Farouk Shami proposes transportation overhaul without tolls, privatization

HOUSTON- Farouk Shami released his campaign’s policy on transportation issues Thursday. Transportation issues are one the greatest challenges facing the State of Texas. Every hour spent stuck in traffic is an hour of time robbed from Texans.

“Governor Perry has continually misled our state on this issue and doesn’t even address the critical issues of transportation in the state,” Shami said as he released the policy. He released his plan complete with a funding mechanism for the overhaul of the Texas Department of Transportation.

Farouk’s plan to get Texas moving includes:

• Reform the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Transportation Commission with elected positions and bans on lobbying the Legislature for pet projects.
• Change TXDOT’s focus to concentrate on repair and replacement with a focus on immediate needs for deficient bridges and overpasses.
• Focus on mass transit and securing funding for plans to reduce traffic congestion.
• Repeal HB3588 and kill the Trans Texas Corridor.

NO NEW TOLL PROJECTS
With the comprehensive attention paid to overhauling the transportation agencies in Texas, Farouk also released a position on how to pay for these new ideas. He is the only candidate offering up ways to pay for road projects other than through privatization or toll roads.

Farouk Shami proposed a one time increase in the gas tax of 8 cents and implementing automatic increases in the gas tax annually from 2012 forward based on increases in the Highway Cost Index. He also proposes to give the commission the authority to issue bonds backed by the gas tax.

Shami also believes these measures will encourage the use of electric and natural gas powered automobiles that would be exempt from the gas tax. “This will encourage people to buy cars powered by these technologies, which will help clean up Texas’ air and bring us into compliance with federal standards while also decreasing our dependence on foreign oil,” Shami said.