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I think the issue here is that the toll road does NOT have a monopoly. One of the reasons a lot of these privately-run toll roads are in financial distress is that their revenue projections have consistently fallen short over time. As tolls go up, more and more motorists simply decide to take slower alternative routes and save themselves the money.

I've started doing that myself on regular trips I take every few months across Pennsylvania. The PA Turnpike is the shorter route by about 30-40 minutes, but once the toll firmly trip exceeded $20.00 I started using I-80 instead.

This may be a great political move in Indiana anyway. It's only about 160 miles across the state on the turnpike, and I'll bet a disproportionate number of its users are from outside the state anyway. So charging them tolls is a great way to raise revenue for the state without taxing only its own residents. It's really no different than a special hotel or rental car tax imposed by many states and cities.

I’ll stick with monopoly, since time is money, at least in my book. Back in the days of railroad robber barons, you always had the option of horseback to move goods...but obviously that was much more expensive...so when we use the term ‘monopoly’, it’s a relative thing, and what it refers to is whether something is being priced somewhere near cost due to competitive pressures, or is it being priced well above cost, simply because the alternatives cost far more.

But yes, people will ‘shun’ the toll roads when the price hits a certain mark. For example, if I’m an independent trucker who is carrying a load that will take 3 hours to reach its destination via toll road, or 6 hours to reach its destination via toll-free roads, my decision on which path to follow will depend mainly on when my next load is available. If my next load is not available for 8 hours, I’ll take the free path (and maybe save fuel due to the slower speeds, if it’s not stop-and-go). But if the next load is ready in 4 hours, then I’d consider the toll road option. A lot of towns near toll roads, particularly private ones, learned that the hard way.

As far as Indiana is concerned, I agree robbing people who have to pass through and have no practical alternative is great at the state level, but not so great at the national level - that’s why people driving 40 miles through Maryland on I-95 have to pay something like $8.00 - sure, the road costs much less than that, but Maryland is not dumb. I also agree doing this is similar to car/hotel taxes...and I think all of it should be outlawed, if it were up to me (i.e., one sales tax rate, period).

As tolls go up, more and more motorists simply decide to take slower alternative routes and save themselves the money.

I am in NE Ohio, just north of US30. I frequently drive from here to Iowa or Nebraska. I take US30 from here all the way across Ohio and Indiana. Then I go north to catch I80 the rest of the way. Saves a lot on tolls, adds less than an hour to a 10 or 12 hour trip. US30 is mostly 4 lane, limited access divided highway in Ohio, and in much of Indiana 4 lane divided, but not limited access.