Toll Roads

An article that I recently ran across really got my attention because I can relate to this issue. It is an article by a lady named Sarah Eckhardt who is a Travis County Commissioner that addresses the issue on toll roads about how we can’t really rely on state and federal government for money that is needed to build our transportation system and etc. In this article, Eckhardt is all about toll roads but doesn’t like the fact how the money is used for market-based spending and the toll road plan as proposed presents serious problems of inequity that we can, and must, address. Basically the proposed toll plan would create a two-way system of roadways where those who can afford it will have the "choice" to access the fast lane and the rest of us will go slow on the same road system we currently share equally.

Those who make the choice will easily be paying five times more in transportation taxes than commuters of similar wealth who do not have a toll road stretched between the home and place of work. This "use tax" can be diverted from the toll road on which it was charged to other transportation projects in the CAMPO region, enabling a dangerous dependence on toll taxes and solo car travel. So whether you are rich or poor, this proposed toll plan has some sort of unfairness for you. This is why she is offering an amendment that controls the revenue generated from a toll project to the corridor in which tolls are collected. All of this meaning it would limit the use of any revenue beyond construction, maintenance and operation costs to improving the non-tolled options in and around the toll project. Under these amendments the toll tax will go away when the construction debt is all paid. I believe that Eckhardt presented this issue very well and that she is right on target with this new amendment because it will hopefully take toll taxes away and no longer has inequities for either the poor or rich because we the people are already paying enough taxes. Also the building of toll roads would decrease the the traffic issues that we are currently experiencing.

For further information regarding this toll plan, go to statesmans