Bay Area $ 100 billion transportation tax offers little new
Bay Area business leaders are talking about raising $ 100 billion in new Bay Area taxes to fix the region’s broken transportation system. They are calling it Faster Bay Area.
But what would this enormous outlay of transportation money actually accomplish? “We think the time is ripe to work for a world class, integrated transit system that is faster, more reliable, more affordable and more equitable,” said Jason Baker, a vice president for transportation at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Sounds great, right? Who wouldn’t want significant transit improvements, coupled with other measures designed to unclog the region’s thoroughfares? If wisely spent, $ 100 billion could do a lot of good. But it’s a long ways from here to there.
For starters, sponsors of Faster Bay Area would have to demonstrate that this time it wouldn’t be just more of the same. During the past four decades, over $ 120 billion in state, federal and bridge- toll transportation money has passed through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s hands and subsequently been spent by the region’s transportation agencies, always with promises of improving transit and reducing traffic congestion.
But things have just gotten worse. To the point where people now ask, how could so much tax money have been spent with so little to show for it?
Could things be different this time? They could, but so far there are few signs that Faster Bay Area would bring anything new to the table. In fact, if the past is any example, the process could easily degenerate into nothing but more pork- barrel spending designed to attract local votes.
That would be fine, provided money grew on trees, the region wasn’t suffocating in gridlock and we weren’t spewing out far more than our share of greenhouse gases.
Here are three prerequisites that would transform the failed approaches of the past into something useful:
• Regional approach: Since MTC was legislated into existence in 1971 it has presided over spending mostly on parochial or special- interest projects and traffic- increasing highway expansions. The region can’t afford a repeat of past failures and it is doubtful taxpayers would stand for it. Instead Faster Bay Area must reduce the need for so much solo driving, starting with the elimination of the many infuriating gaps in the region’s existing “network” of trains and buses.
• Ethical funding: Loading everything onto a general sales tax hike, or any other regressive tax, would be grotesquely unfair. Many of the region’s richest and most successful corporations are besieged by employees demanding relief from their excessively long commutes.
Because of the lack of a world- class transit system, Bay Area travel has become increasing time- consuming and frustrating for all travelers, especially commuters. Many corporations would benefit from a more effective network of trains, buses and ferries. These corporations should step up and help pay for the program.
• Leadership: Achieving these objectives would require strong political and administrative leadership, supported by a highly motivated and cohesive group of qualified transportation and land- use experts. To ensure that things stayed on track the group would need to be well- insulated from parochial and self- serving political pressures.
The first status report on Faster Bay Area is scheduled to be presented to the MTC on Oct. 23. It’s an ambitious program that could be highly beneficial to the region.
But getting the job done would require a new strong approach focused on actually solving the region’s underlying transportation problems.