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Old 12-12-2011, 08:10 AM
 
58,594 posts, read 26,901,356 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70 View Post
I live in Maryland where recently the tolls across Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay were increased to $6 round trip and will go up to $8 round trip in some places for the cash prices, and they are scaling back the Baltimore region commuter discounts. A lot of this is to pay for a new highway in the DC suburbs which the rest of Maryland and the rest of Virginia subsidizes already. But with the toll debates one must wonder. Our liberal Democrat governor says that our tolls are now more in line with "the rest of the country" which to him only really means New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Masachuseets and other heavily taxed and tolled liberal states to our north.

Many longer bridges and tunnel are cheaper than ours and are free such as the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which is $3 round trip. The 236 mile Kansas Turnpike is only like $15 to drive the ENTIRE length one way. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, build through open ocean, is free. The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa is somewhere around $2 round trip. The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 across Colorado's Continental Divide was blasted through 15,000 mountain peaks and it is free. Compared to Baltimore, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has longer tunnels and bridges and the tolls are cheaper, and some have been removed after the construction was paid off. Yet even after the Chesapeake Bay bridge, the Key Bridge and the Baltimore tunnels were paid off, they are still increasing tolls and they also point to the "cost of maintenance" while other states in the South are not doing this.

At a public hearing, I was told that other states have lesser tolls because Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado were able to get a lot of federal funding while the Maryland tunnels and bridges did not get any funding from Congress. Now I wonder why this is. Since Congress allocates funds, and Congress historically has been controlled by Republicans (who will always have an advantage due to the abundance of rural states) maybe that is why Republican states are able to get more money? While all the liberal states like NJ, NY, Michigan, Illinois, MA all have high tolls on the highways.

It would be wise for Marylanders outside the DC area to stand up to the liberal elite that runs the state from that area which is very not in tune with the rest of the state.
First, my condolences for living in lberal land called maryland.

Second you lost any compassion I may have had with, "Congress historically has been controlled by Republican." Maybe you should include some history lessons in your course selections because, obviously, you are lacking in that category.

Third, move.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
31,767 posts, read 28,733,734 times
Reputation: 12341
Quote:
Originally Posted by wutitiz View Post
Tolls are a big issue in Washington state. We have no state income tax (abeit one of the highest state gas taxes) so tolls are being looked at as a nice potential revenue source, especially with the new tech that makes grand-scale billing more feasible than it once was.
The story is the same, here in Texas. Highways are being built on tax dollars (either 100% financed through it, or at least a part using federal stimulus funds) and being handed over to private companies to "maintain" them. Virtually every expansion of freeways lately is for toll lanes. I doubt there is any notion of price controls either.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:26 AM
 
1,211 posts, read 1,528,959 times
Reputation: 878
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
First, my condolences for living in lberal land called maryland.

Second you lost any compassion I may have had with, "Congress historically has been controlled by Republican." Maybe you should include some history lessons in your course selections because, obviously, you are lacking in that category.

Third, move.
And my condolences to you for living in any of the Taliban red states.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Syracuse, New York
3,121 posts, read 3,080,952 times
Reputation: 2311
Quote:
Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost View Post
The story is the same, here in Texas. Highways are being built on tax dollars (either 100% financed through it, or at least a part using federal stimulus funds) and being handed over to private companies to "maintain" them. Virtually every expansion of freeways lately is for toll lanes. I doubt there is any notion of price controls either.

Some of the Texas toll roads are extremely pricey. And the folks paying them generally have less money than those in "liberal land".
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:36 AM
 
Location: Somewhere extremely awesome
3,130 posts, read 3,057,618 times
Reputation: 2472
I'm still amused that the OP claims that Michigan has high tolls on the highways, while Florida is reasonable. Has the OP been to either state?
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:41 AM
 
15,442 posts, read 21,257,163 times
Reputation: 28680
Normally toll roads and user fees are an issue with which conservatives agree, that is unless you are a conservative in a large Texas city and would rather have some poor old guy in Cotton Center, Texas to pay additional taxes to help build highways around your city without tolls.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:43 AM
 
15,706 posts, read 11,723,954 times
Reputation: 7019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70 View Post
I live in Maryland where recently the tolls across Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay were increased to $6 round trip and will go up to $8 round trip in some places for the cash prices, and they are scaling back the Baltimore region commuter discounts. A lot of this is to pay for a new highway in the DC suburbs which the rest of Maryland and the rest of Virginia subsidizes already. But with the toll debates one must wonder. Our liberal Democrat governor says that our tolls are now more in line with "the rest of the country" which to him only really means New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Masachuseets and other heavily taxed and tolled liberal states to our north.

