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muh roads
ing government criminals
But as the number of toll projects continues to ramp up in the name of easier commutes, Dean is among thousands of Texans feeling anything but relief. Drivers across the state complain about paying tolls on top of gas taxes, being charged exorbitant late fees and having to choose between traffic delays or costly toll bills.
Texans, local officials and legislators have pushed back on plans for new toll roads and managed toll lanes in recent years. Voters in 2014 and 2015 sent the Texas Department of Transportation more revenue, after state leaders assured them that the money wouldn’t be used on toll projects. The agency considered using an accounting maneuver to still fund some new managed toll lanes but backed off that idea amid political pressure Thursday.
Meanwhile, Texans are seeing existing toll lanes impacting their pocketbooks — and influencing major life choices.
In 2015, an 11-mile stretch of Austin’s MoPac Boulevard expanded to eight lanes from six, and the two new lanes were tolled — to the displeasure of Laura Thomas.
The Austin resident bought a house near the corridor thinking the construction would be complete within a year. But construction on the $200 million project took much longer, making the drive to her daughter’s school “unbearable.” Thomas found herself having to choose between paying a toll to skip traffic or spend time trapped in gridlock.
“At peak times the cost of the toll could be over $10,” Thomas said. “My stress level was through the roof.”
Eventually, Thomas sold her house and downsized to an apartment in another part of the city that had 500 fewer square feet and one less bedroom.
“Obviously it was a big trade-off,” Thomas said. “But my main question to myself when making the decision was, ‘Is my sanity worth it?’ And it was worth sacrificing some things for peace in the mornings.”
For Christie Nichols Duty of Kaufman, a town about 35 miles southeast of Dallas, toll roads have proven to be hard to avoid — even when she tries. Last year, she and her husband were driving on Interstate 35-E near downtown Dallas when they realized they were in a lane that would force them to enter the Dallas North Tollway. The couple tried to change lanes, but weren’t successful.
Duty said they’ve also had problems with confusing signs on other highways, like LBJ Freeway, that have managed toll lanes running alongside main lanes.
“For people that are not used to the area, it can be very deceiving,” she said.
When the couple received a $35 bill from the North Texas Tollway Authority, they didn’t initially pay it because they weren't happy with being "forced onto the tollway." Now it’s ballooned into a $1,200 bill.
“We’ll have to do a payment plan because we don't have that kind of money sitting around,” Duty said.
Mic e Kelly of Mesquite used to rely on toll roads all the time when she was a student at the University of North Texas in Denton. These days, she uses the Bush Turnpike to go to nearby Rowlett or visit Firewheel Town Center in Garland. But she said the “pricey tolls” mean she only uses that corridor on occasion.
“I’m on a budget, and it hurts my budget if I drive on them on a regular basis,” she said.
Dean, the Lewisville commuter, is among many people who thought that once toll revenues paid off construction costs, roads and toll lanes would become free for drivers. But toll agencies and the Texas Department of Transportation instead plan to use excess toll money to fund road maintenance — and construction of new projects.
That includes new toll projects.
“The sad thing is, the tolls never go away,” Dean said. “Oftentimes we are paying tolls just to sit in traffic, and the toll roads are supposed to alleviate the traffic.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2017/11...their-wallets/
ing government criminals
Private prisons and tollways need to be abolished.
ing government criminals
I'd hate tolls. But that their is a need for them is a way of saying that either taxes need to be raised or their is mismanagement of funds. Whether that's in the transportation budget or just a general govt. problem is debateable. You shouldn't be upset at the private companies. You should be furious at big government. Its a shining example of mismanagement.
Locally there was a small co-op that's best days were behind them. Gas/tires/repair/etc. very common in small town america. Past 5 years lots of financial problems. Another larger successful grain elevator co-op in town bought it and resold it to a private company in order to save their pensions. Within a few months private company drastically cut back on health insurance, wages and benefits. 3/4 of the employees quit. Employees are ing about the big bad private company where to me it showed that years and years of mismanagement took a private company very little time to correct. No different than the roads. If you have a problem with toll roads, you need to start getting rid of the mismanagement of govt.
