THE interest of farm people in Illi- 

 nois in good roads is of long stand- 

 ing. At each annual meeting for 

 more than 25 years, the voting del- 

 egates of the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation have adopted resolutions on 

 some phase of the subject of primary, 

 secondary and farm-to-highway roads. 

 The Association supported the state bond 

 issues for highway purj>oses and the en- 

 actment of the gasoline tax. 



It has opposed efforts to reduce motor 

 vehicle license fees and has opposed the 

 diversion of motor vehicle tax revenues 

 to non-highway purposes. It has opposed 

 increases in the axle weights of buses and 

 trucks permitted to operate over our pub- 

 lic highways. It has endeavored to sup- 

 port legislation for the protection of our 

 highway system and to secure funds to 

 build that system. 



Thousands of farm homes are mud- 

 bound during certain seasons each year. 

 Our state primary road system and much 

 of the state aid system is in need of re- 

 construction and repair. Many bridges 

 are no longer useable and must be re- 

 placed. Increased demands are made up- 

 on our highway system. 



The solution of the problems raised 

 can be reached only upon the bas-'s of a 

 study of all of the facts of the situation. 



1. Road District Reorganization 



There are over 1 600 separate local 

 road districts in Illinois. Their road 

 mileage and their financial ability varies 

 greatly. Some have very good road sys- 

 tems. But for years, the cost of adminis- 

 tration, labor, and machinery has made it 

 financially impossible for a large number 



of these districts to improve and maintain 

 their roads or to repair culverts and 

 bridges. 



Over half of our local farm roads are 

 still primitive dirt. Hundreds of bridges 

 and culverts on these roads are in crit- 

 ical need of attention. Rural people in 

 many areas believe that overhead cost 

 could be substantially reduced, the caliber 

 of road district personnel improved, and 

 more money made available for actual 

 road and bridge construction and main- 

 tenance if township road districts and 

 road districts in commission governed 

 counties were combined into larger units 

 for road and bridge improvement and 

 maintenance. 



Every possible economy should be ef- 

 fected. We urge that consideration be 

 given by your commission toward the fxjs- 

 sibility of road district administrative and 

 financial reorganization. 



2. Increase in Motor Fuel Tax 



Since the approval of the $60,000,000 

 hard road bond issue in 1918 and the 

 $100,000,000 bond issue in 1924, the 

 farmers of Illinois have been paying their 

 portion of motor license fees for the 

 construction of state hard roads. 



Above is a statement on highway prob- 

 lems by the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation to the Illinois Highway and 

 Traffic Problems Commission. It was 

 presented April 19, 1948 in Springfield 

 by Paul E. Mathias, lAA secretary. This 

 statement is based on policy resolutions 

 adopted by the delegate assemblies at 

 lAA annual meetings. 



No part is available for local town- 

 ships and road district roads. The Asso- 

 ciation would not be opposed to a reason- 

 able increase of the present three cent 

 motor fuel tax. However, we believe 

 that a substantial portion (not less than 

 one cent) of any such increase should 

 definitely be allocated for use on locaF 

 roads and bridges other than those now 

 in the state and county system. 



3. Weights of Trucks and Buses 



Illinois now faces a critical hard road 

 problem. In recent years there have been 

 spectacular increases in motor vehicle 

 traffic. Conditions on the roads and 

 streets of the state have become worse, 

 especially during the war years. Traffic 

 volumes of hea\y trucks and buses have 

 reached unprecedented levels. 



While heav)- trucks and buses consti- 

 tute but a small proportion of the total 

 traffic on our highways, they are respon- 

 sible for much of the wear and destruc- 

 tion of our highway system. 



The Association is opposed to any in- 

 crease in the load limits for buses and 

 trucks beyond the maximum weights our 

 highways were designed to carry. Many 

 such highways are inadequate for the 

 maximum loads now permitted by law. 

 We also urge strict enforcement of the 

 law relating to the length, weight, and 

 speed of trucks and buses. 



4. Secondary Roads Standards 



The standards of design and speci- 

 fications fixed for farm-to-market roads 

 often result in a width of right of way 

 and an unnecessarily expensive tj-pe of 



{^Continued on page 34) 



Traffic Ooininission Hears IM on Roads 



STATEMENT ASKS REASONABLE GAS TAX INCREASE FOR RURAL ROAD MAINTENANCE 



Ye<i don't need to travel for In llllnelt to find worn out bridges and battered roodf. 



lUME. 1948 ; 



