Regional transit projects could cost $531 billion

Maintaining and boosting Southern California's transportation system over the next three decades could cost some $531 billion and require new taxes, tolls and user fees, a regional planning group said Friday.

[Robert J G Jackson Sr]

It is the duty of the government to provide the citizens with efficient, cost effective government, which includes these transportation issues. There are billions of dollars already supposedly devoted to trainsportation through gas taxes and other means. And yet these bureaucrats want to increase the gas tax, increase the sales tax, create single use lanes for environmentally friendly vehicles, and take more lanes for tolls use, which we have already paid for as a freeway. Somebody is smoking that funny stuff. Any of this which requires a vote will never get past election day.

I note a number of projects for the 710 freeway. Why isn't any of that being done with current funding? Or is that all being paid to the same bureaucrats who dreamed up this plan? Get a grip. Efficient and cost effective measures are what is required. Not tons of promises, paid for with higher taxes, then not delivered. Our transportation people have to prove that they can do things which are efficient and worthwhile first, using the very large supply of funds which they already possess.

[brian long beach]

long beach need a train down the 405 to take you to Irive, Ca, the Valley or the west side of LA. We do not need all these so call plan to improve a system that we be out date in 5 year and cost1 trillion dollar not $531 billion say it will cost.

[Robert J G Jackson Sr]

All mass transit plans should wait for the Mag-lev trains which are now being tested to be ready for use. Spending billions on anything else would be premature, and actually waste whatever money is invested.

[Felix]

Tough tax choices aren't a reason for not discussing various options. A part of today's problems stems from the inadvertent consequences of our cheap gas policy. Gas taxes are at an historical low in real terms, discouraging public transit, and clogging freeways. Increasing sales taxes on the general populace instead of raising the gas tax on drivers doesn't make sense towards a practical solution. At the same time, cheap gasoline taxes have also encouraged farther commutes, more frequent trips, gas guzzlers, pollution, and less biking and walking, to name but a few. The solution is really rather simple. The difficulty is educating the public that cheap gas taxes do have a significant cost.