"Rebuild America" with Jobs Part One

VP Joe Biden just performed an excellent White House whiteboard lesson on http://www.whitehouse.gov/whiteboard   It was on the need to build/rebuild world-class roads, railroads, and transit infrastructures, something I've long heard lip service too, but seen no action on til now. And these millions of necessary jobs for infrastructure will always be needed.

Biden showed three of the largest commerce-generating projects in our history: the Erie Canal from NY to Ohio built in 1808; the Transcontinental Railroad completion in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, yet indispensable to linking our diverse and far-spread states; and President Eisenhower's 1956 Interstate Highway System - where would we be without them? And these systems, as great as they are, are in disrepair and close to failure in parts. Biden cited his State of Delaware's roads in 16% of poor condition. Magnify that nationwide. 

That's one need for jobs: our roadways are in need of expansion, whether widening them, or new loops around or thru major cities, like I-295 around my state capital Trenton, or I-495 around Boston, and others - but more are needed - and think of the jobs! And then there's public transit - from as simple as concrete neighborhood sidewalks, to as complex as high-speed rail and subway systems. 

I just drove thru my adjacent development of private residences, with maybe 10 cross streets and a hundred+ homes. Some of the worst streets had been paved or patched in wide swaths; sidewalks for walkers were present throughout (and I love to see residents walking, or running, or walking their dogs - extra eyes on the neighborhood peace and security), and white-painted pedestrian crosswalks were at each STOP sign! Rare in 99% of neighborhoods, but I think they should be mandatory. 

Crosswalks are mandatory as a safety feature, forcing drivers to look more carefully before proceeding, and enforcing NJ's basic driving law - The Pedestrian Right Of Way -- unfortunately, as defined, only in crosswalks! Municipalities with funds can invest in the white-painting equipment, and train new hires who don't need specialized skill - and pay a decent outdoor-laborer wage. Yes, outdoor workers should earn more, like in construction, road building, utilities public works etc. Have you worked outdoors on a hot sunny day in your garden or cutting lawns?

And local roads. I don't know about you but the 25 foot-wide street in front of my home has enough space for one car to pass thru when cars are parked on both sides of it, but not enough room for two cars to pass. All future streets should be wider, for traffic to pass each other and for on-street parking on both sides. That one rule would promote cleaner and neater and safer development, especially when neighbors have parties/get-togethers where cars clog the streets. And convenient parking, and more parking garages in towns and cities are critical to attracting visitors and commerce.
And all these new shopping centers and neighborhoods require public-private partnerships between developers and government.

And then there's major roads and county roads that also must be made wider and safer, with either swaths of pullover lanes for car breakdowns, or mandatory shoulders for better traffic control getting to also around left-hand turners, and for walkers and bicyclists when no bicycle lanes or sidewalks exist. And part of that shoulder when not for parking should have the marked bicycle lane to encourage fewer cars and for safety. This also allows for double-lanes 10 or 20 years from now, and then those roads can be re-configured again to resume their wideness. And the jobs to do all this! Imaging the millions needed! All from implementing simple, uniform, transportation and development rules uniformly, in every jurisdiction. Every.

The same principles apply, a shoulder for example, and wide and long on and off-ramps apply to Interstates (47,000+ miles), and interconnected National Highway roads (160,000+ miles). "Passenger transportation [in the U.S.] is dominated by a network of over 3.9 million miles of highways [and local roads] which is pervasive and highly developed by global standards. Passenger transportation is dominated by passenger vehicles (including cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles), which account for 86% of passenger-miles traveled.  As of 2003, there were 759 automobiles per 1,000 Americans. Bicycle usage is minimal with . . . 856,000 American workers nationwide)." (Wikimedia)

And how do we pay for all these road workers and materials? One, we have a federal surtax on gasoline gallons sold which is 18.4 cents per every $3.59 spent on a gallon! You mean to tell me we can't increase that to 25 or 30 cents as we continue to improve refineries and take actions to lower gasoline costs nation and worldwide? And the States also add their gasoline surtax, in New Jersey it's 10.5 cents per gallon, so surely this must be increased as well. It's been the same for almost decades. This idea that we shouldn't pay taxes for what we use is ill-conceived and foolish, and surely the Motor Fuels Tax is the fairest, emblematic of taxing the users of the roads equally. And why put our magnificient NJ Transportation Trust Fund in jeopardy? Really there's no excuse for not raising, and spreading out, funds needed for what every single one of us enjoys. I mean, if you really have a problem with unfairness of the Motor Fuels Tax, issue discount cards to those in lower income brackets to use when fueling up

Next issue I'll talk about railroads and subways, the one (railroads) in jeopardy of disappearing in some respects, and the other (subways), needing dramatic increases in coverage for larger cities. If you've ever used New York City (MTA) or Washington DC (Metro) subways, you'd know they were as different in quality as night and day, you'd know the needs exist not just for expansion and new creation, but for overhaul and re-creation as well.

My next part will speak about these critical necessities.

Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 
Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.

My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

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