12/23/2005

Have Rockin Christmas! Freeway Tollers will get coal from Santa. And, a size 12 Boot where it counts in 2006!

at 12/23/2005

3 comments:

Sal Costello said...

Dear SA Express Editor:

Because Los Angeles is decades ahead of San Antonio, in terms of explosive population and motor vehicle traffic growth, we should not attempt to ignore lessons from studying the evolution of freeway systems in California. Reinventing the wheel with taxpayer money is a very bad idea.

Contrary to the direction Governor Perry wants to take us, this is what I witnessed in the Los Angeles Area this past week:

1. Nobody is relegated to drive on slow access roads.
2. Traffic moves efficiently and at very high speeds.
3. Nobody pays highway tolls.
4. Carpool lanes move even faster..., also without tolls.
5. Highway funding is energized by designating freeways as Interstate roads.

The reasons for the success of California freeways are simple and already proven, yet TxDOT and our Governor are rushing at an alarming and frantic pace to create cumbersome, expensive and bureaucratic toll roads for the benefit of foreign road builders, who will take away the once proud Texas reputation for constructing and maintaining the finest, free public highways in North America.

California experimented briefly with a toll road in Orange County which proved both expensive and unsuccessful. It was not tried again. The headlong rush into toll road experimentation on U.S. Route 281 is driven by the intent to quickly force toll roads on motorists and taxpayers, before we can have a direct vote on the wisdom and desirability of creating this toll road nightmare. The snarled traffic at Routes 1604 and 281 proves that TxDOT does not know the first thing about highway planning.

Special Interest money and an army of clever lawyers are conspiring against the People of Texas to create a Frankenstein highway. Our children and grandchildren will pay dearly if we do not rise up to stop what has already proved to be a failed idea.

Bob Meshanko
Bulverde, TX

1:14 PM, December 23, 2005
Sal Costello said...

From Statesman:

How convenient

I was looking at renewing my Texas drivers license online, and I was pleased to see how easy the process was — until I noticed an absurd fee. The license cost is $24, plus a $1 "convenience fee." Convenient for whom?

Convenient for the traffic jams in town that will now have one less car. Convenient for the quality of Austin's air that will be spared my car's emissions. Convenient for the long lines of people waiting to renew their license at the Department of Transportation. Convenient for the oil companies that will have two or more fewer gallons of gas bought by me. Call the fee what it really is: "Web upkeep," "processing" or "employee Christmas party fund," but don't treat it as a convenience. Perhaps the state employees who renew licenses should pay us $1 for renewing over the Web, resulting in a reduced workload and improved sanity.

CURTIS TAYLOR
Austin

11:16 AM, December 24, 2005
Sal Costello said...

DALLAS NEWS LETTERS:

Once again, it tolls for us

Re: "Toll rate policy gets OK – In 4-3 vote, N. Texas board approves plan that lowers initial fees," Thursday news story.

Reactions to the sharing of tolls between Tarrant and Dallas counties bring bitter memories. When the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike paid for itself early, the toll road people said their contracts were void, and the gas station, motel and safety patrols were dumped. No transition was built in.

When additions were made to Dallas North Tollway, instead of fees on the addition paying for the addition and fees on the original section paying for maintenance at a lower rate, all tolls went up. The commission was determined to never lose control of a road again.

Now, the argument is that Tarrant drivers paid for the Dallas North Tollway, so Dallas drivers should pay for Tarrant's Southwest Parkway. Well, the only Tarrant drivers who paid for the Dallas road were the ones who used it by coming to Dallas and driving on it. The toll is supposed to be a user fee, not a tax.

Every Dallas driver who goes to Tarrant County and drives the new road should help pay for it. Drivers who stay off should not have to.

Mike Firth, Dallas

9:06 AM, December 26, 2005

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