At a time when most people are tired of partisan bickering by politicians and their inaction in the face of serious challenges, it’s time for Pennsylvania’s elected officials, including Gov. Tom Corbett, to get behind a proposal to raise additional funds for the state’s ailing roads and bridges.

Legislation reflecting the common-sense recommendations of a transportation funding commission appointed by Corbett has been introduced by state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, who chairs the Appropriations Committee.

The bill, which eventually will raise about $2.7 billion a year in additional funding for roads, bridges and public transit in the state, mostly raises revenue for transportation infrastructure, but it also produces some cost savings.

The largest income-producing measure proposes lifting the cap on the Oil Company Franchise Tax. This tax has been applied to only the first $1.25 per gallon of fuel at the wholesale level. Lifting the cap is expected to raise prices at the pump by about 13.8 cents a gallon for gasoline and about 18.7 cents a gallon for diesel. The proposed lifting of the cap would be phased in over five years, which would ease sticker shock at the pump.

Gasoline taxes are a sort of user-tax, raising money for roads by those who use them — drivers. It’s a tax people might grumble about, but drivers know the state’s roads and bridges are in bad shape.

Other proposals in Corman’s bill taken from Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission include raising vehicle registration and license renewal fees, which have not been adjusted for inflation since 1997.

In addition to raising additional money, Corman’s proposal would bring some smaller, but still welcome cost savings. One cost-saving idea is to shift vehicle registration to every two years, instead of annual renewals. A similar proposal would have licenses renewed every eight years instead of every four years, which is the current rule. And the postage stamp-sized stickers for license plates would be eliminated to save some money also.

Overall, the transportation funding plan is expected to cost the average driver about 70 cents per week in the first year and about $2.50 a week by the fifth year it is in place.

The proposals to rasie additional funds are reasonable and overdue. Nobody can dispute that the state’s roads and bridges are in bad shape and need more funding.

With 8,000 miles of the 40,000 miles of state-maintained roads in poor condition and 5,000 bridges rated as structurally deficient, which is the highest in the nation, the need is clear to everyone.

There is no Republican or Democrat take on this issue. Any motorist who drives any distance knows that the road and bridge ratings reflect the reality of crumbling roads, rusting bridges and even dangerous conditions.

The consequences of delaying maintenance, repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges are serious. Continuing to put off road or bridge repair work means when it eventually is done, it will cost more. The poor condition of so many roads and bridges here also makes the state less competitive and less attractive to businesses that need efficient and well-maintained transportation systems to prosper.

The basics of this proposal are supported by the chambers of commerce of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as well as AAA and the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. There is no opposition to having drivers pay a little more to help improve roads and bridges.

Even if some motorists object to paying more for gasoline and vehicle registration, they also know that bad roads cost them more in vehicle repairs. We pay for our roads, one way or the other.

Observers say Corman’s bill will go nowhere without leadership from the governor. It’s time for Corbett to step forward to lend his support for this plan. Producing additional money for Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure is already years overdue.

People want to see leadership and action. This bill, addressing a subject with broad bipartisan support, is a good place to start.