What if you are from out of town, and don’t have an EZ pass transponder?
This can be very tough on lower income type office workers. If your take home pay is $60 a day, and you end up paying a third of that just driving to and from work? That’s going to add up.
Why are they tolling these roads? Where is the money going?
Aren’t they just going to see more congestion on adjacent free roads?
If anybody says the money is for road maintenance, then that begs questions about where DMV fees and gas tax money is going.
I don’t think too many of these commuters are lower income type office workers. They are almost all government drones
All true.
Apparently, driving to work without incurring a toll is NoVa’s favorite past time. I got the scenic tour of Fairfax during Thanksgiving. It’s amazing how much cool stuff is up there.
It’s an isolated lane, priced to eliminate congestion. If you don’t have an EZ Pass transponder, or can’t afford the going rate, you get in the other free lanes and wait thru congestion with everyone else.
Train station upgrades and bike paths.
What if you are from out of town, and don’t have an EZ pass transponder?
These are just the EZPass lanes. The normal lanes of I-66 are still free but good luck with the traffic during the rush hours, which last most of the day.
This can be very tough on lower income type office workers. If your take home pay is $60 a day, and you end up paying a third of that just driving to and from work? That’s going to add up.
Most of the workers, government and civilian alike, are paid well more than $60/day as the cost of living in the DC area is horrendous. I have been here since 1992 and I don't think I have ever seen a government position less than a GS-7, which will give you about $35K/year or about $19.50/hour. Contractors and civilian workers mostly make as much or more but they all move way out to try to afford a home. Move out to Front Royal and you can have a nice home for less per month than some crappy apartment near DC.
Why are they tolling these roads? Where is the money going?
These roads are owned and managed by a private firm (Transurban, I think) and is run for a profit. The problem is a lot of our taxes were also used to build the lanes.
Aren’t they just going to see more congestion on adjacent free roads?
The tolls and electronic sensors have pushed the violators off the HOT lanes on to the free lanes. I refuse to commute anymore so I don't know how much this has increased the volume of traffic on the free lanes. My wife commutes 130 miles round trip each day in a van pool so I'll ask her. She can look over and get a gauge on how much extra traffic there is on the free lanes.