07-10-2020, 12:28 PM
(07-10-2020, 11:58 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:(07-10-2020, 10:03 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: So a little perspective there, nothing is permanent,
It occurred to me that we think of our road infrastructure as permanent; but it only seems that way because of a massive ongoing expenditure on maintenance. And when it falls even a little behind, people complain, in effect, about its impermanence being made manifest; and complain about how high their taxes are.
Has anybody costed out what would happen to our road expenditure if we reduced all our 4 lane roads in the Region to 2 lanes with turn lanes? I know if would be a massive reduction in asphalt surface area. How big of an effect would it really have on traffic, and how much could our taxes go down with reduction in the amount of maintenance (both winter and pavement)?
And as to traffic, the analysis should be split into (1) immediately; and (2) after people get used to the idea that certain roads are busy at certain times and some of them move their deliveries and trips to off hours.
Nobody in the region has ever costed a reduction in road space. Frankly, I don't think such a thing is conceivable to the.
But costing a reduction in the growth of road space was a component of costing the LRT, and it had absolutely giagantic savings...half a billion dollars...and that's with the...lets call it, not particularly ambitious mode share targets that the region has.
It is indeed the case that every time I hear fiscal conservatives whine, it rings so incredibly hollow in the face of the gigantic waste that is excess roads in the region. No level of self proclaimed "fiscal conservatism" has EVER questioned roads, and frankly, few question police--it's almost as if they're worried about somethign different than the budget.