January 25, 2016 - TRA Editorial
When we finally run out of more lanes to add to our existing highway system and more land to be taken off the tax rolls for new freeways and interchanges that are bursting with capacity issues then maybe our Texas legislators will realize that it's just about too late to do something else.
Sure, we need good roads and that continues to be our primary way of getting from Point A to Point B in Texas. But our elected leaders are doing the general public a dis-service by not considering what will happen as we continue to add 1,000 new Texans a day to our economy without a full-flavor transportation plan. Highways alone are not the answer and someday your Aunt Sally will look back and think "gee, if we only planned for decent rail service thirty years ago I would have had a choice and not be stuck in this dog-gone traffic."
Rail is not only NOT on the minds of the majority of our legislators but there are a fair amount that are openly ambivalent or hostile toward it. Never mind that a majority of Texans don't share that view, as shown in a University of Texas transportation research study that was done for the I-35 Corridor Advisory Committee a few years back. Close to 2/3 of Texans interviewed said they want passenger rail for urban, regional and intercity travel. Surprising that about the same amount said it's OK to spend tax dollars on rail projects and to use "additional resources". The survey results showed that the public wants highways in a state of good repair but additional toll roads got a thumbs down. Those surveyed expect traffic to get much worse in the next 10 years. This survey is posted on the Texas Rail Advocates website http://texasrailadvocates.org/university-of-texas-study-released/ Next time you see your state senator or representative, let them know about this survey. It's been gathering dust in the TxDOT archives for awhile.
This year, for the first time, you will be contributing part of your state sales tax dollars for transportation projects. That was the constitutional amendment passed last fall. But it's only for roads. Rail has been excluded. Our gas tax has not been indexed for inflation or raised in over 20 years while electric cars ride free on Texas roads. Some states wisely allow a penny or two of the gas tax for rail projects, which has the benefit of taking more drivers off the highways.
We can do better by leveraging public-private rail initiatives and supporting private rail investments like the Texas Central High Speed Rail project to connect Dallas and Houston in 90 minutes. Texas should have a state infrastructure bank for all sorts of transportation projects, including rail, to move people and goods. We need a Rail Advisory Committee, just like the TxDOT Aviation and Maritime Committees. There are a lot of things that the next legislative session in Austin could do to improve rail transportation in Texas. All the Megabuses, driverless cars and hyperloops in the world won't be able to keep our economy moving in Texas without a multi-modal mix that also includes rail.
Unless you let your state senator and representative know that we also need a rail solution to our transportation mix Texas will continue to be a third-world passenger rail country.
When we finally run out of more lanes to add to our existing highway system and more land to be taken off the tax rolls for new freeways and interchanges that are bursting with capacity issues then maybe our Texas legislators will realize that it's just about too late to do something else.
Sure, we need good roads and that continues to be our primary way of getting from Point A to Point B in Texas. But our elected leaders are doing the general public a dis-service by not considering what will happen as we continue to add 1,000 new Texans a day to our economy without a full-flavor transportation plan. Highways alone are not the answer and someday your Aunt Sally will look back and think "gee, if we only planned for decent rail service thirty years ago I would have had a choice and not be stuck in this dog-gone traffic."
Rail is not only NOT on the minds of the majority of our legislators but there are a fair amount that are openly ambivalent or hostile toward it. Never mind that a majority of Texans don't share that view, as shown in a University of Texas transportation research study that was done for the I-35 Corridor Advisory Committee a few years back. Close to 2/3 of Texans interviewed said they want passenger rail for urban, regional and intercity travel. Surprising that about the same amount said it's OK to spend tax dollars on rail projects and to use "additional resources". The survey results showed that the public wants highways in a state of good repair but additional toll roads got a thumbs down. Those surveyed expect traffic to get much worse in the next 10 years. This survey is posted on the Texas Rail Advocates website http://texasrailadvocates.org/university-of-texas-study-released/ Next time you see your state senator or representative, let them know about this survey. It's been gathering dust in the TxDOT archives for awhile.
This year, for the first time, you will be contributing part of your state sales tax dollars for transportation projects. That was the constitutional amendment passed last fall. But it's only for roads. Rail has been excluded. Our gas tax has not been indexed for inflation or raised in over 20 years while electric cars ride free on Texas roads. Some states wisely allow a penny or two of the gas tax for rail projects, which has the benefit of taking more drivers off the highways.
We can do better by leveraging public-private rail initiatives and supporting private rail investments like the Texas Central High Speed Rail project to connect Dallas and Houston in 90 minutes. Texas should have a state infrastructure bank for all sorts of transportation projects, including rail, to move people and goods. We need a Rail Advisory Committee, just like the TxDOT Aviation and Maritime Committees. There are a lot of things that the next legislative session in Austin could do to improve rail transportation in Texas. All the Megabuses, driverless cars and hyperloops in the world won't be able to keep our economy moving in Texas without a multi-modal mix that also includes rail.
Unless you let your state senator and representative know that we also need a rail solution to our transportation mix Texas will continue to be a third-world passenger rail country.