TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Transportation is such a large part of the use of fossil fuels. The TCI is a way to start on addressing the problem. PLEASE, start on this. We must.

This is a back door way to go around legislation to increase fuel taxes with no accountability. Mr. Baker remember that you would not have been elected if it was not for the referendum gas tax question on the ballot five years ago. This is a BS move. What we need is a bill introduced that states that ANY talk about anything that affects the taxpayers pocketbook in any way is always brought before the PEOPLE on a ballot. That will be our accountability!!!!

Lifelong cyclist here, never lived more than a couple of miles from work my entire life, so that I can get there by bike. I guess my main message is that something needs to be done on both the PUSH and the PULL ends of the equation, to get people out of cars and into other modes of transporation... It's not enough to just build bike lanes (although lord knows we need more!). It's not enough to hold fancy galas and bike-to-work days and green-topia fests, and employee-fitness programs. We have to DISINCENTIVIZE DRIVING!

In my mind, the only way this happens is the same way the rest of the world (not the USA) does it - by making it more difficult to drive. We need to make driving NOT the default option. Instead of designing roads for convenience and speed, let drivers stagnate in traffic, let them realize the errors of their ways. Instead of providing a ridiculous federal mileage reimbursement rate (55c/mi, AYFKM?), let's cut it in half. Instead of whining when gas goes above $3 a gallon (it's more than double that in most of Europe) let's raise gas taxes and plow the money into infrastructure and climate projects. Instead of free on-street public parking, make drivers pay more. Of course, it goes without saying that the EPA needs to grow a pair (once Trump is out of the WhiteHouse) and start clamping down again on MPG expectations and pollution controls for vehicles. Making SUVs more expensive would be a good start - again disincentivize big cars and people will switch to smaller less polluting ones (this happens all over the world, especially in Europe, with tiered license/registration fees based on engine capacity and fuel economy).

Another critical issue very close to my own heart is DRIVER ACCOUNTABILITY for accidents and pedestrian/cyclist deaths. In my community as well as nationwide, there has been a recent uptic in these events, and in almost all cases the driver goes un-punished, no charges filed! Recently an 82 year old former colleague of mine was killed while out walking by a driver who didn't look when backing out of their driveway. At Thanksgiving, a babysitter and child were mown down on the sidewalk by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. In both cases these "accidents" resulted in no charges. This is unacceptable. As long as drivers know there are ZERO consequneces for their careless actions, whey will continue to kill people. We need local police departments and other legislative bodies to start holding drivers accountable for their carelessness. There really is no such thing as a true "accident", and the vast majority are preventable by people just paying attention to the fact they're riding around in a 5000lb metal weapon. Federal or state laws to ensure that careless driving acts resulting in death means jail-time for the driver, would be a wake-up call for drivers to start treating other road users with the respect they command and deserve. We have to switch away from the "victim blaming" tropes, where throwaway statements such as "the biker was not wearing a reflective jacket" become untenable.

Thank-you for your time.
PSB

The TCI is very important for this state. Maine should use TCI as an opportunity to invest in local transportation solutions that help Maine people get to where they need to go in an affordable way that’s good for our environment. Mainers deserve creative new choices and new investments to meet our transportation needs; the one thing we know is that pouring pollution into the atmosphere and sending our hard-earned money out of state for the oil that causes that pollution are NOT the way forward. Maine needs an ambitious plan to reduce climate-changing transportation pollution,. Working together with neighboring states makes sense.

The economic benefits could be profound. Maine can see significant economic, health, and environmental benefits by transitioning to cleaner and more efficient transportation options through adoption of TCI. We must address climate change now with workable solutions. TCI is one of them!

I am fully supportive of TCI and believe this initiative has the potential to help
Maine tackle its transportation-related GHG contributions. I also am excited for the discussion around how the funds could be invested to support a just transition to a clean energy economy.

I am pleased that my home state, Massachusetts, is a member of the Transportation and Climate Initiative. As an informed person who understands that the carbon emissions from our current transit system is one of the region's biggest contributions to greenhouse gases, I see that it is of utmost importance that the TCI release a solid, workable plan to revitalize our transportation infrastructure to something that is more modern, efficient, and above all low carbon. The solution needs to make actively invest in clean technologies, with a particular emphasis on equity for areas that are currently overburdened by transportation pollution. The pollution emitted from vehicles has for years caused immediate harm to those communities via air pollution; that harm needs to be addressed. Success for the TCI must include working for all communities in the region and use the science to make active improvements. As our federal government is currently failing to address greenhouse gas emissions, it is all the more important for initiatives like TCI to build a sustainable framework for a greener, healthier future.

TCI is a great idea, and a great start towards getting us to carbon neutrality in the next 20 years. This is so important. Be courageous, and unstintingly generous in your thinking about the generations to come - give them a chance! Help the TCI get put into law!

Please Gov Scott join the TCI initiative. Our state needs to move on climate change.

We need to act on climate change, and low-carbon public transportation is an important contribution to reducing our carbon impact. I have lived in Japan and seen the liberating effect that low-cost, reliable, and accessible public transportation has on communities. People who are too young, too old, or too poor to use cars can easily get to jobs, schools, and events. The Northeast should lead our nation in community-friendly, environmentally friendly public transport.