The Providential Gardener, a member of the Coalitiion for Transportation Choices, supports the passage of the Transportation Investment and Debt Reduction Act of 2011 and urges other Rhode Islanders to read up on this and join others who support this reasonable and necessary legislation.
Background on this issue is available from the Coalition for Transportation Choices (CTC), created in 2009 with a vision "for a 21st century transportation system that enhances our economy and provides all Rhode Islanders with healthy transportation choices." The Coalition's 2011 legislative and policy agenda was updated on March 11 and gives a short summary of what this bill will accomplish.
Why this is important: Rhode Island has been funding maintenance of its roads by borrowing, and the debt service is now a significant and growing portion of the RIDOT budget, leaving less and less money to take care of existing roads and bridges as we all know too well. Maintenance obviously should be budgeted regularly, pay as you go. Rhode Island also currently funds RIDOT and RIPTA through the gasoline tax, but as cars become more fuel efficient and people drive less and take the bus more, that results in reduced funds for highway maintenance and public transportation. For further information see the CTC E-Brief about breaking Rhode Island's habit of borrowing for highways.
Background on Rhode Island Transportation: CTC has an informative website. See especially:
- Recent News
- CTC Goals
- CTC Working Group
- Join the CTC email list and/or become a partner
- Reports, Fact Sheets and Other Resources
This week, The Providential Gardener wrote a letter in support of this legislation:
March 18, 2011
The Providential Gardener supports and urges passage of the Transportation Investment and Debt Reduction Act of 2011 (S-148 and H-5789).
The Providential Gardener is an online aggregator and distributor of environmental information specific to Rhode Island. Our lead information service is What Grows On in Rhode Island, the state's most comprehensive environment-related calendar. We provide an essential overview of environmental issues and activities in Rhode Island, informing and empowering citizens so they can take better care of our natural resources.
Rhode Island needs to plan better to fund maintenance of its roads. Civil engineers can certainly tell us how frequently each road and bridge in the state will need repairs and when this maintenance will be due. [There is no excuse for the state if it doesn't have these data readily accessible.] They can project the anticipated cost of regular repairs, and these costs should not be part of the regular state budget. For years we have been borrowing for regular maintenance, and this bill will enable the state budget to be more realistic as to the funding of our road and bridge maintenance requirements, reducing the cost of future borrowing and allowing the state to retire expensive previous debt.
Susan Korté
The Providential Gardener
PO Box 2556
Providence, RI 02906
skorte@providentialgardener.com
401.273.6678
What Grows On in Rhode Island Calendar
http://www.WhatGrowsOnRI.com
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