Editor, the News-Herald:

Referencing the need for more tax money for roads, politicians are the problem. The highway trust fund has been raided by politicians to balance the budget for the past several years. The gas tax does not need to be raises. The gas tax should be able to keep up with the highway needs if kept and only used for roads.

Public and private partnerships are not partnerships at all. The public will pay and the other partner will spend the money. The fuel tax, motor vehicle registration fees and state tax on vehicles should all go into the roads. Another idea to produce revenue for roads, would be all motor vehicle fines for speeding and other offenses, like parking, should go into the highway trust fund. Adult sized bicycles should be taxed for the bike paths now paid for by gasoline tax. Gasoline taxes should not be used for mass transit, light rail or any other uses.

Do away with the front license plate and put what’s saved into the highway trust fund. The Hampton Roads planning district should disband, and have their budget rolled into the highway fund. One half of all vehicle inspection fees should go into the highway trust fund. Bidders on highway construction jobs should live up to their bid and not allow cost overruns to drive up the cost of roads. No more $24 million bids that cost $54 million to complete.

William H. Harward

Suffolk