More toll roads: a perfect solution for desk-bound editorial writers
Is the solution to worsening traffic more toll roads? That’s the answer Connecticut’s The Day seems to come up with in a controversial editorial.
The Constitution State bid adieu to toll roads back in 1986, but much has changed since then. Among them: higher fuel prices, bad traffic and better tolling technology. According to The Day,
Knee-jerk reactions should not dictate policy. It is time for a discussion on whether a wise use of tolls should be part of the solutions to the challenges facing the state’s transportation system.
Travelers may beg to differ. Toll roads often move slower — even with RFID technology — and they are frequently managed by corrupt officials.
Car rental customers, in particular, are no fans of toll roads. Not only do they have to rent a pricey transponder, but they are already taxed to the limit when they pick up their vehicle. Do they want to pay even more to use the road? Of course not.
The solution, if you talk to any traveler, is fewer toll roads — not more. Motorists already know that. Maybe The Day’s editorial writers don’t get out much.
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4 Responses to “More toll roads: a perfect solution for desk-bound editorial writers”
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Chris,
You should know the wonders of tolls, living in the Sunshine State. Heck, they even now have toll booths set up unattended to collect their bounty of quarters.
In Boston, we pay for the tunnels and the MassPike and when we head to NH we pay more. It’s a regional pastime.
You are mean-spirited to keep similar enjoyment from the folk in CT. I remember the joy of driving 10 miles and throwing a quarter into the collection bucket. CT must have had more toll booths per mile than any other state. Obviously, some in the state miss them.
Most of us in Southeastern Connecticut consider The Day to be a joke, so this assinine editorial is no surprise. I remember the long lines, traffic jams — and accidents — before the tolls ended, and we surely don’t want to go back to that.
Charlie–I am pretty sure that NJ may lay claim to the king of the toll booth. I recall the Garden State Parkway. Seems every 5 miles there was a basket to toss in a few quarters!
Maybe there should be a reminder on your reservation when you rent a car that there are tolls nearby and to bring quarters with you.