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Message
re: EBR Parish has spent over $700 million on traffic projects since 2006.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 9:58 am to Dire Wolf
Posted on 12/30/16 at 9:58 am to Dire Wolf
quote:
Adjusted for Cost of living it is the ninth most friendly state so you got that going for you.
I don't buy that shite for a second.
This post was edited on 12/30/16 at 9:59 am
Posted on 12/30/16 at 10:00 am to GEAUXT
I hope we look for other methods of funding our future roadway needs besides new gas taxes. With the eventual transition to higher MPG and electric vehicles upcoming, these new gas taxes have a high likelihood of falling short of projected revenue.
When I lived in Wake county, NC they had an annual "vehicle tax" that was earmarked for regional transportation needs. It may be time to consider dropping some gas taxes and instituting a vehicle use tax on all LA registered motor vehicles. That should shore up funding projections while giving us realistic revenue to plan projects.
We also desperately need a Capital Region Transportation Authority that can overpower the NYMBYist Parish Presidents who have held back our large infrastructure projects for decades.
When I lived in Wake county, NC they had an annual "vehicle tax" that was earmarked for regional transportation needs. It may be time to consider dropping some gas taxes and instituting a vehicle use tax on all LA registered motor vehicles. That should shore up funding projections while giving us realistic revenue to plan projects.
We also desperately need a Capital Region Transportation Authority that can overpower the NYMBYist Parish Presidents who have held back our large infrastructure projects for decades.
This post was edited on 12/30/16 at 10:01 am
Posted on 12/30/16 at 10:02 am to The Sad Banana
quote:
To put in numbers terms, if the hike is 20 cents/gal and the average driver in Louisiana buys 700 gallons (15,000 miles/year with a Ford F-150 getting 22 MPG average) of gasoline in a single year, that's $140 a year more in taxes for that person. Let's say that's a round $200/year, or $16.67/month.
I'm not a dumbass who spends money on Starbucks, and the government doesn't need 200 more dollars of my money, they don't know how to spend my money better than me
Posted on 12/30/16 at 10:03 am to makinskrilla
quote:
I don't buy that shite for a second
A cogent and well thought out point. Kudos.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 10:07 am to Dire Wolf
quote:
Louisiana is on the lower end of the middle. I'd imagine before JBE it was in the bottom 1/4 in taxes. Adjusted for Cost of living it is the ninth most friendly state so you got that going for you.
Actually if you follow the link, we are 19th overall and 13th. adjusted for cost of living.
Also note the article was written on March 15, 2016.
The Edwards increases didn't take hold until later. In fact the sales tax increase didn't start until April 1, 2016 and that's two weeks after the article was written.
I doubt the Edwards' tax increases have been included in the linked research.
This post was edited on 12/30/16 at 10:10 am
Posted on 12/30/16 at 10:07 am to Peazey
The cost of housing alone in Louisiana take is out of any semblance of perceived cost of living advantage. The add in the cost of education?
Thanks for playing
Thanks for playing
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:01 am to makinskrilla
quote:This is the kind of shortsighted and backwards thinking that has kept Louisiana in the traffic and transportation quagmire it's been in for so long.
I'm not a dumbass who spends money on Starbucks, and the government doesn't need 200 more dollars of my money, they don't know how to spend my money better than me
If you want improvements that are going to be impactful and immediate, it's not free. And the proposed cost is pittance.
I'm mostly conservative and when it comes to government, I think it should be small. I believe it should provide infrastructure for the public good, it should protect and enforce the law and it should protect us with a well-funded military. And here is the state government laying out a plan for it to make these changes and the same stale argument is being made against it. We won't progress if you can't think a little broader than you are.
This post was edited on 12/30/16 at 11:02 am
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:06 am to The Sad Banana
Also, I want everyone who thinks that the government doesn't need any more of their money or that they get taxed enough...believe me, I understand it. I'm not saying you don't have a point. I think the State has a really, really tough sell here.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:25 am to LSUTigersVCURams
I could tell you why even though it should be obvious but I would require 2.5 million dollars first to conduct that study.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:44 am to Catman88
quote:
I could tell you why even though it should be obvious but I would require 2.5 million dollars first to conduct that study.
You guys really think this is reality environmental studies are no joke and they can be brutal to do depending on the weather conditions.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:53 am to bmy
How many 'studies' haso the state been through about the Washington exit?
Answer: enough to pay for fixing the fricking problem years ago 5x.
Answer: enough to pay for fixing the fricking problem years ago 5x.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 11:54 am to The Sad Banana
Too much of our money is spent on pet projects.
For instance a 2.75 mile "Greenway" in downtown BR was just finished to the tune of 3 million dollars which came from state and federal grants.
IMHO, that's great; however, is that the best use for 3 million dollars? I don't think so, but it seems projects like this, the Tram, the Downtown Library, the numerous Downtown Parks, etc. get pushed through and other areas and problems are neglected.
For instance a 2.75 mile "Greenway" in downtown BR was just finished to the tune of 3 million dollars which came from state and federal grants.
