texas transportation institute

News to me:  Texas will study a tax on miles driven:

If you don't like gasoline taxes, here's an alternative: a tax on the number of miles you drive in a year.

The Texas Transportation Commission has directed a fresh study of the idea, and it is not alone.

 There are pilot projects in other states and nationally to gauge how such a tax would work.

There is no question that congestion is a serious problem in this country -- and a crippling problem in some cities.

 Nor is there any question that congestion is much worse than it was ten years ago, even if high gas prices and the recession have caused it to level off in some places.

There is no question that congestion is a serious problem in this country -- and a crippling problem in some cities.

 Nor is there any question that congestion is much worse than it was ten years ago, even if high gas prices and the recession have caused it to level off in some places.

Whenever I see new data on cities, I'm always tempted to match them to the cities' weighted densities, if for no other reason than no one else does it.

 And so with the Texas Transportation Institute's latest report on city congestion.

Whenever I see new data on cities, I'm always tempted to match them to the cities' weighted densities, if for no other reason than no one else does it.

 And so with the Texas Transportation Institute's latest report on city congestion.

The Texas Transportation Institute has issued its annual report on congestion in American cities.

 As usual, Austin doesn't do well, punching well above its class.  Tthe average Austin traveler experienced an annual delay of 39 hours in 2007.

   That's up from 32 hours in 1997, although no worse than 2006.   

Ryan Avent puts the Austin figures in perspective:

The Texas Transportation Institute has issued its annual report on congestion in American cities.

 As usual, Austin doesn't do well, punching well above its class.  Tthe average Austin traveler experienced an annual delay of 39 hours in 2007.

   That's up from 32 hours in 1997, although no worse than 2006.   

Ryan Avent puts the Austin figures in perspective:

Still riding my congestion-pricing hobby horse . . . 

I admit that pricing free roads does make some people worse off.

 That's only natural since people who use free roads during peak times are not paying the full social cost of their trips.

 It's not nearly as simple as rich-vs.-poor, though; determining who gains and who loses is tricky and something I'll write about another time.