Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Instead of Working on the Transportation Mess, CT Politicians Demagogue About It: Cameron on Transportation

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I used to believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and politicians.  I actually thought the first two brought me gifts and the latter cared about me and my community.   Well, those days are gone. We are now neck-deep in the primary round of campaigning for our state’s top officials and I hope you’ve been paying attention.  The promises and the B.S. are piling up pretty fast, especially when it comes to the issue of transportation. A few candidates have been brave enough to endorse the idea of tolls while others just mouth vague platitudes like “we should have free-flowing traffic on I-95…”.   No explanations of how or who’d pay for it, just the pandering promises.  Why not a chicken in every pot, too? For the past few years I have had a standing offer to meet with anyone running for public office to talk about transportation.  Republican, Democrat, independent … I don’t care.  If you want to build an informed platform on this issue, I’ll give you the history and perspective and you take it from there. I’ll explain Metro-North’s complicated relationship with the Connecticut Department of Transportation.  I’ll give you the facts about the pilfering of money from the Special Transportation Fund by both Republicans and Democrats.  I know all this stuff, having immersed myself in it for over 20 years.  And I know there are no easy answers.

Government & Politics
AAA logo American Automobile Association logo AAA Northeast

AAA Poll: Plurality of CT Drivers, But Not a Majority, Say Tolls Are Best Way to Finance Transportation

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Connecticut motorists support tolling over other transportation funding options, and strongly support a constitutional amendment for a transportation lock box, according to a statewide survey by two American Automobile Association clubs in the state. According to the exclusive AAA poll, almost three times as many Connecticut drivers support tolls (47%) over any of the other options, but none of the proposed solutions garnered majority support. __________

— an announcement from AAA Northeast

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The survey, conducted for AAA Allied and AAA Northeast  from Jan. 12-14, asked 980 Connecticut drivers their opinions on transportation funding issues. The AAA survey found:
o   Adding tolls on existing Connecticut interstates — 47%
o   Increasing federal and state gas taxes instead of tolls — 16%
o   Charging a fee based on annual miles driven — 5%
o   Don’t support any of the three options above — 30%
o   Don’t believe additional funding is needed — 2%
This November, Connecticut voters will be asked to approve or deny a constitutional amendment requiring that transportation-related fees are dedicated solely to the state’s Special Transportation Fund and not diverted to other uses.