Proposition 400: The clash over freeways, streets and public transit

The Arizona Legislature is considering a plan to allow Maricopa County to hold an election on a transportation tax, but it has been a bumpy ride.

Supporters say extending a half-cent tax for transportation for another 20 years will help the county’s transportation network keep pace with continued economic and population growth.

The plan would build out Phoenix's freeway network, improve miles of major streets and expand public transit services.

But the transit provisions of what is called the Proposition 400 extension have Republican lawmakers tapping the brakes, complicating efforts to get the necessary votes to put the issue on the ballot in November 2024.

This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Arizona State University's Mark Roseland.

He’s a professor at the School of Community Resources and Development at ASU and is a senior sustainability scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. Roseland explains why good transportation makes a good city.

In the second half of the podcast, the hosts break down the politics of Proposition 400.

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