Memphis or Orlando

[weisenheist]

Originally Posted by Tigertate

If you have a problem with paying for toll roads you may like Memphis a lot more. There are no toll roads in Memphis, but they are everywhere in Orlando. They are great if you have the money (clean, convenient, and not very congested), but it does add up.

Tolls ?? perhaps there SHOULD BE tolls in Memphis ! just look at the lack of funding for education, and all of the out-of-state commuters that use the crosstowns ! and more crosstowns are scheduled to be built even east of the metro !

Lots of progressive cities have toll roads/turnpikes/crosstowns expwys

Perhaps Memphis should wake up

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by weisenheist

Lots of progressive cities have toll roads/turnpikes/crosstowns expwys

Perhaps Memphis should wake up

Memphis doesn't need toll roads. The federal government is currently funding the region to become one of the largest interstate hubs in the nation. The current system has been massively overhauled and is getting bigger every year. Perhaps you should wake up.

[Tigertate]

The State of Tennessee only recently passed legislation that would allow toll roads. The problem is that they made the legislation applicable to new infrastructure only, which makes the legislation useless in the near future. I am sure the City of Memphis would love to have toll roads, but this is a matter of State law.

[Ginsaw]

Originally Posted by weisenheist

just look at the lack of funding for education

Memphis city schools are many things. Under-funded is not one of them.

[strumpeace]

Why would Memphis want to be a large interstate hub? Is the air quality (among the worst in the country) not bad enough already? Does Memphis really need to emulate West Memphis? Is that what we aspire to? Will we next steal the awe-inspiring motto of West Memphis -- 'A City by the River'?

[Johnny Ryall]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Why would Memphis want to be a large interstate hub? Is the air quality (among the worst in the country) not bad enough already? Does Memphis really need to emulate West Memphis? Is that what we aspire to? Will we next steal the awe-inspiring motto of West Memphis -- 'A City by the River'?

What are you talking about? The Memphis tranportation system is the single largest economic engine in TN! My thought is that it would better improve air quality moving the traffic (that is already there) around the city instead of thru its' inner loop and city streets. Nashville just released its' plan for economic growth sustainment and it calls for massive investment in logistics because of the stable nature of the jobs that are associated with it (most entry level jobs in the industry are well above the minimum wage). Everybody used to say one of the reasons why Nashville grew faster was because of it having 3 interstates while Memphis had 2. Now Memphis is going to have 5 or 6 and it's chopped liver. Interstates are huge economic engines. Memphis: America's Aerotropolis, you know that city with that little airport that has a $30,000,000,000.00 annual economic impact. Interstates are tied into that model of success to the highest degree. The real question is "Why wouldn't Memphis invest in its' tranportation system when so many cities want a piece of it?".