Reason Foundation

January 3, 2016

Top Story

Florida Is Making Mistakes With Endangered Species Act

Florida would do well to look at the Texas model and adapt it for managing the new wave of endangered species.

Adrian Moore

In 2011, environmental activists successfully sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, forcing it to evaluate more than 750 more species for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In Florida, that list includes 115 species, which means the coming years will likely see a doubling of the number or species in Florida listed.

---

Air Traffic Control Newsletter #128

Delta goes after Nav Canada | Bolen and NBAA opt for the status quo

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• Delta goes after Nav Canada
• Bolen and NBAA opt for the status quo
• Remote towers moving rapidly
• Air traffic control for drones?
• Two major ANSPs to be privatized
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

---

Surface Transportation News #145

Why and how to fix LA's chronic traffic congestion | California High Speed Rail project has new troubles

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• Why and how to fix LA's chronic traffic congestion
• California High Speed Rail project has new troubles
• Express toll lanes progress in five states
• TRB slams DOT truck size & weight study
• New thoughts on autonomous vehicles
• Truck tolling services expanding
• Upcoming Transportation Events
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

---

Buses, Tolls, Tunnels and Technology: Think Tank’s $700 Billion Plan to Target Southern California’s Bottlenecks and Reduce Traffic Congestion

A network of free-flowing toll lanes would connect all major freeways in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palmdale, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

The Reason Foundation plan would decrease Southern California’s infamous gridlock by creating a connected network of variably priced toll lanes on all of the region’s major highways and expressways, building six mega-projects to fill in major missing links in the freeway system, creating more than 500 new tolled over- and under-passes at bottlenecked interchanges, expanding the routes and increasing the frequency of bus rapid transit and express bus service, and implementing a series of technological advances to improve accident clearing and stoplight synchronicity. 

Traffic modeling forecasts show that toll revenues, not taxpayers, would fund $362 billion of the construction costs, over half of the total price tag. The remaining amount would be paid for through existing transportation funding streams. Additionally, the area’s carpool lanes would be converted to toll lanes, creating a sustainable revenue stream for maintenance. 

The Reason Foundation study finds six mega-projects are needed to eliminate major gaps in Southern California’s transportation network. These projects are: 

---

O.C. Cities Should Take Care With Budget Surpluses

Despite slow recovery, fiscal challenges still loom

Leonard Gilroy

Officials in a few Orange County cities are debating how to spend budget surpluses, an enviable situation that many cities still recovering from the Great Recession would welcome. A recent national survey shows most cities still face major fiscal challenges. Anaheim and Santa Ana, for example, might be better off banking the current surpluses and paying down debt so they are better prepared for the inevitable next downturn.

---

Improving Santa Ana Schools Have a Long Way to Go

Allowing schools to operate with less bureaucracy and real accountability via portfolio management could transform education in Santa Ana and across the state.

Aaron Smith

---

Airport Policy and Security News #108

Significant changes for TSA's PreCheck | Second airports for Atlanta and Seattle?

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• Significant changes for TSA's PreCheck
• Second airports for Atlanta and Seattle? 
• Momentum builds to dump air marshals
• Innovation in airport pricing
• Airport gates and competition
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

---

Southern California Mobility Plan

A long-range plan to reduce traffic congestion, improve transit and fund infrastructure across Southern California

Baruch Feigenbaum

Productive regions offer mobility for people and goods, but Southern California’s productivity is seriously threatened by reduced mobility. Without fundamental policy change, congestion and the lack of quality transit service threaten to strangle the region’s economy. The ability to move goods and services efficiently, combined with the need to provide a high quality of life for employees and their families, should put improving mobility at the top of Southern California’s priorities. The consequences of ignoring this growing problem will be severe.

The Los Angeles region, contributing the most congestion to Southern California, has been the nation’s most congested metropolitan area for decades. The cost of congestion—as measured in wasted time and fuel—is estimated at $13.3 billion per year, or $1,711 per commuter annually. Average annual hours of delay per traveler have increased from 52 in 1985 to 80 in 2014. The travel time index (the ratio of travel time during peak periods to the same trip off-peak) increased from 1.31 to 1.43 during the same period. As population and employment in the region continue to grow, these numbers will get even worse unless new measures to reduce congestion are implemented.

While the region continues to spend significant resources on new rail lines, Southern California residents are taking fewer transit trips per capita today than 20 years ago. Transit-dependent residents must rely on a smaller bus network that fails to adequately serve their needs.

This study examines Southern California’s mobility challenges in detail.

---