Many longer bridges and tunnel are cheaper than ours and are free such as the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which is $3 round trip. The 236 mile Kansas Turnpike is only like $15 to drive the ENTIRE length one way. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, build through open ocean, is free. The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa is somewhere around $2 round trip. The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 across Colorado's Continental Divide was blasted through 15,000 mountain peaks and it is free. Compared to Baltimore, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has longer tunnels and bridges and the tolls are cheaper, and some have been removed after the construction was paid off. Yet even after the Chesapeake Bay bridge, the Key Bridge and the Baltimore tunnels were paid off, they are still increasing tolls and they also point to the "cost of maintenance" while other states in the South are not doing this.

At a public hearing, I was told that other states have lesser tolls because Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado were able to get a lot of federal funding while the Maryland tunnels and bridges did not get any funding from Congress. Now I wonder why this is. Since Congress allocates funds, and Congress historically has been controlled by Republicans (who will always have an advantage due to the abundance of rural states) maybe that is why Republican states are able to get more money? While all the liberal states like NJ, NY, Michigan, Illinois, MA all have high tolls on the highways.

It would be wise for Marylanders outside the DC area to stand up to the liberal elite that runs the state from that area which is very not in tune with the rest of the state.
I live in MD too. Try getting Easy pass. It has nothing to do with liberalism. Welcome to one of the most expensive states in the country. And maybe this area has more expensive tolls than the South, because the DC-NY/Boston corridor is the most populated part of the nation, and with the amount of commuting that goes on in this area, it allows for lots of revenue.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:47 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
31,767 posts, read 28,733,734 times
Reputation: 12341
Quote:
Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired View Post
Normally toll roads and user fees are an issue with which conservatives agree, that is unless you are a conservative in a large Texas city and would rather have some poor old guy in Cotton Center, Texas to pay additional taxes to help build highways around your city without tolls.
Virtually every toll road/lane I've seen built and being built in Dallas area has been done on tax dollars. I say, if you're going to give these highways/lanes to privateers, might let them build it as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SyraBrian View Post
Some of the Texas toll roads are extremely pricey. And the folks paying them generally have less money than those in "liberal land".
I'd have to agree. Besides, I hate the idea of people being made to pay 50% more (about $0.24c/mile right now) if they pay cash as opposed to using toll tags. It is a business model to encourage people to use toll roads. I've made it a point to NEVER use the toll roads unless I'm desperate. Coincidentally, during one of the ice-storms last year, I decided to use PGBT assuming that being a toll road, it might be better maintained thru ice storms. And I was wrong. I ended up paying toll while dealing with one of the worst maintenance of highways during the ice storm.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:54 AM
 
15,442 posts, read 21,257,163 times
Reputation: 28680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiyero View Post
Welcome to one of the most expensive states in the country. And maybe this area has more expensive tolls than the South, because the DC-NY/Boston corridor is the most populated part of the nation, and with the amount of commuting that goes on in this area, it allows for lots of revenue.
Geographically speaking Maryland sits on D.C. like a big fat dog tick. They always say that the tick that is closet to the dog's heart is the fattest.
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Old 12-12-2011, 08:57 AM
 
15,442 posts, read 21,257,163 times
Reputation: 28680
Quote:
Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost View Post
Virtually every toll road/lane I've seen built and being built in Dallas area has been done on tax dollars. I say, if you're going to give these highways/lanes to privateers, might let them build it as well.
I agree. Maybe we should give them to the old fellow at Cotton Center that helped finance them?
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