| 01/20/2005 |
| Lobby demands state improve mass transit |
| By GREGORY B. HLADKY , Journal Register News Service |
|
HARTFORD -- A determined group of
transportation activists and lawmakers Wednesday demanded swift
state action to improve mass transit and ease highway gridlock, even
if it means higher gas taxes or electronic tolls. "We know it
won’t be easy to ask people to pay more," said Carol Leighton,
co-chairman of the Citizens Transportation Lobby. But she insisted
that, "After years of neglect, it’s time to focus on mass
transportation."They called for creation of a dedicated state mass transit fund that would pay for the new rail cars, locomotives, equipment repairs and improvements to track, stations and parking that will be needed to get people and freight off the highways. Proposals for improving Connecticut’s bus system and the proposal for a New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line also drew praise at the rally. Both activists and lawmakers said they could support a variety of ways to pay for such costly transportation system improvements, from raising the gas tax, to "gateway" tolls on major highways into Connecticut, to electronic toll or "congestion fees" for motorist who use highways at rush hour. New state borrowing will also be required, according to several speakers. Gov. M. Jodi Rell, sent the rally a statement promising that her budget message next month will include "a substantial new commitment to alleviating congestion on our highway, improving rail and bus operations and improving Connecticut’s statewide transportation system." Rell, a Republican who is still recovering at home following successful cancer surgery last month, provided no details of how she wants to pay for that new fiscal commitment. But top GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate say they are opposed to any new or increased state taxes this year. Lt. Gov. Kevin B. Sullivan of West Hartford, said that the General Assembly "did an amazingly stupid thing a few years ago" when lawmakers voted to lower Connecticut’s gasoline tax. Sullivan, who until July was the top Democratic leader in the state Senate, said he hasn’t "thought about a number" in terms of how high the state gas tax should go to pay for transportation improvements. State Rep. Paul Davis, D-Orange, said he’s been assured by state House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, that "we will come to some solutions as to what needs to be done with ..the transportation problems in Connecticut." Jara Burnett, of the Connecticut League of Women Voters, said her organization is ready to support increases in gas and diesel taxes as long as that money was dedicated to improving mass transit and reducing highway congestion. Burnett said other revenue possibilities include "gateway" user fees on trucks or all vehicles entering Connecticut by way of major highways, as well as higher fees for speeding and other traffic violations. Molly McKay, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Sierra Club, Southeast Group, said that if the state is ready to spend $1 billion on a new highway bridge in New Haven, and $1 billion to complete Route 11, it must be able to find the money to improve rail service. State Sen. John McKinney, D-Fairfield, said the congestion on highways like Interstate 95 has become so bad that "people are scared to drive the highway." He warned that some sections have become "death traps." "We can’t sit back and wait for the federal government to do this," McKinney said of the need to reduce highway gridlock. "This is a problem of our making ..This is our problem as a state." McKinney, a top GOP Senate leader, acknowledged that "there will be a lot of debate over how to fund it" but insisted that Connecticut can’t wait any longer to take some kind of major action. He urged the transportation activists to tell members of the 2005 General Assembly: "You can’t leave Hartford until we get this done." According to McKinney, any solution must be "a truly bipartisan, unified effort." Gregory B. Hladky can be contacted at ghladky@nhregister.com or at (860) 524-0719. |