[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('IslandCrow', '
')The question is "will the reduction of deaths caused by people driving less/slower be nullified by more fatalities due to overcrowding of vehicles and to the vehicles being in poorer condition than now?"

[mrsea]

This is an obvious setback for those of us concerned with population overshoot.

[skeptik]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '
')Car crashes kill young, healthy people.

[Twilight]

So, driving bigger cars finally worked, but not quite in the way intended?

[heroineworshipper]

The opposite is happening here in the real world. Rising prices make people consume more & drive their SUV's more. They want to get in more driving ahead of future higher prices.

Gas dropped 2% last week & for the first time in months, there was empty real estate at the gas stations. Demand falls when prices fall because they expect future lower prices.

[kublikhan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('heroineworshipper', 'T')he opposite is happening here in the real world. Rising prices make people consume more & drive their SUV's more. They want to get in more driving ahead of future higher prices.
Gas dropped 2% last week & for the first time in months, there was empty real estate at the gas stations. Demand falls when prices fall because they expect future lower prices.

[cube]

The greatest danger usually happens not because of speed but instead when there's a huge differential between speeds.
For example if someone is doing 30mph over the speed limit that creates an unsafe condition. Visualize this:
If everybody is going the exact same speed how can there be a car accident?
That's why previously when the speed limit was raised from 55 to 65mph it did not lead to more accidents.
I'm guessing high gas prices is encouraging some of those "heavy foot" drivers to slow down to the speed limit.

[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')lso I read somewhere that every year in the States 3 times more people die in road accidents than died in 911.

[wisconsin_cur]

I'm sure this story is true in little towns and counties across the nation... just picking one for illustrative purposes... I love this county... old stomping grounds and all.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]High petroleum prices slow country road maintenance
By SHARON VANCE, Shelby County News 13.AUG.08
If you think high gas prices are taking a toll on your budget, try to imagine what it's like to be Alan Spesard right now.

"Our service is going down -- it has to," noted Shelby County's highway engineer on Tuesday.

Shelby County Board Chairman George Frazier noted that the high price of gas has affected the county in many areas.

"It effects the sheriff's department because they have to have fuel for the vehicles. It is getting to be a real problem and the county is having a problem trying to keep its fleet of vehicles going."

Rising prices for petroleum touches Spesard's department in many ways. In addition to fuel for all of its vehicles, oil is also a key component in road maintenance.

"Our main maintenance material on the surface of roads is called seal coat oil and chip. Oil is the first layer."

That oil has more than doubled in recent years, however. Spesard said he was able to purchase the oil for 69 cents a gallon in 1999 but paid $1.60 a gallon this year.

Each spring, the county locks in its price for oil bids and Spesard noted, "We did very well this year. If we tried to purchase the same oil now, the cost has actually gone up" although gasoline prices at the pump are starting to drop.

The fact that the price Shelby County is paying is lower than current market price is something Spesard couldn't have predicted when the price was locked in during the spring. "That was just luck -- it could have gone up or down."

He added that while the cost of the road oil has more than doubled, "Over that period of time our revenue has been flat. That means no decreases or increases -- except this year."

Revenues are down this year, which Spesard said most people don't believe because the price of gas is so high.

The highway department's main source of revenue is the Illinois Motor Fuel Tax. Collected by the state, the MFT is "paid per gallon of gas sold," he explained.

"Because gas is high, people are using less and so we are getting less." Spesard said he has had some people comment that the department should be well funded, but "in reality, as the price of gas goes up, our revenue goes down because people use less fuel."

He explained that the county government is required to let out bids for anything that will cost more than $20,000, so it is necessary to lock in the prices for road oil and chip.

"We have to let contracts for that type of work. It's all done above board in open meetings."

Beyond road oil and vehicle gasoline, Spesard noted that the cost of materials has gone up as the cost to get them to the county rises.

"Of course everything we do has fuel and that's tied around trucking. The cost of material trucking has gone up."

Spesard added, "We do a major bridge construction project every year in the county. The price for bridge construction has gone up almost double from 2000 until now."

As costs rise, Spesard said there is no additional funding from the state or federal government. So to try to keep bridges in good condition, "I apply for a lot of grants."

"We've been fortunate to get a lot of bridge grants," he noted. "We're replacing a bridge on the Neoga Road for $1 million this year and last year we got a grant for $180,000 for a bridge in Richland Township."

Spesard is also making sure Shelby County's representatives in Springfield are aware of the difficulties keeping the roads and bridges in good shape.

"I have talked to our representatives about getting additional funding. (State Rep. Bob) Flider sponsored a bill to double the funding for bridge work on township roads. That was passed in the house but not the Senate."

The County Engineers Association "has committees working throughout the state to get a capital bill passed," he added. "It's an issue across the state -- not just in Shelby County."

Shelby County's situation is especially difficult, however, due to a "more than average" number of old bridges as well as a lot of roads.

"We're an oversized county and undersized tax base because of the population. We're in the top third in road miles in the state to take care of and probably in the bottom third in revenue," Spesard explained.

"Things are in motion and I think the capital bill will get approval eventually. We're just working to try to get our share."

Bridges have become a focus throughout the nation as a major bridge collapsed near Minneapolis last year.

"There are a lot of things going on -- a lot of discussion about bridges across the United States. That's directly related to what happened in Minnesota."

Spesard added, "When they get together, I think there will eventually be extra funding. It's all because of the media coverage that the awareness has been heightened and knowledge of the situation has grown."

An outgrowth of the Minneapolis bridge collapse is a new federal law requiring increased inspections for bridges.

