rail
Put High Speed Rail On the Ballot
By Daniel G. Jennings
It is time for high-speed rail advocates to learn from transit promoters and bypass politics and bureaucracy by taking their cause directly to the voters in the form of statewide ballot initiatives.
The climate in the nation might be right for such efforts, 21 major transit initiatives passed by comfortable majorities during the November election. Voters in Denver, hardly a bastion of liberalism, approved a sales tax increase to finance FasTracks a $4.5 billion plan to build six new rail lines. FasTracks passed despite the opposition of a popular and influential Republican governor. The only place where such proposals failed was in California where state law requires tax increases to pass by a two thirds majority something that is close to impossible to achieve. Even in the Golden State, a majority of the voters cast their ballot for rail transit.
If voters are willing to vote for local rail transit they should also be willing to cast their ballot for high speed rail plans. Since the USA has no mechanism for nationwide ballot initiatives this will have to be done at the state level many states - particularly in the West – allow statewide ballot initiatives. It is fairly easy to get initiatives on the ballot in many of these states by simply circulating petitions.
There is even a historical precedent for such a plan, voters in Florida approved a statewide high speed rail plan a few years ago. Unfortunately, Gov. Jeb Bush has been able to stop its implementation.
Since the time is right for such ballot initiatives the important question to ask is what should such ballot initiatives look like? Well first they shouldn’t involve tax increases, instead of implementing a new tax or raising existing taxes, such ballot initiatives should simply reallocate existing fuel tax moneys to rail. Since much of the money our states spend on highways is allocated to rural roadways this shouldn’t effect urban drivers.
Without a tax increase involved, the main weapon in the rail foes’ arsenal is gone. They’ll have to argue the merits of the plan not play on voters fears of high taxes.
One great suggestion write a decrease in the fuel tax into the rail initiative. That way the highway lobby will be the one fighting for higher taxes. They’ll have to defend their tax and spend ways to average people fed up with high gas prices for a change.
Another suggestion, write the rail initiative to redistribute transportation funds to urban and suburban areas where people actually live and away from rural areas. Add a slight increase to freeway funding in urban areas or a specific freeway project. That way the highway lobby might come out in favor of the rail project.
Or simply tie the rail project to highways as has been done in Germany and Gov. Rick Perry is trying to do in Texas. Put an initiative building a new highway or expanding an existing one and building the high speed rail at the same time. That way highway supporters will have to go along with the project because they can’t be seen opposing a new road.
The initiative should be written to require the state to start issuing contracts and begin construction by a certain date. It should also create a new agency outside the state highway bureaucracy to build and operate the rail system and specify a design build project which saves money and time by having engineers design the project as it is being built. That way work can quickly begin on the project. Denver’s T-Rex rail line is a successful example of design build.
The initiative shouldn’t specify any technology and stay away from exotic technologies like monorail and maglev. They are too easy for rail foes to attack. Instead decisions about technology should be left up to the engineers.
The time is ripe for such rail ballot initiatives particularly in western states like California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado which have ballot initiative processes. California, where even rural highways suffer from gridlock, seems like a logical candidate. A serious effort should be made to get Gov. Schwarzenegger involved, his popularity could get the measure passed.
If money is needed for lawyers to write such a proposal, a petition campaign to get it on the ballot and a campaign to get it passed. Rail backers should turn to rail manufacturers particularly in Japan, France and German where large corporations have billions invested in rail technology. Demand that they cough up the money for such campaigns.
Rail backers have a unique opportunity to get high speed rail built. The question is do they have the guts to go around state legislatures and Congress which will never back high speed rail and go directly to the voters? Or will they keep wasting their time in the halls of government which are owned by the highway lobby?
By Daniel G. Jennings
It is time for high-speed rail advocates to learn from transit promoters and bypass politics and bureaucracy by taking their cause directly to the voters in the form of statewide ballot initiatives.
The climate in the nation might be right for such efforts, 21 major transit initiatives passed by comfortable majorities during the November election. Voters in Denver, hardly a bastion of liberalism, approved a sales tax increase to finance FasTracks a $4.5 billion plan to build six new rail lines. FasTracks passed despite the opposition of a popular and influential Republican governor. The only place where such proposals failed was in California where state law requires tax increases to pass by a two thirds majority something that is close to impossible to achieve. Even in the Golden State, a majority of the voters cast their ballot for rail transit.
If voters are willing to vote for local rail transit they should also be willing to cast their ballot for high speed rail plans. Since the USA has no mechanism for nationwide ballot initiatives this will have to be done at the state level many states - particularly in the West – allow statewide ballot initiatives. It is fairly easy to get initiatives on the ballot in many of these states by simply circulating petitions.
There is even a historical precedent for such a plan, voters in Florida approved a statewide high speed rail plan a few years ago. Unfortunately, Gov. Jeb Bush has been able to stop its implementation.
Since the time is right for such ballot initiatives the important question to ask is what should such ballot initiatives look like? Well first they shouldn’t involve tax increases, instead of implementing a new tax or raising existing taxes, such ballot initiatives should simply reallocate existing fuel tax moneys to rail. Since much of the money our states spend on highways is allocated to rural roadways this shouldn’t effect urban drivers.
Without a tax increase involved, the main weapon in the rail foes’ arsenal is gone. They’ll have to argue the merits of the plan not play on voters fears of high taxes.
One great suggestion write a decrease in the fuel tax into the rail initiative. That way the highway lobby will be the one fighting for higher taxes. They’ll have to defend their tax and spend ways to average people fed up with high gas prices for a change.
Another suggestion, write the rail initiative to redistribute transportation funds to urban and suburban areas where people actually live and away from rural areas. Add a slight increase to freeway funding in urban areas or a specific freeway project. That way the highway lobby might come out in favor of the rail project.
Or simply tie the rail project to highways as has been done in Germany and Gov. Rick Perry is trying to do in Texas. Put an initiative building a new highway or expanding an existing one and building the high speed rail at the same time. That way highway supporters will have to go along with the project because they can’t be seen opposing a new road.
The initiative should be written to require the state to start issuing contracts and begin construction by a certain date. It should also create a new agency outside the state highway bureaucracy to build and operate the rail system and specify a design build project which saves money and time by having engineers design the project as it is being built. That way work can quickly begin on the project. Denver’s T-Rex rail line is a successful example of design build.
The initiative shouldn’t specify any technology and stay away from exotic technologies like monorail and maglev. They are too easy for rail foes to attack. Instead decisions about technology should be left up to the engineers.
The time is ripe for such rail ballot initiatives particularly in western states like California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado which have ballot initiative processes. California, where even rural highways suffer from gridlock, seems like a logical candidate. A serious effort should be made to get Gov. Schwarzenegger involved, his popularity could get the measure passed.
If money is needed for lawyers to write such a proposal, a petition campaign to get it on the ballot and a campaign to get it passed. Rail backers should turn to rail manufacturers particularly in Japan, France and German where large corporations have billions invested in rail technology. Demand that they cough up the money for such campaigns.
Rail backers have a unique opportunity to get high speed rail built. The question is do they have the guts to go around state legislatures and Congress which will never back high speed rail and go directly to the voters? Or will they keep wasting their time in the halls of government which are owned by the highway lobby?
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