Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Real estate inflation can cause traffic when land for road building costs more

I keep hearing ads on radio from a group called Changepac in Olympia. Blaming Governor Gregoire for traffic remaining bad while gas taxes have gone up. They ask, "where is the money going?"

Well, costs of road building keeps going up. Land is now so expensive (look at the median price of a single family home in King County), it must cost a fortune to add more lanes to freeways.

Single occupancy automobile travel takes a lot of space.

No, I don't think you can blame the governor for that.

Population keeps growing, land, concrete, steel, asphalt costs keep going up. You get the idea.

There are many projects under construction or recently completed anyway, so I hear. For instance the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Yes, it is time for a change, but not a change in the governor. Public transit can use the expensive space we have more effectively.

It's people that are the problem. Too many people. People want to have their cake and eat it too. Low taxes, but still expect top dollar when a new highway project condemns one's home.

Also people who expect everything to work, like it sort of did back in the 1950s.

Who's to blame?

Everyone.

I hear that when I-5 was built through Seattle, the city actually lost population from all the houses they bulldozed down in it's path. Back then, you could buy up houses for less.

When land was cheap, maybe you could "build your way out of congestion." Now it's more difficult.

That's where the money is going.

I doubt changing the governor would make much difference.

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