Category: Up To Speed

Links to keep you up to speed on what’s happening in Cincinnati and what we can learn from other cities.

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Should Ohio transition to a VMT tax?

Should Ohio transition to a VMT tax?.

Public dollars for transportation infrastructure seem to be getting ever scarce. This is the result of a wide array of issues, but one of them is the outdated form of collecting revenues to fund our nation’s transportation infrastructure. In some state’s they are beginning to look at transitioning from their traditional gasoline tax to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax. More from NextCity:

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, gas taxes finance about a third of highway construction and maintenance. But because of inflation and improved fuel efficiency, the purchasing power of gas taxes — how much actual concrete, steel and labor they buy — has been decreasing, sometimes forcing state and federal officials to forgo infrastructure improvements.

By taxing every car at the same rate, VMT programs ensure that drivers pay an amount proportional to how much they drive. VMT systems, though, don’t have all the same mechanisms as gas taxes: They don’t incentivize people to drive fuel-efficient cars, for instance, nor do they discourage the use of heavy vehicles that cause increased wear on highways.

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Does Place Matter if Taxes Are Low?

Does Place Matter if Taxes Are Low?

In Meredith Whitney’s new book, the Fate of the States, she predicts a resurgence of economic growth in the Midwest. This growth she explains would be due to these state’s low tax burden, limited government restrictions and other incentives. To prove her case she highlights the percentage of growth in states such as Texas, Florida and North Carolina. Next City’s Brady Dale provides a more pragmatic view towards the author’s claims in his review of the book. Read more at Next City:

For example, in one chapter Whitney attempts to argue that growth is robust in her favored states while it has been hobbled by shortsighted policy in economic deadweights such as New York and California. The growth rates she gives are for Louisiana (16 percent), North Dakota (27 percent) and Iowa and Nebraska (11 percent for both).

It sounds attractive. A young person might like a shot at a piece of a 10-plus percent growth rate, right?

Hold on. Does a worker want a part of a percentage or a part of actual money? Because these numbers look a bit different. Let’s turn those rates-of-growth into real dollar values, using data from the U.S. Commerce’ Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. California’s growth was very bad in that time, no question. North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska each made some nice money, ranging from $8 billion to $12 billion. Louisiana did better, at about $23 billion in growth. None made as good a showing as New York, however, which clocked in at $89 billion in growth, from the height of the recession to deep into the recovery.

 

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HOT Lanes Struggle to Raise Revenues

HOT Lanes Struggle to Raise Revenues

Part of the improvements to the Interstate 75 corridor through Cincinnati could include the addition of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. However reports from similar implementations across the country show that HOT lanes are not performing as expected and generating less revenue. These reports may be signs of caution for transportation officials and financiers eager to implement these measures as a way to finance large scale highway projects. More from the Atlantic Cities:

For sure, the lessons of SR-167 may not apply to every new HOT lane across the country, but Gross’s ongoing work does suggest a number of fairly universal takeaways. First things first, state DOTs would be wise to share commuter and traffic data. They should also enter projects with a clear sense of whether they want their express lane to offer congestion relief or generate revenue — and shift toll formulas accordingly. And they should factor a period of driver adjustment into fiscal forecasts.

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Immigration Can Stabilize City Housing Market

Immigration Can Stabilize City Housing Market

As immigration reform is discussed on the national level, several cities have taken the lead in accepting more immigrants. This has led to an influx of population which have stabilized housing markets in several cities. A few months ago we discussed this issue on the UrbanCincy podcast and examined how the issue is affecting Cincinnati.  More from the Atlantic Cities:

Broadly, this implies that immigrants help boost housing markets, in much the same way that they’ve been shown in the past to shore up aging populations where large numbers of workers are retiring out of the workforce. And they’ve had the greatest impact boosting the housing market in areas that could use it most – specifically, in shrinking Rust Belt cities, or in the deteriorating neighborhoods of major metropolitan areas where it’s elsewhere unaffordable to live.

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Chicago Improves Protected Bicycle Lanes

Chicago Improves Protected Bicycle Lanes

Although protected bicycle lanes help improve cyclist safety from automobile accidents, Chicago is looking to further reduce conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians by making some enhancements including traffic lights directed towards cyclists. These are lessons that Cincinnati may be able to implement as the city expands its bicycle network. More from the Chicago Tribune:

From 2006 to 2011, there were 1,140 reported crashes on this part of Dearborn, city records show. Pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in more than half of the accidents that included injuries.

Authorities and bicycling advocates expect accidents will decline on Dearborn and other streets that get protected bike lanes.