[Henry10]

I would actaully ban all tolls of Govt owned roads. It’s as if we would pay more another tax / fee for public schools.

Just like public education, we pay through our noses for it, via taxation. No double-dipping.

I drive a lot. It is something very great and American to get in the car and drive. I-91 all thru Vermont, or 395 through Eastern CT hills. It’s a feeling of getting in the car and not worrying about it. It’s quality of life. For that very reason I despise driving European roads. It is as if somebody is choking me. I feel restricted, beat down. Drove Turin to Milan, stopped a million times to pay tolls. Worse than even Garden State Pkwy. God forbid you drive 5 km/hr over the speed limit, Swiss cameras snap your license plate in a heartbeat. So depressing.

Leave CT roads alone. No tolls. We already pay for roads via gas taxes and other fees. Not another tax.

[BPt111]

Connecticut has the fourth worst infrastructure in the United States


https://ctpost.com/news/article/Conn...-85307-tbla-10

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Henry10

I would actaully ban all tolls of Govt owned roads. It’s as if we would pay more another tax / fee for public schools.

Just like public education, we pay through our noses for it, via taxation. No double-dipping.

I drive a lot. It is something very great and American to get in the car and drive. I-91 all thru Vermont, or 395 through Eastern CT hills. It’s a feeling of getting in the car and not worrying about it. It’s quality of life. For that very reason I despise driving European roads. It is as if somebody is choking me. I feel restricted, beat down. Drove Turin to Milan, stopped a million times to pay tolls. Worse than even Garden State Pkwy. God forbid you drive 5 km/hr over the speed limit, Swiss cameras snap your license plate in a heartbeat. So depressing.

Leave CT roads alone. No tolls. We already pay for roads via gas taxes and other fees. Not another tax.

So you are willing to raise the gas tax which hasn’t been raised in nearly 20 years so that out-of-state drivers can continue to drive on our roads for free? Just asking so we can be clear. Jay

[RunD1987]

I still don't understand why taxes are raised every year. Again issue in CT is again our highway system differs a lot from put of State highways and there is not much room to expand. I am not for expanding highways if it will affect residential or open land in CT.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by RunD1987

I still don't understand why taxes are raised every year. Again issue in CT is again our highway system differs a lot from put of State highways and there is not much room to expand. I am not for expanding highways if it will affect residential or open land in CT.

There is a little thing called inflation that causes the erosion of purchasing power of tax dollars. In the case of the gas tax which has not been raised in nearly 20 years, I think anyone can see that the amount collected in 1998 does not buy as much in 2018. With vehicles being more fuel efficient, there is even less money available to maintain our transportation system. Given that traffic has exploded in the last 40 years and the state under invested in transportation for a decade back in the 70’s, the state is still trying to catch up. Jay

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by Henry10

I would actaully ban all tolls of Govt owned roads. It’s as if we would pay more another tax / fee for public schools.

Just like public education, we pay through our noses for it, via taxation. No double-dipping.

I drive a lot. It is something very great and American to get in the car and drive. I-91 all thru Vermont, or 395 through Eastern CT hills. It’s a feeling of getting in the car and not worrying about it. It’s quality of life. For that very reason I despise driving European roads. It is as if somebody is choking me. I feel restricted, beat down. Drove Turin to Milan, stopped a million times to pay tolls. Worse than even Garden State Pkwy. God forbid you drive 5 km/hr over the speed limit, Swiss cameras snap your license plate in a heartbeat. So depressing.

Leave CT roads alone. No tolls. We already pay for roads via gas taxes and other fees. Not another tax.

You want them to raise taxes instead? Somehow the money has to be paid for the maintenance of the roads.

AND, the tolls are electronic. Drive on the Mass Pike (I-90) to see what it's like. You have a transponder or, if not, a camera takes a picture. You do not have to stop and pay a toll.

Anyway CT had tolls until they caused a horrific accident. That was the reason the tolls were removed. Now, with electronic tolling, there is no need to stop and possibly get crushed by a huge truck in back of you. No reason to not restore the tolls we used to have--remember? back when the state could afford things?

[BPt111]

The problem with 95 is 3 lanes, too many exits ramps, volume of cars ?

"Trucks are not allowed on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways, so why are those roads so congested? Look at Interstate-95 in rush hour and count the number of trucks vs. single-occupancy-vehicles. Again, it’s the volume of the traffic, not the kind of vehicles that are causing the delays. It’s the geometry of the highway — too many exits and entrances, and too few alternatives (aside from rail)."

https://www.nhregister.com/local/art...o-13119776.php

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Henry10

I would actaully ban all tolls of Govt owned roads. It’s as if we would pay more another tax / fee for public schools.

Just like public education, we pay through our noses for it, via taxation. No double-dipping.

I drive a lot. It is something very great and American to get in the car and drive. I-91 all thru Vermont, or 395 through Eastern CT hills. It’s a feeling of getting in the car and not worrying about it. It’s quality of life. For that very reason I despise driving European roads. It is as if somebody is choking me. I feel restricted, beat down. Drove Turin to Milan, stopped a million times to pay tolls. Worse than even Garden State Pkwy. God forbid you drive 5 km/hr over the speed limit, Swiss cameras snap your license plate in a heartbeat. So depressing.

Leave CT roads alone. No tolls. We already pay for roads via gas taxes and other fees. Not another tax.

Italy is unusually oppressive when it comes to tolls. They are insane.

Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Czech I didn’t pay anything. Amazing roads. Blows ours away.

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by JayCT

So you are willing to raise the gas tax which hasn’t been raised in nearly 20 years so that out-of-state drivers can continue to drive on our roads for free? Just asking so we can be clear. Jay

Yes absolutely. We increase property taxes every year to pay for an increasingly overcharging / underperforming public schools, don’t we?

And yes, put that lockbox in, or send politicians to jail for malfeasance. You don’t need to do acrobatics with tolls.

Stop double-dipping.

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Italy is unusually oppressive when it comes to tolls. They are insane.

Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Czech I didn’t pay anything. Amazing roads. Blows ours away.

Many other countries have tolls. France for example. And get this — they don’t tell you how much the toll is until you see a post-it note at the booth. And yes, I have paid tolls in Switzerland.

Switzerland and other countries have other headaches when driving. 1 swissfranc to use the toilette at the rest-stop. And what happens if you have no cash? How about in France, where is so hard to combine the restaurant and parking together, unless of course you wear spandex riding a Bianchi Veloce.

And don’t get me started where coin machines don’t give you change back. Or Parking Ticket machine doesn’t work and you have to go chase someone to lift the damn gate. Or paying double or triple for gas. And yes, I have paid tolls in Switzerland, and speeding tickets from cameras for once going 90 km/hr in an 80 zone.

As a matter of public policy Europe pushes its subjects to use public transport, where pick-pockets wait for you. Teenage girls, looking like beach bums rub against you in trains, markets etc, and your purse, with credit cards, ID, cash will evaporate.

No country (and I have been to many in Asia, S America, Europe, gives you the driving pleasure our country does. It’s absolutely part of the Quality of Life. I mean that’s CT’s last pride isn’t it?

We need to increase QOL. People driving for pleasure also spend money and help local economies. Tolls, hassles — they do the opposite.

I have EZ Pass and SunPass and drive the Eastern seaboard all the time, and I hate it when I have to decide if I need to go local in Virginia and go express, avoid the crowd, but spend $40 for driving 50 miles.