Gas Tax

Report: Increase Gas Tax to Solve Illinois' $43 Billion Transportation Problem

There's good news and bad news in a new report on the state of transportation infrastructure in the state of Illinois.

April 6, 2016 - Chi.Streetsblog

Improvements Vs. Cost: New Jerseyans Conflicted Over Infrastructure

Even after New Jersey experienced the most costly storm in it's history, residents strongly oppose any revenue raising strategies designed to fund infrastructure updates and maintenance.

March 8, 2016 - Next City

Syracuse Highway

America's Infrastructural Reckoning

Through the lens of Henry Petroski's new book, Tom Vanderbilt discusses why infrastructure, as we have come to define it, is such a fraught topic in American life.

February 27, 2016 - The New Republic

Auto Repairs From Potholes Got You Down? You Are Not Alone

A new report from the AAA indicates that American motorists encounter damage from potholes three times a year, with each incident costing an average $300 to repair. Middle and working class drivers feel the pinch disproportionately.

February 20, 2016 - AAA

Mt. Hood and Traffic

Carrots and Sticks: Making Driving Alone the Worst Option

The build out of mass transit and bicycle infrastructure hasn’t been the cure-all for shifting commuters from single-person autos to alternate modes of transit, as many had hoped. Maybe it's time we start looking at how to disincentivize driving.

January 19, 2016 - The New Republic

States React to Tax Impacts of Dropping Gas Prices

Certain states have had to scramble to restructure their gas taxes as gas prices have dropped—and kept dropping—lest transportation funds hit empty.

December 23, 2015 - Governing

US Highway 53 - Wisconsin

Wisconsin Goes Deeper in the Fiscal Hole to Fix Aging Roads

Wisconsin legislators have voted to continue steep borrowing to pay for needed road repairs, while calls to increase the state’s gas tax grow louder.

November 16, 2015 - Urban Milwaukee

Pumping Gas

Report: The Price of Driving Doesn't Match the Cost of Driving

The true cost of vehicle and road use is not reflected in the price drivers pay.

October 29, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

The 1989 Roots of Louisiana's Transportation Funding Mess

Incomplete projects proposed in the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development plan have saddled Louisiana with increasing debt and less money for maintenance.

August 13, 2015 - The Advocate

Los Angeles Traffic - The Newhall Pass

California Governor Brown's Conflicting Road Budget Priorities

When his father was governor, California was awash in federal highway dollars. Now Jerry Brown's administration contemplates a risky tax hike, juggling the need for road improvements with a clean, transit-oriented agenda.

July 7, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Need Convincing that Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Fees Make Sense?

Eric Jaffe's July 1 article in CityLab has 18 reasons, and not one in opposition. The date is significant as it marks the official kickoff of the Oregon Road Usage Charge program.

July 6, 2015 - CityLab

Inflation, not Fuel Efficiency, Is Main Flaw of Gas Tax

Yes, vehicles have become more fuel efficient, but a just-released report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that inflation is 3.5 times more responsible for the decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax.

June 25, 2015 - Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Michigan Voters to Decide on Transportation Sales Tax

The Michigan legislature compromised on a plan to raise money for state transportation funding. Instead of increasing the fuel tax, voters will consider an increased sales tax that exempts the fuel tax.

December 22, 2014 - MLive

The Georgia Transportation Funding Debate

Georgia's experience emerging from the recession as revenues increase after years of government belt tightening is common around the country. The question now: How to finance the improvements to the state's neglected transportation infrastructure?

December 13, 2014 - SaportaReport

New Hampshire Increases Gas Tax to Fund Highway, Road, and Bridge Projects

The New Hampshire Legislature recently approved a bill that would raise the gas tax in the state by 4.2 cents*. At that rate, the cost of the new tax to someone who drives 10,000 miles a year at 25 miles per gallon would total about $16 a year.

April 29, 2014 - Concord Monitor

North Carolina to Consider Vehicle Miles Travelled Fee

Bruce Siceloff reports that a North Carolina state Board of Transportation committee will receive a recommendation that the state consider a vehicle miles tax.

April 3, 2014 - News & Observer

Why the U.S. is Auto-Dependent (and Europe isn't)

In the early part of the 20th century, Europe looked toward the U.S. to learn how to adapt cities to car travel, as difficult as that may seem. It wasn't until the 1990s, in the presence of sprawl and failing public transit that the pattern reversed.

February 5, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

SEPTA Plans How to Spend Gas Tax Windfall

With a transformative transportation law now on the books, Pennsylvania's largest transit system has turned from planning for "doomsday" to "payday" as it decides how to allocate a twofold increase in capital spending.

December 20, 2013 - philly.com

Could a Gas Tax Hike Pay for Toronto's "Big Move"?

A government-appointed panel has recommended raising Ontario's gas tax to help pay for an ambitious 25-year transit construction plan dubbed the "Big Move". Political opponents were quick to reject the proposal.

December 13, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

Meet the Man Who Will Shape Maryland's Transportation Patterns for Decades to Come

With $4.4 billion in additional revenue expected to be generated from a new gasoline tax over the next six years, Maryland's new transportation secretary will have a historic role in shaping the state's transportation and land use patterns.

July 17, 2013 - The Washington Post

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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