Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, November 11, 2007

GUEST COMMENTARY

There are real solutions to reducing congestion

By Bob Williams

 Congestion remains the No. 1 issue in transportation policy in Puget Sound. The recent failure of Propositon 1 doesn't change that. However, while elected officials are coming up with all kinds of excuses for Prop. 1's failure, the election was really about accountability, performance and broken promises.

Former Gov. Gary Locke famously said in a state of the state address earlier this decade to, "hold us accountable." That is precisely what the voters did.

Quick and effective action by Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature is needed to resolve the problems congestion causes, including the incredible costs in terms of time lost, fuel consumption, environmental impacts and freight costs -- all of which drive up consumer prices.

Fortunately, there are short-term solutions.

First, the state needs to accept that congestion is the major problem and abandon primary efforts to get people out of their cars. The governor misreads recent election results when she asks, "How do we get people out of their vehicles?" That is not the solution people want. They want congestion reduced.

Instead, we have been treated to a series of broken promises concerning accountability, efficiencies, project management, enhanced team planning and work schedule acceleration. Few of the recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation were ever implemented.

Second, the state needs to implement the recent performance audit recommendations concerning both the Department of Transportation and Sound Transit. The DOT audit on congestion found that many of our congestion problems are solvable and that many of the solutions can be addressed within the next five years and within DOT's existing resources. The state's dismissive reaction to those performance audits is unacceptable.

Third, introduce legislation that repeals the 2007 bill that eliminated congestion relief as a priority and legislation that streamlines the governance process for transportation and bases DOT funding on the priorities of safety, maintenance and reducing congestion. Do we really need 128 state, local and regional government agencies having a voice in what gets done?

Fourth, change the transportation budgeting process. The 2000 Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation recommended transportation funding be tied to performance-based outcomes, clear goals and benchmarks. The House and Senate transportation committees are unaccountable fiefdoms that set both policy and budgets. That needs to change.

Fifth, the Legislature needs to suspend prevailing wage requirements for transportation construction projects, eliminate the sales tax on transportation projects and eliminate the 1 percent requirement for art for transportation projects.

Sixth, the state needs to take a serious look at public-private partnerships for road construction. It is no accident that states like Georgia and Florida are engaged in major highway construction because those states have been willing to engage the private sector as investors.

Until the state is willing to take these steps it will have problems with the voters. Voters want congestion relief, accountability, performance and efficiency. They want state government agencies to keep their promises.

Gas taxes have gone up 14.5 cents per gallon this decade with promises of relief. It hasn't happened. That well is running dry with no noticeable improvement. Congestion relief seems to be a priority only when the state is asking for more money.

State taxpayers have heard that old canard too many times. They have finally told the state they have had enough and now it is on the state to deliver on its promises.



Bob Williams is president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation in Olympia.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA