Incremental tolls occur on most toll roads. It's just different terminology. Regular commuters' transponders eventually provide discounts. Some drivers get off early to avoid higher tolls and drive through neighborhoods with some detriment but also increasing local revenues. Every issue you've raised indicates overreaction due to lack of research and experience, or you're listening to hysterics or MSM.
"Every issue you've raised indicates overreaction due to lack of research and experience, or you're listening to hysterics or MSM."
You will NEVER have market forces at work on something like highways. Think about it, if you could, then Williams Brothers would be able to identify a need, and then bulldoze a path from Point A to Point B - regardless of what's in the way - then lay a road, then charge tolls. That would be market forces. After all, isn't that what Southwest Airlines did.
For highways, you need someone in control, and I'd rather have it be representatives that have to respond to angry commuters because of inadequate capacity, than some appointed Transportation Czar who's incentive is to maximize revenues, rather than minimize congestion. You may not fear someone with that power, but I do - and we're about to get it here, unless people starting to think this through.
"Incremental tolls occur on most toll roads. It's just different terminology. Regular commuters' transponders eventually provide discounts. Some drivers get off early to avoid higher tolls and drive through neighborhoods with some detriment but also increasing local revenues"
Yes - that would happen and that is my objection. Since it seems necessary, I'll lay out how this should be done:
1) Every vehicle is tracked and tolled by the mile, regardless of where they travel (other than private property) - the data is stored in your car.
2) You pay that tax when you buy gas. It's uploaded from your car. Once you pay that tax, you have the option to permanently delete that record.
3) Rates can be varied due to traffic load (congestion pricing), but all revenues received from tolls MUST be put back into highway maintenance and expansion. If you do that, then you eliminate the perverse incentive to let traffic get worse and worse, so as to raise rates and maximize revenues for social programs. It acts as a self-checking mechanism.
Unfortunately none of that is happening - rather it's just a money grab by our governor.