"Of course there's no funding tied to that law," Spesard commented. "We will be required to spend more resources -- it's just more and more."

While the bridges are getting a lot of attention, Spesard stressed that it's also important to keep the roads in good shape.

"In terms of oil and chip, it's maintenance. You don't see it right away if problems start to develop. We try to maintain roads in their current condition."

Shelby County isn't maintaining as many miles of road as well as Spesard would like, however. And while Spesard says he can tell the roads are deteriorating, he noted, "The public won't see it until there's a hole in the road.

"That's a bad situation," he continued, "It costs more to fix holes than to maintain the roads."

A few years ago, Spesard was able to oil and chip between 60 and 70 miles of road each year, but is only able to do 30 to 40 this year.

"The county highway system has about 200 miles total we take care of. About 160 of those is seal coat oil and chip -- the rest are concrete or asphalt and don't require as much maintenance."

While concrete and asphalt require less maintenance, they are more costly than oil and chip to construct, he explained. "It's cost prohibitive to change (oil and chip) to another material. If you can't afford to oil and chip you can't afford asphalt."

With rising costs and declining revenues, Spesard said his department is doing what it can to keep the books in balance.

"We're trying to cut back on costs. We have fewer staff -- we've had several people who retired from the county highway department and we've chosen not to fill those positions."

Spesard noted the department has also taken other measures to keep costs down, including making its own cold mix and recycling road signs and sign posts.

"I monitor costs very closely," he added. "We use an accounting program that keeps me up to date."

Until there is a different way of funding the highway department, Spesard said he will try to stay within a budget but trying to predict costs is uncertain.

"We just try and figure what type of work we want to get accomplished. We try to budget what the cost will be and if the money budgeted is not there, we cut back."

Bridge construction projects are planned "years in advance," so Spesard noted there's been "a lot of shifting out of that" as costs continue to rise.

"We're trying to be much more selective which bridges are getting built and which roads are being seal coated and repaired. We can't do them all."

[Ludi]

The county stopped fixing our one-lane road, but instead just put up a sign "Rough Road." In a couple years they can replace it with a sign "Gravel Road" or maybe "No Road."

[f2tornado]

I follow DoT issues closely as my firm is contracted by them to provide road maintenance weather forecasts. Many states cannot even get asphalt right now even if they can afford it. Others are making more use of concrete as a substitute. In general, projects are getting pushed back for lack of funding due to decreased fuel tax revenue. Budgets will be further constrained this winter as snow removing operations require substantial diesel fuel and chemical inputs, both at substantially higher cost than last year. The quick fix solution would be to raise the fuel tax but that is a non-starter in an election year. Even if the fuel tax is increased at the state or federal level a new taxing mechanism will eventually be needed as the auto fleet gradually transitions to some combination of hybrids, plug-ins, hydro, CNG, or whatever mix. The alternative is to let the existing infrastructure rot and I doubt the tax paying car loving population will allow that to happen. After a favorite bridge collapses or pothole filled highway breaks an axle they will be happy to pony up additional money to maintain status quo. Drivers will do this before voting for school funding increases or just about any other critical need.

Where the Blacktop Ends

[Heineken]

A related maintenance issue is tree trimming, removal of downed trees, and mowing. This work goes on constantly in my neck of the woods, and without it our country roads would become undrivable or at least even more hazardous than they already are. Over time, the maintenance crews are using large amounts of gasoline and diesel in their work to run the power equipment (including tractors, trimmers, chainsaws) and their crew trucks. It's not as big an issue as asphalt prices, but it contributes to the total disturbing picture for the future.

[DomusAlbion]

This doesn't seem to be the case here in Idaho.

We just had the county road that runs by our place repaved this summer and the state is changing the main north-south panhandle highway (95) from two to four lanes. It is now nearly all 4 lanes from here to Coeur d'Alene.

[TheDude]

Paving Projects Suspended Amid High Asphalt Prices

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')UGUSTA, Maine -- The high price of asphalt has prompted the state of Maine to suspend paving projects scheduled to begin later this year.

The Maine Department of Transportation says the price of liquid asphalt, the primary component of paving materials, has more than doubled since January. As a result, the agency says it can't afford paving projects that were scheduled to go out to bid later this month.

The decision means that about 85 miles of road, with an estimated cost of nearly $14 million, will not be paved this year.

[oxj]

Parhaps it is good that asphalt use is decreasing, for it contains and exudes benzo-[a]-pyrene, a powerful carcinogen. Although this web page by the EPA mentions that exposures occur when it is hot, it is also exuded slowly when cool.

[emersonbiggins]

That day is almost upon us.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')ransportation Dept almost out of highway funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Mary Peters says the federal highway trust fund will run out of money this month.

Peters blames the shortage of funds on the high price of gasoline, which has prompted Americans to drive less. And by driving less, they use less fuel and pay less in federal gasoline tax.

At a midday press conference Friday, Peters said the agency will have to delay payments to state road and bridge projects that the federal government is helping finance. ...

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')o avoid future shortfalls, the Secretary said it was time to embrace new funding mechanisms that respond to today’s transportation challenges and are in keeping with national energy policies. “The current approach may have made sense 50 years ago, but it is ineffective and unsustainable when we are trying to reduce congestion and encouraging Americans to embrace more fuel-efficient cars,” she noted.

[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'b')ut it is ineffective and unsustainable

[kpeavey]

Govt funding problems and services curtailment, moving along according to the script

[RSFB]

This should be a pretty eye-opening article for any above-average MSM reader.

What's it gonna be? The government coughs up the money for months and years to come, or fuel taxes get increased?

There's also the possibility of reducing maintenance projects, of course.