An alliance of pro-transportation groups in Minnesota –
“Move MN” – has launched a campaign for a major transportation funding program.
Unusually, the initiative (at least on the website) spends little time and
attention on the “needs statement”: the parlous state of existing
infrastructure and/or a vision of the wonderful things that can happen under a
new program. The campaign (website
here) goes forthrightly for a 5% sales tax on wholesale motor fuels to fund the
state program, together with a ¾ cent sales tax (on top of an existing ¼ cent
tax) for transit in the Twin Cities metro region. There is also a recommended earmarking of federal funds for
bike/ped projects.
The Twin Cities transit piece suggests that the proposed funding
would make it possible to build the region’s transitway plan in 15 years. Excellent (although, why not 10
years?).
The gas tax piece, however, is less reassuring. The suggested benefit is funding for
MnDOT’s “Corridors of Commerce” plan, which consists mainly of expensive
highway widening projects.
Minnesota has a continuing problem with this imbalance. There are apparently still many
influential people there who believe that pumping hundreds of millions of
dollars into highway widenings will “solve” the congestion problem.
Some of us ran into this problem five years ago with regard
to federal Stimulus funding.
Minnesota chose to spend its biggest nickel on building a small addition
to an already very extensive freeway and expressway network, rather than
accelerating construction of a planned but largely unbuilt transitway network
(see my slide from the time below).
At any rate, Move MN is a very well presented initiative to
meet an urgent need, and I wish them well. (More discussion on priorities to come!).
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