By Jan Mueller
Senior Policy Associate, Environmental and Energy Study Institute
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First, the cost of U.S. dependence on oil has become intolerably high—in terms of lives lost and dollars sent abroad, let alone other economic, public health, and environmental costs. Second, the limits of America’s financial and economic resources have become painfully clear.
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If we are serious about reducing our dependence on oil and making the best use of limited resources, we need to invest in a transportation system that moves people and freight in the most cost and energy efficient way possible.
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The old “fix-it-first” issue was analogous to asking whether you should build an addition to your house before you fixed the leaks in the roof. Given the nation’s uncertain financial future, however, the question now is more akin to asking whether it makes sense to build that addition if you might never have enough money to fix the roof.
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[B’ Spokes: Note that the “fix-it-first” issue has been to date more about how to get more money from the Feds so they could add capacity over actually fixing things first.]
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Not only has the current system for funding transportation through fuel taxes proven inadequate, it also provides the wrong signal to transportation agencies.
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https://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/how-should-we-prioritize-highw.php#1580572oldId.20100506092702848
Biking in Baltimore