I-95 Toll hikes coming July 1 (Baltimore, Bowie: sales, 2013, how much)

[fibonacci]

From $6 to $8. Man in two years it has gone from $5 to $8? Anyone have any good tips to get around the JFK Memorial Highway toll? Or is $8 still worth it??

Shunpiking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by fibonacci

From $6 to $8. Man in two years it has gone from $5 to $8? Anyone have any good tips to get around the JFK Memorial Highway toll? Or is $8 still worth it??

Shunpiking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Never heard that term before, thanks!

There are only three crossings of the Susquehanna in MD: Rt 1 (Conowingo Dam), 95 (Tydings Bridge), and Rt 40 (Hatem Bridge). Only Rt 1 is untolled, but it's also a windy two-lane road for miles on either end.

It all depends how much you value your time. If driving to Philly and in no particular hurry, I could see Rt 1 being OK. To NJ or NY I'd pay every time.

[selhars]

I'll look at the Rt 1 option. I go to Philly often but usually from downtown DC, or Crofton. From DC route 1 MIGHT make sense, but from Crofton -- not so sure. I'm already so close to Baltimore and just go right up 97 to 895 spur -- and I'm north of Baltimore and past Whitemarsh and Joppa in no time!

That toll is a one-way toll so I'll probably just eat it.

As a separate but related issue. The gas tax is gradually going up, this toll is going up, food prices have gone up -- and worker pay has not gone up that much (IMO). The middle class squeeze continues. These increases have to be absorbed somehow. I see more people having to make some spending choices...in addition to the ones they've already made. I guess this isn't new news -- but the middle class is in trouble.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by selhars

As a separate but related issue. The gas tax is gradually going up, this toll is going up, food prices have gone up -- and worker pay has not gone up that much (IMO). The middle class squeeze continues. These increases have to be absorbed somehow. I see more people having to make some spending choices...in addition to the ones they've already made. I guess this isn't new news -- but the middle class is in trouble.

Maybe. But it's not a reason to neglect infrastructure. Transportation systems are critical to the economy, and they must be funded somehow. The days of "free" roads are over. At least with tolls, users pay.

[selhars]

When you think about going around a toll...in this case would you think of is as is it worth it to save the additional 3.00 increase -- or is it worth it to save the 8.00 you'd now be saving by not paying the toll at all??

I just mapquested my routes:

-- via I-95 -- downtown DC to Philly: 130 miles, 2-1/2 hours vs -- 140 miles and 3 hours if I go 95 to 24 up to Bel Air to the free Rte 1 bridge, and back down along the river to 95 for the rest of the way up.

-- from Bowie -- 120 miles and 2:15 minutes by I-95 -- vs. 103 miles 2:45 mins -- 95 to Rte 24 and back down.

In mileage it's only 10 miles longer ...it's the addition road TIME -- that has me gritting me teeth.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Truthfully, the expense of driving from Baltimore to NY has me on Amtrak or bus most of the time. $49 on Amtrak - just slightly more than gas and tolls. Boltbus for $17-25. Beats driving, to me. Of course that only works if your destination is easily reached by transit from Penn Station (and mine is).

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Maybe. But it's not a reason to neglect infrastructure. Transportation systems are critical to the economy, and they must be funded somehow. The days of "free" roads are over. At least with tolls, users pay.

Then maybe they don't need to build the Red Line and Purple Line!!!!!!!! Then our gas taxes wouldn't have gone up and we still would have had money to pay for the repairs. Same for the ICC. If Montgomery County wants the ICC and the REd Line they should tax themselves and pay for it themselves like its done in Northern Virginia (whose gas taxes are going up more than in the rest of Virginia), Atlanta, Charlotte (where voters within the city approved a half cent local sales tax to built a light rail but NC didn't see a statewide increase), and Dallas.

And let's not forget all the money spent on illegal aliens and liberal social welfare programs like how Maryland Medicaid is overly generous compared to states like Virginia and South Carolina and Texas. I'm still wondering with all the tax increases, and all the new casino revenue, where all that money is going. People vote for O'Malley, this is what they get.

[Tom Lennox 70]

The truth is that people of Harford and Cecil Counties are able to maintain their own infrastructure, including these two bridges on their own tax revenue. The state diverts too much gas tax money to the urban areas, especially toward mass transit. I seen two better options that the current state Maryland is in.

1, Keep the gas tax and the tolls constant.

2.. Raise the gas tax......and have a third Bay Bridge crossing built plus a new bridge to Ocean City plus upgrading Interstate 68 in Cumberland plus built a new wider Nice bridge in Southern Maryland, plus widen Interstate 81 in Hagerstown since the West Virginia and Pennsylvania portions are all 6 lanes already.

With the current plan our taxes go up and unless you live in the ghetto in Baltimore City (people in suburban Baltimore will never take mass transit for safety reasons trust me I know) or in Montgomery COunty you get NOTHING in return.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Jesus ****ing christ Tom give it a rest.

[santafe400]

In my opinion, despite the revenue, toll roads seem like something form the 1970's. To stop and essentially pay a toll-both worker (or even utilizing ezpass) seems so darconian to me. Tom is right with one thing. Most of our taxes no matter where one lives in the state is filtered into one jurisdiction in particular. I'm sure in 10 years it will be 10 bucks to cross the bridge over the Susquehanna. Don't forget about the "fast lanes" near White Marsh for an additional $15 bucks.

On a side note, the NJ Turnpike system seems like an outdated concept as well. I can only imagine how much revenue that road produces for the state considering all the traffic funneled to and from NYC.