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Forum LockedVA Senate Bill to Expand Tolling Authority

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Bob View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: VA Senate Bill to Expand Tolling Authority
    Posted: 09 Jan 2007 at 4:04pm
introduced down in Richmond this week:

http://tollroadsnews.info/artman/publish/article_1677.shtml
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote darkprime Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 7:49am
BOO! BOO BOO BOO!!!!! So they want to toll all the major roads? Like the cost of living isn't already high enough around here, especially for young people who didn't grow up here and already owned a home. If this keeps up, eventually this region will have no new employees to fill all the jobs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 8:49am
Found another interesting one put forth by Delegate Lingamfelter of Dale City (see link) As far as I can tell they are talking about tolling all of the major interstates in VA, -- regular lanes. Of course it hasn't been passed yet.



http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HB2314
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sluDgE Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 9:51am
Looks like this delegate proposes the Commonwealth establish "user fees" (tolls) for Interstate Highway use statewide (instead of raising taxes) to provide funds to improve and maintain Virginia's highway and road system.

Would we rather pay an Interstate toll or increased state taxes?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote darkprime Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 12:27pm
Tolls require out of state people to pay them as well. If VA does this for a large portion of their roads, I wonder how other states will react.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SpongeBob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 12:50pm
Oddly enough, I think this will generate opposition to tolls in general. Tolls are a regressive tax that disproportionately hurt lower-income people. There is no political way they could put tolls on all the interstates. The opposition party can simply point out that user-fees are undemocratic, and other states can and will retaliate, and the trucking industry will go ballistic at the idea of being tolled everywhere when they already pay extra user fees.

What an asinine and mentally bankrupt idea. It shows a complete lack of real thinking about transportation.

The problem here is that the Governor has the political cohones to state the truth (taxes for infrastructure) while the anti-tax Republicans are in the last-ditch stonewalling away.

It's our own fault for electing majority Republicans from NoVA to the state legislature. I'd piss on them all if they'd just hold still. [V]
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2007 at 1:13pm
I agree with part of what you say, but I don't see either Republicans or Democrats coming out against HOT lanes in VA. HOT lanes have also been pushed in blue states such as CA, the Midwest and FL. And tolls are gigantic in the northeast on 95. The problem is that the Dems like HOT because the oppose newbuild roads and realize there is a crisis. The "expansion" HOT lanes supposedly cram more cars on existing right of ways and dont go through pristine forests. And yes, the Repubs like the "user fee" aspect of it and tend to ignore the elitism of it.

The other thing we have going against us is North vs South Virginia. Those guys down south could care less if we have to pay tolls.

I think the federal govt should be in charge of the interstates and there should be no tolls allowed on the intestates. The gas tax should pay for it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NoSUV Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jan 2007 at 8:34am
I pointed out gas tax vs. tolls on a different post and was pointedly told that there is no relationship between gas taxes and transportation.

Tolls appear to be the only way to force us to use public transportation for commuting. If there's a better way to get commuters on public transportation, recommend proposing it.

Building new roads for cars won't work - eventually you run out of places to put new roads. Sponge or Dick Boyd can probably tell us how much pavement is needed for every 1 million people added, and we all know that it's only a matter of time before we add that many to the region. Maybe years, maybe tens of years, but, like the stock market and inflation, the population is going to increase. We have to force people to use mass transit. And, with no other proposals on how to do that, tolls seem to be the solution.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote darkprime Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jan 2007 at 9:23am
Again, if Mass Transit is to be viable, it needs to exist. The current offerings of train and bus are woefully inadequate for most workers in the DC Region. But since the states do not care to fund these options much if at all, many have little choice to be drive.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NoSUV Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jan 2007 at 10:00am
So, it sounds like we need to push VA to increase the current offerings of train and bus as an alternative to tolls. However, I suspect (don't know) that no study has been performed to justify that the current offerings are "woefully inadequate." Also, I suspect (don't know) that the demand for these services has changed much in the past couple of years.

There is, however, a tie between the demand for mass transit and the slug system. Unless and until slugs have to pay tolls in excess of the cost for commuting via mass transit, the demand for those services will be arificially surpressed. Do you think Richmond has figured that out?
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