Today's dose of NIF - News, Interesting & Funny ... It's Stop the ACLU Thursday, and Katrina Relief Day!

There's also telecommuting. Employees who can do that would be in a position to insist on it from employers due to the toll costs. All of this would have the effect of reducing traffic and congestion.

Driving to a train station and taking the train the rest of the way is another option.

Building more roads without tolls, or widening existing ones, is a losing battle as they will fill up as soon as they open.

Jen,

You're right that it won't happen, but that only tells me that the situation will just continue to get worse. No doubt about it.

The same people dismissing the existing plan will be complaining furiously in a few years when traffic has increased by 50%, but out of consistency they will still be opposed to tolls. They won't have a plan, but they'll be consistent.

There's no other workable alternative.

But unless a) such high speed technology could be established around here (Virginia suburbs) and b) all cars be required to use it (an absolute impossibility), then the effect of these choke points on an already over-stressed commuter flow would be devastating.

I agree with James and Jen that there aren't a whole lot of people on the Beltway, I-395 and I-66 because they actually want to be.

Right. */sarcasm*

As James said above, DC drivers are constantly trying to figure out the best driving path to save time already - we don't need additional tolls for that. And the only way we can factor in how much driving we "want" to do is based on where our jobs happen to be and where we can afford to live.

Additional toll roads in this area will only make a barely tolerable commuting situation worse.

As for the chokepoints, that's the best part of the idea. The idea behind tolls isn't just to be able to opt off a "free" road to save time. It's to make people think about exactly how much driving they want to do and when to do it.

If you're concerned with double-taxation, or what not, then insist that any toll roads on existing roads be done in a revenue neutral fashion.

Wha...? In the NE many states have EZ-Pass and you still have to go thru the toll booth and the speed is 15mph. Now there are problems where the EZ-Pass lanes are too congested and it's quicker to pay cash.

It's a terrible idea.

But Baililes also acknowledges that the plan will face stiff challenges because truckers, delivery services and commuters would see their daily costs rising by dollars a day if it's implemented.

Actually shifted from lost time to money. You still pay, you are simply paying in terms of time spent stuck in traffic. If you spend an hour on your commute and get paid $30/hour you should concievably be willing to spend $30 to get to work an hour earlier to earn money for that hour (hence you break even).

Essentially, a toll--and the resultant delays and infrastructure costs--at all the major chokepoints in the region.

Actually, it doesn't have to be that bad in that new technology allows for regular commuters to use stickers/cards and scanning technology so as you whiz by under the machine-vision-reader at 65mph it reads your card and charges your account accordingly.

Even Adam Smith thought roads and basic infrastructure should be public goods. Paying a tax every time one uses a road is impractical and inefficient.

Even Adam Smith can be wrong. Roads are public goods subject to congesetion this means using tolls to control the congestion is one way to regulate the use of the roads.

Hell, this brings us UP to the point where the Metro riders already are - paying a 'fare' every day to use the road. And don't talk about the gas tax; it's not directed towards any road in particular, doesn't pay anywhere near the full bills, subsidizes suburbanites, etc. Get enough of these tolls and I'd gladly reduce your gas tax though.

It's 4 lanes in each direction, the regular traffic will flow easily on the existing 2 lanes left!

Like it does now!

/sarcasm

thhhppt! idiots