Missouri Bicycle News

An editorial in Sunday's Springfield News-Leader expresses support of proposed Missouri Constitutional Amendment 3:

Proponents say putting this money into roads will create jobs, increase state tax revenue and help restore credibility for the Department of Transportation and state government in general. Because the earmarking is phased in, they say education will not be hurt — but they cannot guarantee it.

Logic, however, supports their arguments.

Amendment 3 addresses one of the craws in the throats of Missouri voters. State gasoline tax revenue funds are distributed to more than half a dozen agencies. Only half of the money goes to build and maintain roads. Voters are justified in saying no to new taxes until the current taxes are used as Missourians believe they were promised.

Elsewhere in the paper, both proponents and opponents of Amendment 3 expressed their viewpoints.

An article in the SEMissourian points out that Amendment 3 follows a trend in Missouri of earmarking state revenue.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation's position on Amendment 3 can be summed up in three points:

• Missouri's highways are in very bad shape and need to be fixed. Roads in Missouri have been chronically underfunded and fixing this problem will not be painless.
  
  
• Missouri voters should carefully evaluate both the pros and cons of Amendment 3 before voting.
  
  
• Whatever plan is put into place to fix Missouri's roads, years of neglect of the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users must end. The legitimate needs of these transportation users be taken into consideration on every new and reconstructed road in Missouri.

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posted by Brent Hugh at 10/20/2004 02:39:18 PM |comment on this article