Abstract
Traffic congestion costs the United States more than $67 billion annually. Over the next 25 years, this problem will be exacerbated as traffic is expected to double. One approach to dealing with these problems is simple, straightforward, and fair. The Freeing Alternatives for Speedy Transportation (FAST) Act repeals prohibitions in federal law in order to permit expansion of congested interstate corridors paid for by user-fees. With the FAST Act, states would have the option to create new voluntary-use FAST lanes, expanding road capacity to reduce congestion. The legislation includes three important conditions: Fees will be collected using only non-cash, electronic technology—no tolls and no tollbooths; the voluntary fee is charged on new lanes only, and the revenues generated are dedicated to those new FAST lanes; and when the revenues collected from FAST lane users have repaid the costs of the FAST lanes, the fees disappear. It's time for new thinking and a new approach in federal transportation policy.
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