The Maryland Senate this week will consider a House-approved proposal to raise the state's tax on gasoline, even as states such as Virginia have recently questioned the long-term value of tying transportation funding to fuel consumption.
A judge in a county north of Cincinnati has issued a blistering ruling calling a small town's use of traffic cameras nothing more than a scam — a sensitive subject in the D.C. area where many motorists think automated enforcement is nothing more than a cash cow for local governments.
Average gas prices topped $4 a gallon in Washington, D.C., for only the fifth time ever on Thursday, the 35th straight day of increases that have seen prices rise by a total 42 cents.
A backlog of proposed road projects and repairs to aging highways, bridges and transit systems has leaders in Maryland and Virginia eyeing the perennially unpopular proposal of raising their states' gas taxes to generate revenue in what has become a national challenge for states to find funds for transportation fixes.
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's plan to raise $30 million by expanding a traffic-camera program is evidence the city is "addicted to revenue" and balancing its books on the backs of out-of-District drivers with no say in city hall, AAA Mid-Atlantic says.
The roughly 200,000 commuters, tourists and other motorists who each day make the frequent bumper-to-bumper trip into and out of Washington on New York Avenue Northeast soon can expect their ride to take an extra 30 minutes.
Gasoline prices haven't gotten much attention amid all the other bad economic news for Democrats heading into a final week of campaigning, but the price per gallon has climbed nearly 15 cents since Labor Day - a surprising jump, given that prices usually plummet before an election.
Prices have risen $1 since just after Obama took office in January 2009 and are now closing in on the $3 mark, prompting an evaluation of the administration's energy record and calls for the White House to open more U.S. land for oil exploration.
Rising oil prices, widespread congestion and long commutes propelled travel costs in the Washington region to a third-place ranking among the nation's major metro areas, according to a survey by Forbes magazine.
