With rising energy costs making it more costly for Texans to go to work and make a living, our rapidly growing population requires a transportation system that will move more people, goods and products, and do so safely and efficiently to expand economic opportunity. The guiding principles for a transportation system that benefits all Texans should include the impact of transportation on greenhouse gas emissions, safety, affordability, reduced congestion and environmental quality.

To that end, we support:

• feasibility studies for new roads and toll ways that include assessment of the impact on all
  factors in surrounding rural or urban environments as well as traffic congestion;
• designing projects to avoid unnecessarily dividing communities or having detrimental
  impact on land owners;
• innovative funding mechanisms to provide needed roadways and develop reliable and
  affordable public transportation systems as necessary to alleviate congestion and move
  people and goods efficiently without damaging communities and the environment;
• reform of the Texas Department of Transportation in the wake of its infamous billion dollar
  “bookkeeping error” by creating an elected Transportation Commission;
• a ban on converting existing roads to toll roads, which amounts to double taxation; and
• developing rail and mass transit systems that don’t harm the environment or infringe on
  property rights, and utilizing the Mobility Fund to convert existing freight lines into
  passenger rail.