Rossi’s transportation plan
April 15th, 2008 by Republican By DefaultDino Rossi, once again running against Queen Christine to take back the election that he won in ‘04, has unveiled his transportation plan for Washington state.
Funding for the plan comes from several sources:
- Less than half of revenue from vehicle sales taxes [goes to funding roads] ($7.7 billion)
- Stop charging state sales tax on transportation projects ($2.4 billion)
- Half of the current and future eastside subarea equity Sound Transit surplus ($690 million)
- Reasonable tolling ($ ?)
The plan:
- Congestion relief - nine projects given the highest priority (other than safety, stated in a video)
- Other Transportation Initiatives - Alaskan Way Viaduct, our state ferry system, and addressing the funding gap for projects statewide
- Green Initiatives - promotes the use of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, and provides funding to repair salmon blocking culverts owned by the WSDOT
- Transit - Transit has always been planned, and managed, at the local level. The state should not meddle in local transit decisions.
I always cringe when I see a Republican use the term ‘green’. It usually implies capitulation to eco-nazi policies rather than good stewardship of our natural resources. But I think he hit the nail on the head with this one, with one qualification.
Anytime government ‘promotes’ any particular product it has a bad impact on the market for that product. I watched prices on front loading washers come down when government stopped pushing them a few years ago. I knew it would happen and that’s why I waited. I still paid more than a top loader would have cost, but the old one broke down completely and had to be replaced.
I think that hybrid cars fall into the same category to a certain extent. Right now, with the high price of gas, it still takes 3-5 years for cost savings on gas to make up for the higher price of hybrid vehicles (over their non-hybrid counterparts). Part of that is the cost of R&D that the manufacturer is recouping, which will decrease over time. Part is the cost of disposing of the batteries when they ‘wear out’. And I’m pretty sure that part is just the increase in price that manufacturers and dealers can charge because it’s a fad that people will pay extra to get. And a little part of that is that government is promoting the vehicles.
I like the vehicles and would have bought one the last time I bought a vehicle. But the price point is still too high for my liking, and the technology wasn’t ready in the model year that I wanted to buy (used). I like to buy vehicles that are 3-5 years old so someone else covers the depreciation cost. Then I buy vehicles that will last. My last one was a Volvo. I won’t say what this one is.
Most of the rest of the proposal is a more detailed description of the specific projects. A couple stood out to me.
Finishing I-509 (Burien to I-5/Kent) is a great idea. The existing highway is under-utilized. I used to live in the area where it currently terminates and drove it often. It’s likely that it would relieve congestion all they way to downtown Seattle.
S.R. 167 Extension and Improvements is also a good idea, but will hurt Tacoma. There’s plenty of room for growth in the Puyallup/Sumner areas of Pierce County. It will help business and jobs in those areas and those jobs might help to reduce the number of people who commute North everyday. Of course it would also speed traffic along the current route along River Road and Valley Ave. That will save congestion on those roads and reduce energy consumption and pollution. It will also relieve traffic on Fife’s streets, which are backed up frequently.
With regard to S.R. 704, The Cross Base Hwy, I’m not sure I’m for it for one simple reason. I’ve heard that the military doesn’t like the idea and it could provoke a base closing. However, if that issue is cleared up, I think it’s a good idea also.
A couple of other points from Rossi’s plan:
- Open HOV lanes to all traffic during non-peak hours.
- Examine the use of “HOT” lanes, which allow people to pay a fee to use commuter lanes. However, Rossi opposes the use of region-wide congestion pricing.
I like those ideas. HOT lanes are garbage.
Rossi also supports the idea of a directly elected Regional Governance Board, while I’m still deciding if I could support it. A lot would depend on the specifics of representation for the various counties and areas. If it ended up being just another way for Seattle politics to manipulate the region, then I’m against it.
Update: Wasington Policy Institute has some comments about the funding aspects of the plan.
Seattle PI focused on the Alaskan Way viaduct but also included some of Rossi’s statements about Gregoire’s failures in leadership.
Update: Rossi Campaign: Responses to Critiques of Rossi’s Transportation Plan