Posted on 12/07/2017 3:11:40 AM PST by markomalley
Outraged Washington, D.C.-area commuters and politicians took to social media Tuesday to blast a new tolling scheme on a busy interstate heading from Virginia into the nation’s capital, as fees along the route peaked to an eye-popping $40 during the morning rush hour.
The Interstate-66 tolling plan, which launched Monday, opens up express lanes on the highway in northern Virginia to single drivers, as opposed to just carpoolers. But the sticker shock prices being posted on electronic signs along the roadway led some commuters and residents to give the roadway a new nickname.
“This is #highwayrobbery. People are just trying to get to work. What happened to a government FOR THE PEOPLE. I'm appalled,” one user wrote on Twitter.
“Just go ahead & change its name to I-$66," said another.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’m not a govvie, but I believe subsidization for commuters is limited to mass transit (bus, train, Metro).
A number of American cities, including New York and DC, have reached the point at which we simply can't shoehorn more cars into the central business district. Some people will always drive. That's fine. But if we really want to reduce congestion, we have to build alternatives for the folks who are willing to get out of their cars.
Btw, folks should also recognize that for many of us, driving vs. mass transit vs. walking or biking is a stage of life question. I've probably spent more years biking to work than anything else, but there was a multi-year stretch when I drove, and another when I rode metrorail. This had to do with the age of my kids, and my obligations as a chauffeur. I've been in the same house all along; in terms of where I've worked, I've always had intermodal options. I'm fortunate to live in a neighborhood where that is possible. In terms of time for a short commute (with one exception, under two miles in my case), biking is usually fastest, especially in rush hour.
On Capitol Hill, a majority of residents do not take a car to work. If you poke around DC and around the country, you will find an increasing number of neighborhoods where this is becoming common. City life really is much more pleasant if you are not hassling with parking and traffic congestion for several hours each day. The question is whether we will design and build more neighborhoods where this is a practical option.
DC planning seems to be over the hump on this issue. We have an increasing number of redeveloped neighborhoods that are very attractive for people without cars. I would suggest to the suburban folks who haven't done it yet that they come on down to the rebuilt southwest waterfront, which is being rebranded as "The Wharf District." It's still got a lot of construction going on, but enough is open that you can see what is in progress. (It's going to be a spectacular place to live and/or work.) There is ample parking underground off Maine Avenue. Get out and walk along the waterfront. Go to dinner; that would be your excuse for making the trip. And then ask yourself, if you were young and buying your first condo, would you rather live there and rely on Uber and Metro, or would you prefer Haymarket or Urbana, and spend four or five hours a day in your car?
There's no reason that we can't build neighborhoods like this all over the place, including the emerging edge cities. Think of the Ballston Clarendon corridor. Think of downtown Bethesda. Think of H Street N.E. or U Street. On a smaller scale, this is happening in a lot of places. This is how to reduce congestion for those who are still doing a long commute: drain the swamp ahead of them.
So the obvious missing data point is how fast did they get there? If you’re a DC law firm guy you’d make the $40 back in less than 2.5 minutes. It’s all about how much that time wasted/saved is worth it to you. If you took the slow lane and it was 2.5 hours that way the same DC lawyer loses $2250 dollars to save $40.
I can see how it would be easier to measure express lane traffic with the overhead meters, so you may be right. But the idea that a driver pays more for a crappier commute and less for a easier commute is a recipe for chaos.
A thing is worth what another will pay for it.
The toll rises precisely to discourage use, finding the value of contesting-free travel. You want free? it’s over there, not moving.
Two problems with your utopia. First, you will be illegally mugged. Second, you will be legally mugged by the DC govt. Apartments in the orange line corridor are $5000 for a reason.
We have some toll roads here in NJ, and high tolls to enter NYC; I would go to extremes to avoid both. I would never apply for a job where the commute required me to pay a toll. If that is detrimental to me in the long run, oh well; I pay tolls a couple of times per year, no more.
What elected officials implemented this tax on the people? That’s right it’s a rouge, smokey back room full of elitists making shallow-minded decisions without any consideration of downstream consequences. They’z gonna get they azzes jacked up now.
Freeways have traditionally been designed to maximize the flow of vehicles. This scheme in VA is aimed at maximizing the flow of PASSENGERS.
I believe they use police on the ground for that purpose.
Yes, so how do the police on the ground know if a single driver has flipped on his/her switch or not?
It’s the same concept as a public utility charging more for electricity during peak usage periods.
The Flex Pass is an RFID transponder. When queried it responds with its current mode. Either HOV or single. The police have RFID query devices and can validate much like a RADAR gun.
They’ve already done this in the Dee Cee area. It’s called the “greenway”. (look it up).
This “privatized roadway” also fleeces the public. NOT a solution!
I cannot conceive of living or working in such an urban morass. Now retied, by choice and effort, I never lived in a town over 100k nor 10 minutes from work. Long commutes, tolls, traffic take away time to live which is far more important than money or position. But that is just my choice and opinion.
How about a toll tag. Pay a reasonable monthly flat fee and use it however many times necessary. But no the greedy corruptocrats wanna milk you for every penny they can.
“Funny thing is that taxpayers already paid for the road. Now they’re paying for it again”
It’s not funny. It’s thievery.
Oh to live in a place with no tolls, no trolls, no moles and no a holes.
I work for a company headquartered in Baltimore. Nice location right on the harbor. When they flew me in for the interview, I remember the cab ride and looking at all the 10 ft. wide row homes and thinking “There ain’t no way.”
I took the job and bought a house 35 miles north. Almost all highway and handled the commute. Work for the same company but now my commute is from my bedroom to the basement office, or the windshield of my company car, depending on what I’m doing.
High tolls are racist. Or discrimatory. Or disenfranchises $15/hr burger flippers. If they take the toll road to work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, they’re out of money on Thursday so can’t drive to work. All their pay has been spent on tolls.
Austin, TX have these new high tolls, too.
Thanks. That explains why there are always several State Troopers waiting along the HOT lanes. Now we know.
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