roads

In North Carolina, people want to “be in the driver’s seat.” Good transportation policy begins by respecting that choice. This may be a hard reality for community reshapers and…

Tax Principles to Consider When Modernizing Transportation Revenues: A Presentation to the Board of Transportation FAST Committee  April 3, 2019 It is an honor to be with you this…

Let’s just be really clear about the Build NC Bonds proposal to borrow $3 billion for roads making its way, in different forms, through the North Carolina House and Senate:…

Governments cannot realistically take enough money from citizens to pay for all the repairs and construction people say we need. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimated an unmet need…

Over the past decade the “demand side management” (DSM) model of public policy has crept into the state of North Carolina’s approach to regulation. Advocates of DSM are clear in making explicit their goals of social engineering and the rearrangement of lifestyles. The language in their guiding documents are replete with references to “behavior modification” and “restraining and restricting” certain activities or lifestyle choices. DSM is inconsistent with a free society, where the role of government is to respond to constituent demands, not manage and control them.

RALEIGH – This year’s high-profile Minneapolis bridge disaster exposes North Carolina’s need for new state transportation priorities. That’s the key finding in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.

The Minneapolis I-35 bridge disaster and the poor condition of North Carolina’s bridges should be a wake-up call for policymakers to set sensible priorities for transportation policy. N.C. has 17,782 bridges, of which 5,082 (29 percent) are deemed deficient by the federal government. N.C. ranks 32nd in the nation in percentage of deficient bridges — 10th worst in total number of deficient bridges.

Traffic congestion is defined as the delay in urban travel caused by the presence of other vehicles. This study reviews traffic congestion in each of North Carolina's 17 metropolitan regions. The study determines the magnitude of present and future traffic congestion; the extent to which present plans will relieve or merely slow the growth of congestion; how traffic congestion affects the state's economy; and actions for significantly reducing congestion in the future.

RALEIGH – North Carolina taxpayers would pay the price if state lawmakers endorse complex fund-raising schemes this year. That’s according to a new John Locke Foundation Policy Report. Click…

Budgets reflect priorities. When families face a new expense, they must cut back on another expense. Governments do not have this limitation. When legislators find they have spent too much or that there are new activities worth funding, they can raise taxes to make sure the budget balances and pass along the tough decisions to businesses, entrepreneurs, and families.