The revenue would help finance technology to fight traffic congestion, officials say.
By WILL VAN SANT, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2005
CLEARWATER - Pinellas County residents could pay an extra penny for gas under a proposed plan to combat road congestion.
The county would use the additional penny tax on a gallon of gas to create a system of "smart" traffic signals.
Pinellas drivers currently pay 18.4 cents per gallon in federal tax, 14.5 cents in state tax and 11.8 cents to the county. If the new penny passes, Pinellas would levy 12.8 cents a gallon, the same amount as Hillsborough and Pasco counties.
Using data from the AAA, officials estimate the extra penny would cost the average Pinellas motorist $6.50 each year.
"I think people in Pinellas County would jump at the chance to pay $6.50 a year to do something about traffic congestion," said board chair John Morroni, who is running for reelection in 2006. "That's all we hear about."
The County Commission will decide Tuesday whether to hold a public hearing on the issue Dec. 20. By state law, five of the seven commission members would have to approve the penny increase, which would take effect on July 1, 2007.
The tax would generate an estimated $3.9-million annually over 20 years. Using those funds and another $24.2-million the county expects to get in state and federal grants over the next two decades, the county would purchase the latest in traffic gadgetry.
Currently, the technology used to regulate traffic signals limits the number of possible timing patterns on the county's major arteries.
By using cameras mounted on signals and a computer program, the new technology would adjust the timing patterns throughout the day based on traffic conditions, reducing delays and congestion.
Peter Yauch, the county's transportation director, said the cameras would not be used to spy on drivers or as a law enforcement tool.
"They are just monitoring traffic flow," he said. "We are not zooming in to see who is sitting in the car."
Electronic message signs would signal delays and direct drivers along the speediest routes to popular destinations. Additional underground fiber optic loops would coordinate the system countywide.
The work would be done in three phases, the first to be completed in 2009. That phase would install the technology on McMullen Booth Road, County Road 611, U.S. 19, Belcher Road and State Road 60, as well as connecting roads.
The third and final phase would wrap up in 2018.
County officials say the result would be fewer delays, better air quality and a reduction in fuel consumption that would save motorists more money annually than they would pay in the new tax.
Undoubtedly, Pinellas drivers could use some help with traffic.
Through much of the 1990s, total miles driven had remained flat. But according to the state Department of Transportation, the number of total miles driven in the county climbed from about 6-billion in 1999 to nearly 9-billion in 2003, the last year for which figures are available.
The mounting congestion and delays translate into higher fuel costs and lost time. In surveys, county residents repeatedly rank transportation improvements as their chief concern.
A county staff report found that after similar technology was installed in Las Vegas, Nev., carbon monoxide emission dropped by 24 percent, delays by 38 percent and fuel consumption by 17 percent.
Morroni, the commission chair, said the benefits of the additional penny were obvious.
"One penny for progress is not much to ask," he said. "I should think that the commission will go for it."
The board is also expected to hold a second public hearing on Dec. 20 to consider a 10-year extension of a 6-cent-per-gallon levy that has been in effect since 1992. That tax, which pays for road construction and repairs, expires on Aug. 1, 2007.
