Toll roads in Austin, Texas are discriminatory

Office conversation | 17 August 2016 | Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

People at work were talking about getting to work and back home the other day. In the conversation, they mentioned the toll roads in Austin, Texas and the cost thereof. I was in shock. The amount per month spent on toll roads for people ranged from $300-600 per MONTH. Then it hit me!

The poor can not afford to pay those charges. So, the regular roads in Austin are in bumper-to-bumper traffic overload. The well-to-do go to and fro with great convenience while the lower classes suffer pretty badly with some having a 2-hour trip EACH WAY from home to work. This for some reason smacks of discrimination. I'm not big on playing the discrimination card, but it seems that people are taxed to death over everything, including roads, and then have to pay an exorbitant price AGAIN to be able to get to work to make some money to pay the taxes. Something just doesn't seem right about the whole thing.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

The government is becoming not of the people, for the people and by the people, but the master slave driver over the masses, their slaves. This would explain why they want more immigration no matter what. They need new slaves to replace the ones who are beginning to realize they've been enslaved.

[sport]

Yep. And the new, your term, immigrants, are already accustomed to the Government being their master.

[ExSES]

A new "Cause" for Dims..., EBT Transponders for Toll Roads! They'll be sold for 10 cents on the dollar in order to buy Crack Cocaine!

[sockhead]

$300 - $600 a month? How much is an individual toll?

Not a penny is justified, but that seems very high.

[Gaffer]

If there were no ‘toll’ roads, the regular roads in Austin then would be just as packed and jammed as you say. To have built these roads open to all (for free) would then have required increased property taxes, increased sales taxes, assessments, etc. IOW, another cost added on to those poor people.. So what is the answer? Make the people who are willing to pay for the construction and maintenance of them do the paying?

I’m just as big a detractor of toll roads as the next guy, but for different reasons like they start with the goal to just pay for the roads, but by the time they’re paid for, they became a damn jobs program and extra ‘free’ money for the local governments to use as their own personal cash cow.

Frankly, I’m tired of the income inequality meme. There’s a myriad of reasons why people are poor, but it isn’t always government’s (or the rich’s) fault.

[norwaypinesavage]

You're exactly right. Things cost WAY too much. We need to make EVERYTHING free.

I have a plan: vote for Hillary!

[Gamecock]

I suppose it would be much more fair if all roads had tolls, like around NYC!

Let the poor eat cake!

[shadeaud]

I'm still waiting for my Obama phone. Austin voted yes on toll roads they only have themselves to blame. There is a toll road from Austin to San Antonio that is bankrupt because it wasn't worth the charge.

[grobdriver]

That does seem high.
We live outside Austin to the North.
The airport is way South of town.
We figured it up one time - a trip to the airport using Sh-130 is $7.00, $14.00 round trip (and when you need to catch a flight, it's worth it!).

So if we worked at the airport and used the toll road every week day for a month, we'd be paying $280 for tolls.

I guess other meandering on the weekend could drive the cost up another $10, $20, $30 bucks - but $600/month is out there.

[MichaelCorleone]

I tend to question the 300-600 dollar figure myself.

[unixfox]

The dirty secret about the toll roads in Austin is, they are owned and operated by a company from Spain named Cintra.

I installed a lot of IT equipment for them a few years back and they spent money like it was growing on trees.

[Hulka]

I love the high speed by-pass.
Fast, hardly any traffic. Excellent road.
Got a oll tag and the cost went way down.
Don’t drive by Austin that often but it is worth the cost.
I started at Southwest Texas State back in the early 70’s and the Dallas to San Antinio trip was always a nightmare - til the toll road came along.
Love it.

[ncpatriot]

Why does the government always, ALWAYS do things that are not for the people. It’s like they want to make life hard and costly.

The government is suppose to answer to us!

[impimp]

I like expensive toll roads...they make for a relaxing traffic-free drive.

[impimp]

What thread are you reading? Are you in favor of high tolls or not?

[hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998]

“Something just doesn’t seem right about the whole thing.” Tax the Rich heh heh

[major-pelham]

Those numbers mean nothing without context - how many hours of commute did they avoid? What is an hour of their labor worth? WOld they lose an opportunity?

[ruiner]

My guess is they calculated the same $280 that you did, rounded up to $300 and then doubled it for two working adults in the household.

Does it ever occur to folks that they sometimes have to balance where they want to live against the distance to their job?

[COBOL2Java]

$300 - $600 a month? How much is an individual toll?

Not a penny is justified, but that seems very high.

---

There's a private toll road in Northern Virginia, the Dulles Greenway. It's 18 miles long and runs from Leesburg to Dulles Airport. One way during rush hour costs $6.35. Twice a day for a month would come out to about $250-260.

[hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998]

Yep, the old Class Envy meme.