IDAHO NATIONAL
Idaho
Transportation |
Forum offers far-reaching view of options Idaho’s transportation system has reached a crossroads, and the direction we take in building for the future will be determined by the decisions we make today. For the past two years, an independent group of local policymakers, transportation officials and Idaho citizens has been engaged in discussions about how to move the present system into new era using the lessons of the past. One thing has become clear from the Forum on Transportation Investment – we cannot use yesterday’s solutions to solve tomorrow’s needs. That is why the Forum set aside preconceptions, stepped outside the traditional box and looked for new solutions to meet new demands. The forum produced 14 far-reaching recommendations that can be used to help us continue to improve a 21st century transportation system. Three specific revenue options that should be considered immediately are:
The third recommendation is based on the realization that the fuel of tomorrow likely will be much different than today’s. We must be positioned to make a revenue transition before those new fuel sources become readily available and commonly used. Many of the recommendations will stretch our imagination and creativity. Among them are
We will have an opportunity in the next six months to explore those options with citizens throughout Idaho in a series of meetings. The first will be April 19 in Lewiston, followed by similar discussions in Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Boise and Pocatello. We need the Forum’s progressive, far-sighted approach
to take us past the present crossroads and prepare our transportation
future. Published 4-7-06 |