Executive Voices: An Op Ed Column
Head-On Collision?
Our highway needs are accelerating while the
state is applying the budget brake
By Ricky Ward
Nearly
every North Carolina motorist has had the unpleasant experience
of being stuck in a traffic jam. Our transportation system seems, at
times, to be caught in a dreadful gridlock.
North Carolina’s transportation system is a vital part of everyday
life. North Carolinians — and tourists alike — rely on our roads
and transit systems to take them where they need to go. And research
shows our reliance on North Carolina’s transportation system is
becoming increasingly important.
Since 1990, traveling by vehicle on North Carolina’s highways
increased 47 percent, yet during that time, the state’s population
grew by 14 percent. Demand has far outpaced our supply and
unfortunately, the outlook for the future of transportation in North
Carolina is much like the state’s budget outlook — bleak.
In this tight budget year, state leaders have recommended diverting as
much as $397.7 million from transportation programs for other
purposes. A transfer of this magnitude is equivalent to diverting
one-third of the gas taxes we pay for transportation improvements —
funds established by law and that North Carolinians were told are
dedicated for transportation purposes.
This is not the first diversion of our transportation funds. Annually,
$170 million is transferred from the Highway Trust Fund for
non-transportation related uses. Since this trend of dipping into the
Trust Fund started 13 years ago, more than $2 billion in
transportation money has been diverted. In many ways, the Highway
Trust Fund has become no more than the state’s overdraft protection
instead of serving as a “trust” fund.
Even without these diversions, not enough money is available to solve
our existing transportation needs. In fact, addressing current needs
would require spending an additional $1 billion per year. With such
drastic cuts in our transportation programs, there is little hope for
keeping up, and no hope of getting ahead of, our transportation
problems.
It’s not just about roads. The Trust Fund also supports public
transportation. Public transportation programs in the state’s urban
areas already lack the necessary resources to help solve urban
transportation problems. Now, we stand to lose most of the gains made
thus far in funding.
Diverting money from the Trust Fund not only impacts transportation,
it also has negative consequences for our economy and quality of life.
Transportation construction is an economic engine in our state. Every
$100 million in transportation spending supports 4,200 North Carolina
jobs. A $400 million reduction in these programs could impact more
than 16,000 construction workers and reduce state revenue when just
the opposite is needed.
Increased traffic congestion and poorly maintained highways add to the
cost of goods sold, impact access to quality health care, and have
increased commute times in the Triangle alone by 20 percent in the
past 12 years.
People want traffic to flow better. They know the importance of
planning for future growth and demand that plans be implemented. They
want to be able to attend to their personal and family needs. However,
they have little confidence that the state will address our critical
transportation problems.
In 2000, NC Go! commissioned
a statewide poll of 800 registered voters to gauge North
Carolinians’ views on transportation issues in the state. Sixty-five
percent said that traffic congestion is worse than it was three to
five years ago and will be worse three to five years from now, and 64
percent said that reducing traffic congestion is very important or
should be a top priority.
North Carolinians overwhelmingly agree that the state needs to spend
more money on its transportation needs. They also favor building mass
transit or commuter rail systems in the state’s urban areas,
expanding bus service in the state’s urban and suburban areas,
widening, fixing and repairing existing roads, and working to make
traffic flow better in areas where backups normally occur during rush
hour.
And here’s something that may surprise you. North Carolinians are
willing to pay for transportation solutions.
More than half of the poll respondents would favor a two-cent raise in
the state’s gas tax and would show greater support — or no change
in support — for legislators who voted to raise taxes to generate
money for transportation.
That’s why NC Go! is
important. As the only diverse, statewide group of organizations,
businesses and individuals fighting to ease traffic congestion, we
play an active role in driving legislative initiatives intended to
ease traffic congestion and improve the overall transportation system
in North Carolina.
Our coalition has more than
80 members, including North Carolina Citizens for Business and
Industry, AAA Carolinas, North Carolina Public Transportation
Association, Cisco Systems, Wachovia, North Carolina Farm Bureau
Federation, North Carolina Trucking Association, North Carolina
Council of Local Chambers and 12 local chambers of commerce, the
Triangle Transit Authority, Charlotte Area Transit System,
construction industry associations and private engineering companies.
As an organization whose members have strong ties with the legislature
and the administration, we work to educate state leaders about the
importance of providing additional resources to support our state’s
transportation system.
NC Go! is your voice
for traffic congestion relief. We’re saying no to diversions.
We’re saying no to backpedaling on the gains made to advance all
modes of transportation. We’re making transportation a priority for
our elected leaders. They must understand that money collected for
transportation should be spent on transportation.
The need is here and now. Think about this in your next traffic jam.
Then call your elected officials and tell them you want something done
about it.
Ricky Ward is chair of NcGo!
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