What's with all the toll roads in the Chicago area? (Washington: construction, college)

[Lookout Kid]

I don't have a problem with the idea of user fees for roads. But the problem is that the Toll Authority charges a certain amount of money to perpetuate itself, and that is basically redundant waste since we already have a department of revenue to collect revenue. The iPass system is a step in the right direction, but there has to be a less redundant way to do this.

[key4lp]

[quote=emathias;29145753]The gas tax doesn't cover the entire cost of Interstate maintenance anymore. Thanks to (primarily) Republican blockage of inflation-indexed increases to the tax. The gas tax doesn't even cover the creation of them anymore - and doesn't come close to covering the maintenance of them. The gas tax these days goes to maintaining big chunks of rarely-used roads in the middle of nowhere - like the central Plains states - that can't afford to maintain them on their own and with insufficient traffic for tolls to cover the costs.
Additionally, in Illinois, tollways are not built with gas tax money - they are built with toll revenues. So your point doesn't even apply in Illinois.
And why should society reward people who choose to live 20+ miles from their place of employment with a free ride? While I recognize that not everyone can, the majority of people could choose to live near their work - I live 1.3 miles from my office.



When they built 294 & the Kennedy (90/94) people were told that the tolls would only be
temporary. haha
Regarding the free ride: there are people who bought homes near their jobs but things happen i.e,
the business closed or relocated, they lost their jobs by no fault of their own & had to find work
else where. There is something called "finances" in which they cannot afford to live in the area
where their employer is. In an ideal world sure it's great to use public transportation or live near your job.
(i don't know why the above quote isn't highlighted)

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I don't have a problem with the idea of user fees for roads. But the problem is that the Toll Authority charges a certain amount of money to perpetuate itself, and that is basically redundant waste since we already have a department of revenue to collect revenue. The iPass system is a step in the right direction, but there has to be a less redundant way to do this.

IPASS is a better alternative than paying twice as much & stopping to pay. But why double the fee?
Isn't that going to change in a few years where everyone will be paying the same?

[emathias]

When they built 294 & the Kennedy (90/94) people were told that the tolls would only be
temporary. haha
Regarding the free ride: there are people who bought homes near their jobs but things happen i.e,
the business closed or relocated, they lost their jobs by no fault of their own & had to find work
else where. There is something called "finances" in which they cannot afford to live in the area
where their employer is. In an ideal world sure it's great to use public transportation or live near your job.

The Kennedy has no tolls, but the Jane Addams does.

Exactly, and there is something called "finances" where people who use a service should pay part of it in a use fee. Public transit has a use fee. Streets are free, as are many Interstate expressways, and a portion of them are paid via gas taxes. But a portion should also be paid via tolls, especially portions that are particularly useful or popular.

(i don't know why the above quote isn't highlighted)

Because you didn't use proper quotes tags.

[key4lp]

I did use the proper quote tags but in order for it to be highlighted it would require me to retype everything...I was
being lazy and put the comment as a type of an apology.

[reppin_the_847]

You think it's bad here? You should see what the bridge tolls are like in New York & New Jersey. It's like the Indiana / Illinois Skyway but worse (more expensive), and there's a bunch of them.

[NorthStarDelight]

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

You think it's bad here? You should see what the bridge tolls are like in New York & New Jersey. It's like the Indiana / Illinois Skyway but worse (more expensive), and there's a bunch of them.

Yeah, isn't it something like $50 or $60 to drive one-way from Washington to Boston via the tolled routes? Also, you have to figure that the increased transport costs for the truckers result in higher prices for everyone - not a good thing in my book. I see transportation as a public good that benefits the country as a whole, and I have zero problem with the major highway routes being paid for through general tax revenue - it just has better end-results all around, IMO.

I must say that I'm quite surprised at the amount of support for tolled roads in this thread, as us Southerners are quick to shout down the idea of tolling roads, whether they be Democrat or Republican...lol. I just have to wonder how the good state of Georgia was able to widen over 200 miles of I-75 and 80 - 90 miles of I-95 since 2000, all without tolls or increases in the gas tax. Maybe it has something to do with efficient use of taypayer dollars? I sure ain't complainin' though...lol.

And the good thing about taking an expensive passage through Chicago is that it'll make me appreciate how good we've got it back home.

[Bluefox]

You don't have to be an IL resident to get an iPass

Even if you aren't from Illinois but are traveling on the Illinois Tollway you can save time and money with I-PASS. There are no special rules or additional fees for travelers who live outside of Illinois.

About I-PASS - www.illinoistollway.com

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

I must say that I'm quite surprised at the amount of support for tolled roads in this thread, as us Southerners are quick to shout down the idea of tolling roads, whether they be Democrat or Republican...lol. I just have to wonder how the good state of Georgia was able to widen over 200 miles of I-75 and 80 - 90 miles of I-95 since 2000, all without tolls or increases in the gas tax. Maybe it has something to do with efficient use of taypayer dollars? I sure ain't complainin' though...lol.

Congrats on your state's ability to mooch off the rest of us.

Floyd, a board member from the 2nd Congressional District, said the state’s highway funding has been short. He said that 80 percent of funding comes from the federal government for such highway projects and 20 percent from the state.

Widening of I-75 now complete » Local News » Tifton Gazette

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

Yeah, isn't it something like $50 or $60 to drive one-way from Washington to Boston via the tolled routes? Also, you have to figure that the increased transport costs for the truckers result in higher prices for everyone - not a good thing in my book. I see transportation as a public good that benefits the country as a whole, and I have zero problem with the major highway routes being paid for through general tax revenue - it just has better end-results all around, IMO.

I must say that I'm quite surprised at the amount of support for tolled roads in this thread, as us Southerners are quick to shout down the idea of tolling roads, whether they be Democrat or Republican...lol. I just have to wonder how the good state of Georgia was able to widen over 200 miles of I-75 and 80 - 90 miles of I-95 since 2000, all without tolls or increases in the gas tax. Maybe it has something to do with efficient use of taypayer dollars? I sure ain't complainin' though...lol.

And the good thing about taking an expensive passage through Chicago is that it'll make me appreciate how good we've got it back home.

We have a toll road in Greenville County, SC. I don't know how they got that thing passed through and built. No one drives it!

Why don't you try an experiment? Try the toll roads through Chicago one way and try the regular expressways the other? Then you might be able to appreciate why that support you speak of is offered.

[prelude91]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

Maybe it has something to do with efficient use of taypayer dollars? I sure ain't complainin' though...lol.

And the good thing about taking an expensive passage through Chicago is that it'll make me appreciate how good we've got it back home.

Classic example of the rest of the nation paying for Georgia's roads, nothing "efficient" about it.