Re: May 21 news story.
Your article on Colorado transportation funding did not mention the word “transit” once. It was all roads, roads, roads. What about people who don’t drive, such as children, the elderly, the disabled? What about those of us who want other ways to get around?
The compromise struck by Senate President Kevin Grantham and House Speaker Cristanta Duran contained some pain for me, but such is the nature of compromise. I would have voted “yes” on the referendum. But road-only extremists in the legislature killed that approach, so now we will likely see a road-centered ballot initiative developed by the contractors’ lobby, with, at most, token funding for transit.
Widening roads will feed the contractors, but it won’t cure our road congestion. It makes us drive more. Traffic rises and eventually re-creates congestion. Alternative transportation proponents may need to team up with anti-tax zealots to kill the upcoming initiative.
Gary Sprung,Boulder
In the wake of the legislature’s latest failure to address the state’s chronic transportation woes, Denver metro area government officials should start contemplating regional solutions for funding road infrastructure projects by creating a new taxing district.
Voters in the metro area are much more likely to increase their taxes to pay for road infrastructure projects than voters in other parts of the state seem to be. Models for a new regional road taxing district already exist in the Scientific Cultural Facilities District and Regional Transportation District.
This new road taxing district must have a robust revenue stream to actually pay for large-scale projects and should be allowed to issue bonds to start paying for new road construction immediately.
Also, such a road taxing district must be empowered to work with Colorado Department of Transportation and local governments to deliver regional transportation solutions that fix chronic problems.
Seth Dodson, Denver
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