To All In PA (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: lease, neighborhoods, bankrupt)

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

This is exactly what he said:



Reading comprehension RULZ!

He is correct however we pay taxes to a local communities which is supposed to be allocated to road repair the roads that the state does not own. And Are maintain by our local community

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

No one ever said that and by your exaggerations you're not proving anything but how much you're deflecting the whole issue

And if you don't mind me saying so this last entry of years has been very carelessly composedAnd making claims that are so far exaggerated there's no common sense to it

What have you proven? You don't want to consider and listen to those that are contributing to the conversation with facts and actual content. What do YOU believe "the government" should be doing differently?

[briantroutman]

A lot has been posted to this thread since I chimed in a few days ago (and I’m busy finishing a project for a client, so I don’t have time to give a more comprehensive response), but let me make a few quick observations on transportation funding and taxes.

The federal funding that goes into highways (and other transportation) largely comes from the gas tax as well—the federal gas tax. When you buy a gallon of gasoline in Pennsylvania, you’re paying 58.2¢ for the state gas tax and a separate 18.4¢ for the federal gas tax. (There’s other money that goes into the federal “highway trust fund” such as an excise tax on tires, for instance—and then there’s the issue of money being diverted from the general fund, which I won’t get into at the moment.)

When the highway trust fund was created in 1956 to fund the Interstate System, the federal gas tax was at first 3¢ per gallon, then quickly increased to 4¢. But since the price of a gallon of gasoline was around 30¢, the federal tax amounted to around 15%.

Now here’s the unbelievable part: This 4¢ tax enacted by Dwight Eisenhower remained unchanged until the Reagan administration. Take a moment to consider the implications of that.

In the 1950s, fuel prices were cheap, construction was relatively cheap, and state highway departments could act with virtual impunity—sketch the plans for a ten-lane freeway through the wetland habitat of an endangered species in the morning and still have plenty of time to make your three-martini lunch date. (No, I kid about the martinis.)

Then fast-forward to the 1970s: energy prices soared, inflation drove construction prices through the roof, and state departments of transportation found themselves spending millions on environmental impact studies and waging costly legal battles with citizen protest groups.

And still, that same 4¢ was deemed to be enough.

But even when the tax was increased in 1982, it didn’t even keep pace with inflation, let alone the cost of rebuilding Interstates that had begun to crumble after 25 years. Today's 18.4¢ federal gas tax dates to 1997, and energy and construction costs have risen tremendously since then.

Since raising taxes is always an unpopular topic, gas tax increases have been few and far between. And as a result, our transportation infrastructure suffers from decades of underfunding from the Federal government, and states are forced (as Pennsylvania was) to raise taxes or rely on tolling to make up the difference.

Just adjusting for CPI alone, today’s federal gas tax should be 35¢—nearly double what it is now. And that’s before we start considering costs (energy, materials, environmental impact mitigation) that have increased much faster than inflation. That also doesn’t account for average fuel economy, which has also increased since 1956. (And higher fuel economy = less money for roads)

I’m sure I wouldn’t relish paying more at the pump...any more than the rest of you would. But if we want to start to figure out “where the money went”, we also need to consider that we’re bringing in less (relatively speaking) than we used to. (Don’t shoot the messenger!)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

He is correct however we pay taxes to a local communities which Some is for taking care of the bridge and road repair in our local communities. No?

Yes, we do.

And there are some local jurisdictions - the City of Philadelphia, the City of Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County are three, for starters - that have a good bit of local road mileage and locally built bridges to maintain.

The taxes that go towards these are most commonly property taxes, but wage taxes in those cities, boroughs and townships that levy them also pay part of this bill.

This state still maintains far more miles of highways than all but a very few others do.

[cremebrulee]

briantroutman

But even when the tax was increased in 1982, it didn’t even keep pace with inflation, let alone the cost of rebuilding Interstates that had begun to crumble after 25 years. Today's 18.4¢ federal gas tax dates to 1997, and energy and construction costs have risen tremendously since then.[/quote]

So if it didn't keep pace with inflation, did they still perform repairs, or did they use that money elsewhere.

All the monies they have collected for road repair, I mean, I cannot even imagine how much it has amounted to....go to a wawa and count the cars that come in to fill up for the day....and that's one day, can you even begin to imagine how much money they've been making. Sorry I just don't buy it.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

He is correct however we pay taxes to a local communities which Some is for taking care of the bridge and road repair in our local communities. No?

Yes, and if they fall into disrepair, then blame local maintenance for that. Driving around Pennsylvania, the Interstate, U.S. and state highways seem to be in decent shape (bridges notwithstanding), but the local roads are very hit-or-miss.

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

Yes, and if they fall into disrepair, then blame local maintenance for that. Driving around Pennsylvania, the Interstate, U.S. and state highways seem to be in decent shape (bridges notwithstanding), but the local roads are very hit-or-miss.

Local roads are a mess....yes, indeed, they should be ashamed....

[Marv95]

I just don't understand how can a town I'm in with a 1% income tax and one of the highest property taxes in the state(along with its own bus system that has high fares for the coverage it serves) can have awful roads. Especially on its main drags. There's no excuse. But that's P-Town for ya.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Marv95

I just don't understand how can a town I'm in with a 1% income tax and one of the highest property taxes in the state(along with its own bus system that has high fares for the coverage it serves) can have awful roads. Especially on its main drags. There's no excuse. But that's P-Town for ya.

Pottstown?

Within SEPTA's service territory but has its own bus system?

Do you notice any difference in quality between the marked state highways and the local roads? (Let's leave the US 422 freeway out of the mix for purposes of this discussion.)

[Marv95]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Pottstown?

Within SEPTA's service territory but has its own bus system?

Do you notice any difference in quality between the marked state highways and the local roads? (Let's leave the US 422 freeway out of the mix for purposes of this discussion.)

Yep.
Yep.
For the short distance I'm on Rt 100 it seems smooth. Even most of N. Charlotte(663). But High(west of Sanatoga), Keim, Armand Hammer, the secondary/tertiary streets? All a joke. Potholes, craters, cracks, you name it. It's been crappy before the winter and it's gotten worse.