There are plenty of issues to divide Republicans and Democrats in Harrisburg. But the need for more roads and bridges funding should not be one of them.

More than a year after his own Transportation Funding Advisory Commission produced a comprehensive report, Gov. Tom Corbett finally proposed a plan to raise transportation funding by lifting the cap on the oil-franchise fee.

For whatever reason, Corbett did not include other common-sense ideas proposed by his funding commission. This week, state Sen. John Rafferty Jr., R-Montgomery, stepped into the leadership void and proposed a transportation funding program that raises more money by including more of the recommendations offered by the advisory commission.

The plan offered by Rafferty, who heads the Senate Transportation Committee, would raise more money by increasing some fees and fines. His plan would increase driver’s license and vehicle registration fees, neither of which has been raised for years or adjusted for inflation. Rafferty is also proposing to increase the fines for traffic violations. For example, a $150 speeding ticket would cost $250.

Chronic speeders might not like that change, but it would bring in money for transportation while also possibly encouraging some drivers to slow down.

Rafferty’s bill, like the advisory commission report it’s based on, makes sense. More than 4,000 bridges in the state need repairs, as well as nearly a quarter of the state’s 44,000 miles of roads.

The increases in Rafferty’s proposal are expected to cost the average motorist about $2.50 a week, or $130 per year.

Rafferty is right when he says it’s critical for the state to get caught up on maintenance of its crumbling roads and bridges.

“If we want to move the state forward, we have to do something in terms of transportation funding,” Rafferty said.

By proposing a plan bolder than Corbett’s modest plan, Rafferty has put forth a better approach to fixing the state’s needs. Deteriorating roads and bridges in Pennsylvania are a safety issue, but they can also hurt economic development efforts. Growth and job creation are less likely if roads, bridges, ports and railways are substandard.

Rafferty’s proposal would boost transportation beyond Corbett’s plan, amounting to a 50 percent increase over the current $5.3 billion funding level.

Timing is important in this case. Several Harrisburg observers note that a transportation bill raising fees will not have much chance of passage after the summer recess, when lawmakers are more worried about re-election.

Passage of Rafferty’s bill should not be controversial, because the revenue increases come from common-sense measures and increases that are overdue. Some House Republicans, however, are expected to push for some conditions before they will support Rafferty’s plan. While they say they agree that more money is needed for transportation infrastructure in the state, some in the GOP want to make sure that the money — current spending as well as any additional money — is spent efficiently.

Like Rafferty’s plan, that’s a good idea. Some House Republicans are suggesting that after the recent pay-to-play scandal and related grand jury indictments surrounding the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, a bolder transportation bill should abolish the turnpike commission and fold maintenance and management of the state’s toll road into the state Department of Transportation.

That’s not a bad idea, given perennial charges of corruption, bid-rigging and political favoritism at the turnpike commission. Beyond that, it might not be a bad idea to require a performance audit of PennDOT to assure taxpayers — and fee-paying motorists — that transportation dollars are being spent efficiently.

Corbett’s plan falls short of addressing the state’s transportation needs. Rafferty’s plan is better — combining modest common-sense increases with an acceptance of the state’s crumbling transportation infrastructure.