Tolls Rising Nationwide

If you have a heartbeat and have turned on the news in the past few months, you might have heard that times are tough. Housing’s in a crunch, there’s stock market instability, you name it, and it’s all doom and gloom. However, those problems are filtering down to state governments, which are also facing some tough times. They’re turning to the nation’s toll roads to help alleviate some of their pain.

A number of states with busy toll systems are looking to hike fares by significant margins. The toll for the George Washington Bridge in New York will rise from $5 to $8 during peak times and from $25 to $35 for trucks. Toll authorities in Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and other states are looking at large hikes as well. Pennsylvania is even considering adding tolls to Interstate 80. It would cost car drivers $25 to cross the 316-mile stretch. Check out the link below for more cost hikes and tell us what you think in the comments below.

Drivers to See Major Toll Hikes (USA Today)

Comments

[George]

The fundamental premise of tollways has been broken by the state.
Land has been taken, bonds have been sold, and the people have been taxed to repay the bonds.
On many tollways the bonds have been repaid in full (many times over in some places), yet the tollway still exists. Once the bonds are paid, the road is supposed to be convertered to a free highway.
What are you paying for, a high quality unlimited speed road? No.
It is time for nearly all the tollways to be phased out, not adding more.
http://www.motorists.org/tolls/home/toll-roads-the-slippery-slope/
http://www.motorists.org/tolls/home/why-toll-roads-are-a-bad-idea/

[Jason Li]

I think a raise in fee's is fair, as long as there is a good reason for the additional fee's.

The controversial London congestion charge is 8 euros per day, but the purpose is to relieve congestion for buses to get around and to help fund for transportation improvements.

[J]

I thought the I80 in PA was already a toll road.
Or is it the I90? I remember the last time I went to Philly from MI through OH was on I80/90.

[Dave]

I think those who use the roads should pay for the roads. Obviously, that's all of us whether it be driving or buying goods which traveled the roads to get to us. The cost of goods should include the cost to the roads over which that big truck, or car, traveled.
Therefore, I have no problem with raising tolls if the money is used for the roads.