Columnist Neal Peirce offers the hard truth about the economic realities of gas prices and road taxes.
"The fact is, gas taxes exist for a reason: to pay for roads the public wants and expects. When gas taxes are cut, or lag in the face of inflation, it's not just roads that may suffer - schools, universities, medical programs and many more programs are potential losers. Already, by one analysis, roadway demands are gobbling up so much of our public revenue stream that gas taxes only cover 35 percent of the burden.
...Heaven forbid that the legislators' constituents should have to face the consequences of buying SUVs and other gas-guzzling heavy vehicles. Or face the perils of choosing homes in distant suburbs with long, long commutes. Or face the consequences of ignoring years of warnings about the nation's vulnerability to global energy cutoffs."
Thanks to transport-policy Listserv
Read the full story: Is America really ready for toll roads?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Alabama scores up to $2.5 billion federal loan for largest infrastructure project in state’s history
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project aims to ease congestion at Alabama’s worst bottleneck.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
Despite court ruling, Trump is keeping nearly all wind projects in the US on hold
At least 110 wind energy projects have not heard from the government since a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's freeze on wind turbine clearances was likely illegal.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello