Ongoing Legislative Goals
Support a healthy business climate with a sound transportation system. To compete in today's economy businesses demand a safe, accessible and efficient transportation and logistics system. Our transportation system should not be a barrier to recruiting and retaining businesses that create jobs.
Restore the "Good Roads State" name. North Carolina was known as the Good Roads State because of our superior highway and road system. However, years of inadequate funding, increased system use due to population growth and the ravages of time have put that reputation at risk.
Preserve existing funding sources. The motor fuels tax (gas tax) is our state's most important source of highway revenue. It makes up more than half of state funds and is based on a formula that adjusts with the wholesale price of gas. Motorists are willing to pay for good roads as long as that money is used as intended. Funds raised from transportation sources should not be diverted to non-transportation sources.
Protect the variable rate gas tax. A portion of the gas tax adjusts because all projects funded through the gas tax depend on equipment, vehicles and materials that utilize fossil fuels. The variable rate is more like a cost of living adjustment. Capping the gas tax would place up to 7,000 jobs at risk and cost our state $250 million over two years. All to save the average driver about 25 to 40 cents per week.
Explore alternative funding sources. The gas tax and existing fees cannot keep pace with the population growth and increased demands placed on our transportation system. And with more hybrid vehicles and electric cars now in production, the gas tax is becoming a less-accurate measure of a driver's use of the roads. State leaders need to embrace alternatives for financing our transportation system. In the meantime, consider adjusting fees to factor in heavier vehicles' impact on roads.
Utilize alternative financing when possible. Toll roads are the most accurate form of a "user-pays" system — where drivers support maintaining the miles they drive. Toll financing and Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are our best options for completing major urban projects that ease congestion years earlier than with traditional financing strategies.
Reduce congestion and improve mobility with additional transit options. Roads and bridges alone will not meet the mobility needs of North Carolina. Public transportation like buses and Charlotte's LYNX Blue Line light rail get workers to jobs, ease congestion and move cars off the road to accommodate business vehicles.
Consider our state's long-term transportation needs. There is an estimated $65 billion shortfall in funding required by 2030 to adequately plan, design, build and maintain our state's transportation system. In order to improve mobility, increase safety, and attract and retain businesses that create jobs, now is the time to look to the future and decide what sort of transportation system we want to show the nation and world.