California drivers brace for painful pinch at the pump

UPDATE 5/2/2017 6 p.m.:

Drivers are bracing themselves for a painful pinch at the gas pump.

Last Friday, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1, a $54 billion plan to raise funds to pay for the state’s crumbling infrastructure.

Starting in November, the price for a gallon of gas will go up 12-cents. Diesel fuel prices will also rise. While electric vehicles owners could see a $100 charge, drivers will also pay higher vehicle registration fees, ranging from $25-$175.

That money will go to funding roads and bridges throughout the state. The anticipated $54 billion will be split between state highways and local roads.

San Francisco-based Autolist, a new and used car search engine, surveyed some 7,800 car owners about SB1. It found more than 47-percent of California drivers would pay for road quality improvements.

One Hollister man knew a few roadways that could benefit from an upgrade.

“Highway 156 could use a little bit of help, from Hollister,” Sal Flores said. “I used to live in Gilroy, First Street is horrible.”

Though some worry the higher prices will put the brakes on other expenditures.

“Adds up fast,” Tom Banuelos of Greenfield said. “You figure, when it’s reasonable, $2.50 or so I’m still spending $50-$60 a week on gas. When it starts jumping, takes a bite out of everything you want do.”

While the tax is expected to bring in $5 billion every year, some organizations don’t believe it’s enough.

Next 10, a San Francisco nonprofit, released a report last month saying the state needs $9.8 billion more annually. Other ways of funding could include toll roads or charging drivers for the numbers of miles they drive.

AAA believes the gas tax is a good start, but more is needed from the federal level. A new infrastructure report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found more long-term investments could save live.

“In our study, we saw that if we invested $146 billion in cost-effective highway infrastructure improvements over the next 20 years, we can save more than 60,000 lives and prevent 350k serious injuries as a result of crashes,” said John Moreno, spokesman for AAA Northern California.

Some of those cost-effective improvements suggested:

-Convert key intersections into roundabouts
-Install roadside barriers and clear roadside objects
-Add sidewalks and signalized pedestrian crossing on majority of roads
-Install median barriers on divided highways
-Install shoulder and centerline rumble strips
-Pave and widen shoulders

“We believe we need to refocus our efforts towards long-term investments in a safe infrastructure and that will ensure our safety and quality of our roads for generations to come,” Moreno said.

ORIGINAL POST:

Governor Jerry Brown on Friday signed a $54 billion transportation plan on Friday, calling for major infrastructure upgrades to California roads.

Come November, drivers in California will pay 12 cents more per gallon, along with higher vehicle registration fees starting next year.

The $54 billion that is expected to be raised over the next 10 years would be split between state and local roads.

However, some believe it’s not enough. A report by nonprofit organization “Next 10” shows $9.8 billion more would be needed every year to maintain the state’s roads on a long-term basis.

AAA also believes more money is needed. In a report released Tuesday, the organization said more investment was needed, particularly at a federal level. According to a news release, it stated, “With an investment of $146 billion, the report recommends six cost-effective improvements with the greatest potential to reduce the likelihood and consequences of crashes.”

Those recommendations are:

1. Convert key intersections into roundabouts 2. Install roadside barriers and clear roadside objects 3. Add sidewalks and signalized pedestrian crossing on majority of roads 4. Install median barriers on divided highways 5. Install shoulder and centerline rumble strips 6. Pave and widen shoulders