San Diego to vote on $160B transit overhaul, GOP official says residents being taxed out of their cars
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San Diego County officials will vote this Friday on a massive $ 160 billion transportation overhaul, funded in part by road tolls and driver tax increases.
The proposal was rejected last week at a hearing by some members of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which is made up of mayors and district overseers.
The San Diego, California skyline is shown under blue skies and clouds. (Reuters)
One of the fiercest critics of the plan, which has been in the works for years, is the district mayor and former mayor of San Marcos, Jim Desmond.
In interviews and TV appearances, Desmond has compared the $ 160 billion overhaul to a plan to tax people out of their cars.
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In a comment posted Thursday in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Desmond will argue that SANDAG should prioritize investments in technology, including smart roads, zero-emission, and autonomous vehicles – given the city’s reliance on cars.
San Diego transit (YouTube / SANDAGREGION)
“Instead, SANDAG relies on traffic jams, frustration and the taxation of cars,” says Desmond. “Technology is the answer for the 21st century.”
A final draft of the draft released this week includes building a high-speed rail system from the US-Mexico border to Oceanside by 2050, creating “managed” freeway lanes, and plans to build a central transportation hub.
Still from the SANDAG video: “The regional plan 2021: Let’s arrive together.” (YouTube / SANDAGREGION)
Amid the rejection of tolls, some Democratic officials have suggested SANDAG consider using federal infrastructure funds to offset the need for tolls, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Nevertheless, it is generally assumed that the plan will work, as the board members of SANDAG are strongly democratic. If the plan is not voted on before the end of December, state and federal funds could be jeopardized, according to the Union-Tribune.
“We are in a very formal legal process that must be followed,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said last week. “We have to adopt our regional plan before the end of the calendar year, and I look forward to doing that at the board meeting next week.”
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FOX Business asked SANDAG for a comment.
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