A fix for roads, bridges.Byline: The Register-Guard The best news out of Salem this year came Wednesday, when a bill to pay for road and bridge repairs received final legislative approval. The tax-averse Legislature has increased vehicle fees and truck taxes to fund the biggest public-works program in recent Oregon history. Legislators of both parties understood that repairing the state's failing transportation system is a matter of economic necessity. House Bill 2041 will provide $2.5 billion over the next 10 years for bridge and highway projects - creating, as a significant side benefit, close to 5,000 construction jobs. The money will come from increased vehicle registration fees, title transfer fees, testing fees and the weight-mile taxes paid by trucks. The legislation responds to the fact that 487 state bridges have been found to be in serious need of replacement or repair. The Interstate in·ter·state adj. Involving, existing between, or connecting two or more states. n. One of a system of highways extending between the major cities of the 48 contiguous United States. Noun 1. 5 bridges across the McKenzie and Willamette rivers Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. in the Eugene-Springfield area, for instance, have already been closed to overweight loads. Trucks carrying heavy equipment or other cargo that can't be split into lighter loads are forced to make long detours, adding to shipping costs and increasing traffic on secondary routes. HB 2041 also corrects a mistake the 2001 Legislature made when it doubled the fee to register cars with gas-electric hybrid engines. Hybrid cars hybrid car, hybrid vehicle hybrid n → Hybridfahrzeug nt or -auto nt get great gas mileage Noun 1. gas mileage - the ratio of the number of miles traveled to the number of gallons of gasoline burned fuel consumption rate, gasoline mileage, mileage ratio - the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient) - some models can get 60 or more miles per gallon Noun 1. miles per gallon - the distance traveled in a vehicle powered by one gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel unit, unit of measurement - any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange; "the dollar is the United States unit of - and consequently pay less in gas taxes. Legislators concluded two years ago that hybrid owners weren't paying their share of the costs of maintaining the highway system, and doubled the registration fee for hybrid cars to $60 every two years. The reasoning was flawed flaw 1 n. 1. An imperfection, often concealed, that impairs soundness: a flaw in the crystal that caused it to shatter. See Synonyms at blemish. 2. : If cars that get good mileage MILEAGE. A compensation allowed by law to officers, for their trouble and expenses in travelling on public business. 2. The mileage allowed to members of congress, is eight dollars for every twenty miles of estimated distance, by the most usual roads, from his should pay a penalty in higher registration fees, the state should reward the buyers of gas-guzzlers that need a fill-up after every trip to the mall. The policy was confused: While penalizing hybrid car buyers at the registration window, the state provided tax credits to purchasers of super-efficient vehicles. And the symbolism Symbolism In art, a loosely organized movement that flourished in the 1880s and '90s and was closely related to the Symbolist movement in literature. In reaction against both Realism and Impressionism, Symbolist painters stressed art's subjective, symbolic, and decorative was terrible: At a time when new cars' and trucks' average mileage hit a 22-year low of 20.4 mpg, Oregon was punishing people whose choices promised less pollution and less reliance on imported oil. HB 2041 raises car and truck registration fees to $54 every two years, and eliminates the punitive pu·ni·tive adj. Inflicting or aiming to inflict punishment; punishing. [Medieval Latin p  n treatment for hybrids. The cost to
register a hybrid car will actually decline from the current $60 fee.
The flat fee is a small but welcome feature of the larger transportation
bill, which is sure to stand among the 2003 Legislature's most
significant achievements.
Having responded effectively to an emergency affecting the state's transportation system, legislators should turn their thoughts to how such crises might be prevented in the future. A plan for continuous road and bridge maintenance would be more affordable and less disruptive than a massive catch-up program. But that's a subject for another day. This is the moment for taking satisfaction in the fact that when the need for a catch-up program became urgent, the Legislature came through. |
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