Oklahomans Fed Up With Bad Roads, Bridges

Tuesday, September 18th 2007, 6:32 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahomans are fed up with bad roads and bridges and want them fixed, even if it means cuts in other services such as education, a pollster told lawmakers on Tuesday.

``Ninety-two percent of Oklahomans think that more money needs to be spent on roads and bridges in this state,'' said Pat McFerran, quoting from a survey done by the Cole, Hargrave & Snodgrass political consulting firm.

``That's just an incredible number that shows where voter sentiment really is,'' McFerran told a House subcommittee studying the state's transportation needs.

He said the CHS poll dates back to 1989, and this year was the first time roads and bridges were listed above education as the No. 1 issue.

He said 60 percent of those surveyed said they favored increasing road and bridge funding, even if cuts had to be made in such services as education.

The survey was commissioned by a pro-transportation group headed by Neal McCaleb, former state transportation secretary.

Oklahomans' desire to increase road and bridge funding intensified this year after the deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota, McFerran said.

Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Oklahoma City, chairman of the subcommittee, said he is searching for ways to increase highway funding.

Thompson said he wants to change how motor vehicle license tag revenue is allocated so highways get a larger share.

Most of that money now goes into the main fund lawmakers use to pay for education and other government programs.

Thompson said most people think that revenue from vehicle tags should go to highways.

Roy Bishop, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, said people have been sold on the idea that revenue from car and truck tags has been diverted from highways.

He said tag revenue was originally considered a property tax, which traditionally goes to education.

Bishop said the problem with highway funding and other needs is there is not enough money to go around.

``In the overall scheme of things, it bothers me that we have a social welfare system that can't protect children, our prisons are collapsing, we have children who can't get medical care, education is under funded by $884 million and our roads and bridges are in terrible shape,'' Bishop said.

``And we still have people who want to continue to cut taxes and destroy Oklahoma's infrastructure.''