Fuel Prices, Etc.
High Fuel Prices What America and Colorado Should Do
By Daniel G. Jennings
The news is full of stories about high gas prices, in some parts of the country people are pawning their possessions to pay for gas.
Predictably the politicians are making all sorts of pronouncements about the crisis but doing nothing constructive. Republicans on the national and state level are offering fuel tax cuts or suspensions (where I wonder in this age of high deficits will get money for the construction and maintenance of our crumbling transportation infrastructure with no fuel tax money coming in?) While Democrats are demanding higher taxes on fuel company profits, more money for politicians to play while higher costs are passed on to consumers. There are also plans for a witch hunt to locate the evil oil cartel that is pushing up prices for insidious reasons. President Bush is talking about alternative fuel and little else.
None of our so called leaders is talking about the one technology we can take advantage of to reduce energy dependence now: rail. Nobody is talking about expanding the rail system, modernizing the railroads or electrifying them so that they run on something besides imported oil. Nor is there a serious effort to expand rail transit in our nations’ cities.
Of course rail would cost a lot of money, take years to build and require a lot of political sacrifices. Naturally our politicians aren’t interested in it, it isn’t a quick fix.
So what should we do? Well nationally Congress should launch a major effort to expand and electrify all of our major railroad lines within ten years. Amtrak should be abolished and a series of regional passenger railroads operated by regional authorities should be set up to provide an alternative to air travel and cars. A serious effort to create a nationwide high speed railroad system to haul freight and passengers perhaps utilizing maglev technology should also be implemented.
Major efforts to expand regional and local bus, light rail and commuter rail services should be implemented. A national program to provide bus service to rural communities should be considered.
Federal funding for transit should be greatly increased so bus, light rail, subway and commuter service in our communities can be expanded. This would be a better use for those increased fuel tax revenues than a one time voting buying giveaway.
Here in Colorado, high fuel prices should be a wake up call. In virtually every corner of our state it’s impossible to get around without a car. Even the poor need one to get to basic stuff like work, the doctor and the grocery store. Alternatives are needed and now.
We should set up a state wide system of commuter buses like the Regional Bus Service offered by RTD and the Colorado Springs based FREX (Front Range Express buses between Denver and Colorado Springs). The FREX should be expanded to Pueblo, Canon City, Woodland Park, Cripple Creek and perhaps Salida and Trinidad. RTD Regional Service should be extended to Park, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Summit Counties, Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Estes Park, Limon and Fort Morgan. Similar systems should be set up on the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley and the Eastern Plains.
The state should look into creating a commuter rail system along the Front Range similar to the LA area Metrolink which could operate on existing tracks. Perhaps a state wide commuter rail system to New Jersey’s could be organized with trains using the existing rail lines in the Arkansas Valley and through the Moffat Tunnel (which is owned by the state).
In Denver, we’re off to a good start with the T-Rex and FasTracks projects. Perhaps it’s time to tweak FasTracks, for example the $1 billion RTD plans to spend on its ridiculous and wasteful transit hub scheme at Union Station could be reallocated to buy the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroad lines that run through Denver and Boulder. The railroads could use the money to build a rail bypass on the Eastern plains so freight trains wouldn’t need to go through Denver, Colorado Springs and Pubelo. The tracks could be used for commuter and light rail trains instead. This would reduce congestion and save money.
RTD could the existing Union Pacific and Burlington Diesel shops and railyards in Denver to service diesel commuter trains eliminating the need for building expensive new railyards.. These could serve the entire Front Range and give commuters an alternative to I-25. They could also serve as transport to the ski areas. Light rail should be expanded. With the Union Station scheme laid to rest, RTD could instead simply extend the T-Rex north enabling light rail trains to bypass downtown and providing a direct transit connection between bedroom communities up north and the jobs at the Tech Center. The possibility of building T-Rex style light rail along the Boulder Turnpike, the Northwest Parkway, I-70, West Hampden, C-470, E-470 and other local freeways needs to be put back on the table.
If the RTD board doesn’t want to go along with this then perhaps it’s time for T-Rex style ballot initiatives to force their hand. What about a super T-Rex that would expand all of our city’s highways, buy the railroad right of way and build light rail lines along all the major freeways. This super T-Rex could include funding for Commuter Rail and buses along the Front Range and a light rail system in Colorado Springs as well. I have a feeling Colorado’s voters might be interested in such an initiative especially if it were combined with a tax cut of some sort.
One more thought, here in Denver RTD needs to learn to say the S-word, subway. The major streets around Downtown and Cherry Creek, East Colfax, Colorado Boulevard, Speer and Broadway are blocked by congestion much of the time now. Putting additional buses or light rail trains on these streets would only lead to accidents. The only answer would be to dig a number of subway tunnels that light rail trains could run through enabling the trains to serve Downtown and Cherry Creek without interfering with traffic.
Yes these ideas are radical and different but the crisis created by high fuel taxes requires radical and different solutions. Unfortunately we’re not going to get any such solutions from our timid leaders on the state or national level.
