining our roads better than they (by accounts I've seen, that answer is yes)? Are our projects on time and on budget? What roads/bridges are in most dire need of maintaining? How much more is it going to cost us if we do nothing? What bridges are being closed - or converted to pedestrian-only - because of lack of funds (yes, this is happening now)? What roads are being converted to gravel (yes, this is happening, too)? In some cases, it may be a good thing to do so. Perhaps we need to move faster towards replacing at least most of the gas tax with a vehicle miles tax, where users of the road pay a certain percentage, say 80%, of the cost to maintain it, with the other 20% coming from all taxpayers, who benefit from that road, such as for trucks delivering our products to stores.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com