Oh My God Someone Please Tell Me This is Not True (Chicago: sales, lease)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by coldwine

Honey are you being sarcastic?...

Of course he is.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Of course he is.

In my mind the only unrealistic portion was the $50.

$25 sounds more realistic.

[Lookout Kid]

The toll will be traveler's first born sons. Daley needs them to raise an army to fight the zombie invaders. Don't you people read anything?

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

The toll will be traveler's first born sons. Daley needs them to raise an army to fight the zombie invaders. Don't you people read anything?

But you get to pass for free if you can answer a riddle. Just remember to respond "African or European?"

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

But you get to pass for free if you can answer a riddle. Just remember to respond "African or European?"

..that he'll charge King Arthur ( and his swallows) too?

[Chicago 360]

And even if he did, he would still be voted back in office in the next election...

[lenniel]

Well, before you wrote this as a joke, I wouldn't have believed it, but I can now see Lord Shortshanks sitting in his office saying "hey you know, that's not a bad idea." He'll then appoint a special commission comprised of his relatives to investigate the revenue opportunities. (of course, the commission will be paid for by tax dollars).

[chet everett]

It could be done fairly easily.

The majority of LSD is a controlled access highway, the only portion that is more "gridlike" if the section south of the river and north of the Field Museum. I suspect that trips "ending and originating" in that section would not be subject to a toll, but any trips that begin NORTH or SOUTH of their and end with the "non tourist" area would be charged. The reason that trips ENDING in the Grant Park / Musuem Campus area would be "free" would be so that the OTHER DEAL for the GARAGE LEASES would not go south (and those are super connected deals, the Mayor would NEVER think of hurting those guys...)

A combination of I-Pass style transponders, photo-enforcement cameras and online / kiosk style electronic payments could EASILY be linked together so that the firm that leases the monster could collect quite a substantial revenue stream in a mostly unobtrusive way.

Theoretically this would make MUCH MORE SENSE than the wacky idea that Burke had to have a FEE for any vehicle entering the "greater Loop business district" as the alternative for using LSD as a single vehicle commuter highway already exist and MOST are pretty good -- suburbanites NORTH of the city are well served by Metra and even CTA to Evanston / Skokie. City dwellers can pick from the El or buses or Metra. People that are NOT going to give up their cars to public 'transit commuters' can either decide to pay the tolls or take a surface street, and in some areas (Bronzeville...) this could really ENLIVEN the street scene, possibly spurring more retail development...

In general I think TOLLS ARE GREEN and if the Mayor spins this right (and gets the right people to review things before he crams it through the council) he could get a boost in approval rating. LSD is very very unique road and the city knows it. The deal they did for the Skyway was based on older technology, and frankly the traffic volumes of the Skyway are pretty pathetic. This good be a much more interesting way to go for a lot reasons...

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

Did you hear the rumor that Daley is going to start charging Chicagoans for the air they breathe? ZOMG!

I could see this one. Come tax time when you get your W2s in Feb, you will have to not only file a 1040 Federal and State, but now a City one as well. Line 29F.... Enter how many breaths per minute you took. Line 29G Multiply line 29F by 525,600... Line 29H Multiply 29F by .01 and total this. This is the amount of air tax you now owe.

[supernerdgirl]

Speaking of silly potential Daley taxes, my friend and I came up with an entrance fee for using public restrooms... like 25 cents or something. hell, i'd pay it if I could go into a clean restroom.