Revelation: Americans support higher taxes for better traffic.

[AndyMan 7]

The nuthshell is that a majority of Americans would gladly pay more taxes if it meant reduced traffic congestion.

I wonder what other social ills Americans are more than happy to pay for...

http://www.sfexaminer.com/article/index.cfm/i/070204b_taxes


_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[DJL 235]

I think the better solution is fewer drivers. Make it mandatory to have a GPA of X.X to get a permit/license and require a highschool diploma or GED to maintain the license.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[skydyvr 0]

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I wonder what other social ills Americans are more than happy to pay for...

I'm surprised the number in favor is only 56%.

Not sure what your point is, but it's not as if all Americans (or even conservatives) are against taxes at all costs. Who's in favor or against most of the "social ills" you refer to, socialized medical care for example, are pretty much divided along party lines and a matter of public record.

. . =(_8^(1)

[billvon 3,119]

> The nuthshell is that a majority of Americans would gladly pay more taxes
>if it meant reduced traffic congestion.

I'd be glad to pay more to put in more light rail in San Diego. The trolley is great but doesn't come anywhere near me, and traffic on the freeways near me is the current choke point in San Diego.

[Jib 0]

I know: you gotta pay $1k/year to ride in the left two lanes of an eight lane highway or the left on the six lane.

--------------------------------------------------
the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[Zenister 0]

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I think the better solution is fewer drivers. Make it mandatory to have a GPA of X.X to get a permit/license and require a highschool diploma or GED to maintain the license.

pointless as GPAs are often based on a wide variety of factors (i can recall one teacher who based 50% of your grade on homework...of course if your aceing the test you dont really need the homework now do you??) that have nothing to do with an individuals ability to drive or their actual value to society (and therefore if they require personal transportation.)

It would be far better to improve the public transportation system, force the big automakers to stop with the "2.5 cars per person" campaign so everyone stops believing the car you drive (or if you drive) has any bearing on who you are....

it would also help if the fat lazy bastards would actually get out and walk two blocks instead of driving down to the circle K for a soda... I guess they'd rather sign off on a higher tax rate than really do anything themselves to improve traffic..

oh wait that would affect revenue....cant have that....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Kennedy 0]

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The nutshell is that a majority of Americans would gladly pay more taxes -if- it meant reduced traffic congestion.

Andy, that is one very big 'if.'
The problem with basic services like that is that taxes just disappear into the bureaucratic abyss and little to no chance is ever really made.

Also, I recall a story where a small cab company, near bankruptcy, started running a bus like service along certain routes. They did it for less than public transportation, and more effectively. People loved it and it was a booming success. Did the government change to follow suit? Did the government congratulate them on becoming successful? No. The government shut them down as unfair competition to the bus system.

Maybe it's me, but isn't the best always better than anything else, and therefore 'unfair?'

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I wonder what other social ills Americans are more than happy to pay for...

What social ills have you got in mind?

I would call the unrestricted growth of government and increased citizen dependancy on bureaucracy a social ill.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[favaks 0]

I'll pay for it. Atleast I know where my tax dollars are going. Hell, I think the left lane should be reserved for those with better driving skill and the speed limit should be 100+. Hell, I'll even pay extra if I can do 100+ on the left lane. In the Seattle area, traffic wouldn't be as bad if people know how to drive.

favaks

[DJL 235]

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pointless...nothing to do with an individual's ability to drive or their actual value to society...

I disagree completely. Fewer stupid people on the road makes for better traffic.

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fat lazy bastards

I think I like where you're going a little better than my idea. The driving test requires that you do 30 pushups.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[Kennedy 0]

How about a long term test. It requires you walk a mile. Everyday. For a month. Then do some pushups at the end.

Sound good?

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[rickjump1 0]

I disagree completely. Fewer stupid people on the road makes for better traffic.....

Why not fewer people period. Open borders and unrestricted immigration contribute to pollution, water shortages, and yes, more traffic. It will only get worse. No more stinking taxes. Make those asshole politicians do their job.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[kelpdiver 2]

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pointless...nothing to do with an individual's ability to drive or their actual value to society...

I disagree completely. Fewer stupid people on the road makes for better traffic.

I haven't seen much of a relationship between intelligence (which GPA roughly equates to) and driving skill. It's as much a physical skill as a mental one, and being able to look ahead and predict is not a skill that schools test for very well.

More to the fact, I know quite a few counterexamples - esp smart people who tailgate incessantly. And then there is DWA (driving while asian), which can be more suitably blamed on the fact that recent immigrants didn't drive in the old country.