By Daniel G. Jennings
The news is full of stories about high gas prices, in some parts of the country people are pawning their possessions to pay for gas.
Predictably the politicians are making all sorts of pronouncements about the crisis but doing nothing constructive. Republicans on the national and state level are offering fuel tax cuts or suspensions (where I wonder in this age of high deficits will get money for the construction and maintenance of our crumbling transportation infrastructure with no fuel tax money coming in?) While Democrats are demanding higher taxes on fuel company profits, more money for politicians to play while higher costs are passed on to consumers. There are also plans for a witch hunt to locate the evil oil cartel that is pushing up prices for insidious reasons. President Bush is talking about alternative fuel and little else.
None of our so called leaders is talking about the one technology we can take advantage of to reduce energy dependence now: rail. Nobody is talking about expanding the rail system, modernizing the railroads or electrifying them so that they run on something besides imported oil. Nor is there a serious effort to expand rail transit in our nations’ cities.
Of course rail would cost a lot of money, take years to build and require a lot of political sacrifices. Naturally our politicians aren’t interested in it, it isn’t a quick fix.
So what should we do? Well nationally Congress should launch a major effort to expand and electrify all of our major railroad lines within ten years. Amtrak should be abolished and a series of regional passenger railroads operated by regional authorities should be set up to provide an alternative to air travel and cars. A serious effort to create a nationwide high speed railroad system to haul freight and passengers perhaps utilizing maglev technology should also be implemented.
Major efforts to expand regional and local bus, light rail and commuter rail services should be implemented. A national program to provide bus service to rural communities should be considered.
Federal funding for transit should be greatly increased so bus, light rail, subway and commuter service in our communities can be expanded. This would be a better use for those increased fuel tax revenues than a one time voting buying giveaway.
Here in Colorado, high fuel prices should be a wake up call. In virtually every corner of our state it’s impossible to get around without a car. Even the poor need one to get to basic stuff like work, the doctor and the grocery store. Alternatives are needed and now.
We should set up a state wide system of commuter buses like the Regional Bus Service offered by RTD and the Colorado Springs based FREX (Front Range Express buses between Denver and Colorado Springs). The FREX should be expanded to Pueblo, Canon City, Woodland Park, Cripple Creek and perhaps Salida and Trinidad. RTD Regional Service should be extended to Park, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Summit Counties, Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Estes Park, Limon and Fort Morgan. Similar systems should be set up on the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley and the Eastern Plains.
The state should look into creating a commuter rail system along the Front Range similar to the LA area Metrolink which could operate on existing tracks. Perhaps a state wide commuter rail system to New Jersey’s could be organized with trains using the existing rail lines in the Arkansas Valley and through the Moffat Tunnel (which is owned by the state).
In Denver, we’re off to a good start with the T-Rex and FasTracks projects. Perhaps it’s time to tweak FasTracks, for example the $1 billion RTD plans to spend on its ridiculous and wasteful transit hub scheme at Union Station could be reallocated to buy the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroad lines that run through Denver and Boulder. The railroads could use the money to build a rail bypass on the Eastern plains so freight trains wouldn’t need to go through Denver, Colorado Springs and Pubelo. The tracks could be used for commuter and light rail trains instead. This would reduce congestion and save money.
RTD could the existing Union Pacific and Burlington Diesel shops and railyards in Denver to service diesel commuter trains eliminating the need for building expensive new railyards.. These could serve the entire Front Range and give commuters an alternative to I-25. They could also serve as transport to the ski areas. Light rail should be expanded. With the Union Station scheme laid to rest, RTD could instead simply extend the T-Rex north enabling light rail trains to bypass downtown and providing a direct transit connection between bedroom communities up north and the jobs at the Tech Center. The possibility of building T-Rex style light rail along the Boulder Turnpike, the Northwest Parkway, I-70, West Hampden, C-470, E-470 and other local freeways needs to be put back on the table.
If the RTD board doesn’t want to go along with this then perhaps it’s time for T-Rex style ballot initiatives to force their hand. What about a super T-Rex that would expand all of our city’s highways, buy the railroad right of way and build light rail lines along all the major freeways. This super T-Rex could include funding for Commuter Rail and buses along the Front Range and a light rail system in Colorado Springs as well. I have a feeling Colorado’s voters might be interested in such an initiative especially if it were combined with a tax cut of some sort.
One more thought, here in Denver RTD needs to learn to say the S-word, subway. The major streets around Downtown and Cherry Creek, East Colfax, Colorado Boulevard, Speer and Broadway are blocked by congestion much of the time now. Putting additional buses or light rail trains on these streets would only lead to accidents. The only answer would be to dig a number of subway tunnels that light rail trains could run through enabling the trains to serve Downtown and Cherry Creek without interfering with traffic.
Yes these ideas are radical and different but the crisis created by high fuel taxes requires radical and different solutions. Unfortunately we’re not going to get any such solutions from our timid leaders on the state or national level.
posted by great one at 8:01 PM
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