You should read the article instead of spouting one size fits all ideology. The roadways are not "fixed" and they misled the public repeatedly.
I did. It mentioned construction but started the plan was to use tolls for maintenence rather than take them awaay once construction was completed. How is this even a story? "Public outraged after temporary fees become permanent due to govt."
Free-markets, without government restraint, will produce results that make society worse off.
Free-markets are not infallible. Governments can do things better than private companies.
Libertarian dogma is an abject failure, like communism.
You discuss free markets like they have no end to their greed. You discuss govt. like it has no end to their nobility.
I'm woke AF. I know that a libetarian majority wouldn't be utopia. I know because life turns to whenever the R's or D's have a majority. I do know that a significant number of truly independent politicians would make the us a much better place.
my city is trying to fast track a toll road behind the residents' backs. we ousted the previous mayor for a candidate who ran as opposed to the toll road so hopefully this will impact the future of it. there wasn't one single reason given by city council that justified the need for one. if anything, it just made the members appear to be recipients of future promises made to them by the few who would actually benefit. and, yes, it would be privatized by a well known lender called Public Works that often creates loopholes that would get them off the hook if the road did not pay for itself by the time the note matures. the city would then be on the hook for the road.
The articles says that the public had been led to believe that once the construction costs were covered the road would be free. Instead they kept the tolls and used them to try and make more toll roads. It's bull .
LOL, Texas knows nothing about "gas taxes". Come here to California where the DemoKKKrats can pass the largest gas taxes in history without any citizen votes and input so they can "fix the roadways".
it. There's almost always an alternative to a toll road. People pay for conveniences all the time.
What's the next step? Banning Flash Passes at Six Flags?
privatized toll roads are monopolistic for-exorbitant-profit control of a critical resource. miss paying a toll, in Austin that's a $100 penalty
Tough . Don't drive on the toll roads then. How is that any different than going over on your data usage?
the argument of "don't drive on it if you don't like it" only works in a vacuum. in other words, this would be fine if no one who ever used the toll road ever had to pay for it in any way, shape or form. but that is far from the case. toll roads have failed all too often in texas and the resulting debt falls on all of the taxpayers when this happens, not just those who used it. they also can impact infrastructure negatively and create more ongoing road problems than the ones they were "intended" to resolve. all too often, they are fasttracked and the so called feasibility studies confined to a non-neutral party.
No. They work fine. I've got a toll tag and only have to use the toll roads about once a week. But I can zoom to my destination like a rocket ship. Sometimes, I'll shoot the finger at the mooks on the free road as I pass them. Other times, I'll pull out my gat and fire some shots into the air like Wild Bill Hic and scream "Yeeeeehawwww".
The worst part is getting on a toll road that doesn't give me the exit I need and I have to turn around. Then it's pretty humbling.
So you are into taxation without representation then. Got it.
I prefer tough to your corporate overlords.
So because it is njot a problem for you then you don't care. Your lack of empathy is noted.
Meanwhile the article pointed out several people where that was not the case. Nevermind that they are going against the voter's will to make more toll roads. Your lack of vision is showing.
You didn't answer my question. How is that going over your data usage? I'll wave to your strawman when he shows up.
i'm sure they do as promised in regards to cir venting traffic, but i was referring to problems resulting from economic, as opposed to logistical, failure as in not being able to pay off the note when it matures because the road did not generate the anticipated revenue.
What's "njot"? You'll need a bulldozer to help you move the goalposts.
Oh...I don't know about all that. I haven't thought it through.
I wasn't asked that question. Also one is a privately founded business and the other is a government sponsored en y. Do I need to explain to you how that is significant?
I guess it might help me understand the situation if you'd explain it.
A typo. And what goalposts? You did say that you were not affected and used that as a basis for nto caring.
I'm discussing the issues the article brings up not setting goals. Try a different deflection tactic.
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