Put everyone on motorcycles - that'll encourage more sensible driving practices.

[Kennedy 0]

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Put everyone on motorcycles - that'll encourage more sensible driving practices.

Or thin out the gene pool very quickly.

Everytime I hear this ridiculous idea, I have to ask - have you ever broken anything? If yes, HOW WOULD YOU RIDE THE FRIGGIN BIKE?!?

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[kelpdiver 2]

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Put everyone on motorcycles - that'll encourage more sensible driving practices.

Or thin out the gene pool very quickly.

Everytime I hear this ridiculous idea, I have to ask - have you ever broken anything? If yes, HOW WOULD YOU RIDE THE FRIGGIN BIKE?!?

They can take the fucking bus.

(though in SF we have a huge problem with MUNI drivers knowing that they can hit anything and not feel it. Hope they don't own Suburbans)

Two nights ago I sat at a fresh green light waiting for a guy coming from the right to stop. He never did, and nicely broadsided a car near me that didn't think to wait. I'd have been a corpse. The asshole would have suffered even less minor injuries.

Back on the early subject - the red light running fad seems driven by wealthy people who are too important to wait, another reason why GPA can never be used as a requirement. You don't see too many bikers flaunting lights. Doesn't pay off for long.

[billvon 3,119]

>Hell, I think the left lane should be reserved for those with better
>driving skill and the speed limit should be 100+.

Really? Even if you had to stay out of it? Remember, 90% of drivers think they have better than average driving skills.

>Hell, I'll even pay extra if I can do 100+ on the left lane. In the
> Seattle area, traffic wouldn't be as bad if people know how to drive.

Would you pay more in taxes even if you weren't one of the people allowed to use those lanes?

My solution - charge a varying amount for the "high speed" lanes. Have a big price display just before the entrance ramps to these lanes. When traffic increases, up the price until fewer people enter and the traffic dies down. Thus those lanes will always be faster, and the road will easily support itself.

[nathaniel 0]

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Make it mandatory to have a GPA of X.X to get a permit/license and require a highschool diploma or GED to maintain the license.

I predict this would cause short term shocks to prices, followed by all the current research into autonomous vehicles (think David Hasselhoff and KITT) all of a sudden starting to pay off.

nathaniel

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[skydiver30960 0]

How about a combination of all the above:

1.) Funnel MUCH more money into mass transit instead of roads. Make it so damn clean, convenient, and easy that it's crazy to do anything else for in-town commuting. "no, the beltway won't be getting any extra lanes, but check out our 25 new subway stops around town!"

2.) I love the idea of increasing speed limits, but if we're going to have a Stateside Autobahn then we need to train our drivers as such... SIGNIFICANTLY improve driver training including mandatory Driver's Ed (REAL D.E. no crappy one-day courses), paying a hefty sum of money to get your license, and a yearly renewal fee and recertification test to keep your license.

3.) Here's the tough one folks: when you're in the driver's seat, all you do is DRIVE. NO CELL PHONES, NO FOOD, NO DRINKS, NO DVD PLAYERS. Fine the SHIT out of anyone who is allowing their attention to be distracted with driving. It'd be tough for me too, nothing makes a drive go quicker than some fries and a coke...

I've not experienced it firsthand, but I've heard the driver training and certification process in Germany is pretty impressive. Any Germans online that can give us the details?

Elvisio "the DC Metro Rocks" Rodriguez

[quade 4]

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3.) Here's the tough one folks: when you're in the driver's seat, all you do is DRIVE. NO CELL PHONES, NO FOOD, NO DRINKS, NO DVD PLAYERS. Fine the SHIT out of anyone who is allowing their attention to be distracted with driving.

Would that list also include having children in the car . . . or possibly skydivers?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[goalie35 0]

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I wonder what other social ills Americans are more than happy to pay for...

Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm continually dumbfounded by the number of people who are willing to rob me at gunpoint to pay for things they want. All the folks who subscribe to the idea that more tax money will solve every problem should at least have the honesty to steal from me in person, rather than having civil-service proxies do it. Of course, there are few indeed who have the stones to do that...and fewer that would survive the attempt!

If you want to reduce traffic, how about making all roads private toll roads? I'd cut down on my trips if I was paying for each one, I guarantee ya! At the same time, we'd reduce the lifeblood that fuels the exponential growth of governmental interference in what ought to be our private lives. Oh, BTW boys, that means you don't need that fuel tax money, nor Highway Patrol, and traffic violations that can be proven are revenue to the road owner, to help maintain the road. Proof is not the unsupported word of the enforcement agent!