IMHO, that's great; however, is that the best use for 3 million dollars? I don't think so, but it seems projects like this, the Tram, the Downtown Library, the numerous Downtown Parks, etc. get pushed through and other areas and problems are neglected.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 12:24 pm to doubleb
I'd rather the money be spent on parks, green spaces, libraries, etc. then out in some unincorporated area of EBR parish. People bitch about money being spent downtown, but a vibrant downtown is a good thing. There are actually a few progressive-minded folks in BR who know what needs to be done to make the city better. Check out cities that are highly desirable places to live and you'll see clean streets, well-maintained public parks, libraries, museums, etc. Kip Holden, God bless him, was trying to drag BR kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Time will tell whether Sharon Weston-Broome follows his lead. Wasting taxpayer and grant money in north BR without dealing with the crime problem there would be a huge mistake.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 12:31 pm to The Sad Banana
quote:
however, this gasoline spending tax is absolutely, 100% dedicated to transportation infrastructure spending
You know how many times I've heard this shite? It's always a "dedicated" fund until it's needed elsewhere. Or, as in the case with the lottery, they simply reduce the budget for that dept. by whatever amount the new "dedicated" funds generate.
Sorry Sad, but this state has done all it can to betray my trust. At that it has succeeded. And I won't trust them with a penny until they get my trust back.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 12:55 pm to tigerinthebueche
quote:
You know how many times I've heard this shite? It's always a "dedicated" fund until it's needed elsewhere. Or, as in the case with the lottery, they simply reduce the budget for that dept. by whatever amount the new "dedicated" funds generate.
Sorry Sad, but this state has done all it can to betray my trust. At that it has succeeded. And I won't trust them with a penny until they get my trust back.
Okay, but what about City-Parish taxes that go to things like that Greenlight Project (pretty obvious success under Kip), BREC (one of the best park systems in the country), and the Library?
That's totally separate funding and personnel from the State and DOTD.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 1:02 pm to LSUBoo
I agree those local programs have worked well. I'm still not in the mood to support any new taxes or tax increases. The success:failure ratio with govt spending is still not in the tax payers favor. When it comes to the state or Feds, it really sucks.
Moreover, hitting people on fuel is total shite. You can quit drinking or smoking. You can by less expensive gifts and lower your sales tax. Fuel, like groceries and utilities, is something you have to buy. Taxing it is a bitch move.
And save the public transportation, bike/walk shite, cause that's the last option for most people in this state. Peddle that shite in Chicago, NY, etc.
Moreover, hitting people on fuel is total shite. You can quit drinking or smoking. You can by less expensive gifts and lower your sales tax. Fuel, like groceries and utilities, is something you have to buy. Taxing it is a bitch move.
And save the public transportation, bike/walk shite, cause that's the last option for most people in this state. Peddle that shite in Chicago, NY, etc.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 1:58 pm to NOLApurpleandgold
I don't live in Baton Rouge anymore, but almost all of the GLP projects I remember were widening projects on the south and west sides of the city. If traffic is still getting congested after the roads were widened and new signals were built, that's a YOU (citizens) problem and not a THEM (parish government) problem.
There are two ways for the citizens to reduce congestion: live closer to downtown or commute outside the rush hour. If you look at EBR on Google Maps, you can turn on the traffic view and then select "typical traffic" to see what it's like on an average day. It looks terrible at 5:30 PM on most weekdays and then mostly clear at 6:30 PM. That means you should vary the times when you commute if you hate sitting in traffic. It's something everyone in Houston or Atlanta already knows.
Baton Rouge's other problem is that too much of the commuting traffic flows through the I-10 corridor between I-12 and I-110. It's probably 40-50% of the weekday commuters, which is a massive number. They've already put a lot of effort into making Florida and Airline viable alternatives, but they still aren't freeways.
There are two ways for the citizens to reduce congestion: live closer to downtown or commute outside the rush hour. If you look at EBR on Google Maps, you can turn on the traffic view and then select "typical traffic" to see what it's like on an average day. It looks terrible at 5:30 PM on most weekdays and then mostly clear at 6:30 PM. That means you should vary the times when you commute if you hate sitting in traffic. It's something everyone in Houston or Atlanta already knows.
Baton Rouge's other problem is that too much of the commuting traffic flows through the I-10 corridor between I-12 and I-110. It's probably 40-50% of the weekday commuters, which is a massive number. They've already put a lot of effort into making Florida and Airline viable alternatives, but they still aren't freeways.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 2:14 pm to NOTORlOUSD
quote:
: live closer to downtown or commute outside the rush hour.
Always love this type of response. Govt can't manage my tax dollars so I should keep giving it to them only in larger amounts. Then I should move closer to the same shite I moved out of town to get away from because that same govt that mismanaged my tax dollars can't plan for or alleviate traffic problems. frick that.
Never mind me being responsible or trying to better myself or my family. I should just work for the "community". I'll pass on the socialism thanks.
Posted on 12/30/16 at 3:04 pm to LouisianaLonghorn
quote:
I'd rather the money be spent on parks, green spaces, libraries, etc. then out in some unincorporated area of EBR parish
Then quit taking our taxes.
Over half the population of EBR lives outside of BR city limits. We pay taxes for libraries, schools and parks like everyone else.
You have no clue.
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