Obama Administration proposes Interstate system to be tolled

[OutHouse]

Tax the sale of tires by weight or size.

have you seen how expensive tires are now?

 

[OutHouse]

Toll transponders only register when you actually go through a toll, they aren't transmitting your GPS location directly to the NSA on a real time basis

your picture is taken when you go through the tolls even with the transponder.

The toll road that goes around Denver got rid of their toll booths a couple of years ago. and replaced the booths with cameras and you get a bill int he mail with your pic

 

[chucky2]

I have seen a trend in this country where city dwellers are sometimes pitted against those people who live in more rural areas of a state. Many states have a high concentration around cities and everyone else becomes the minority that is enslaved to will of the city dwellers. It is like an us/them situation where the rural minority have no representation.

Here we call that IL.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I left in 2009. I lived off 290 in Cypress area. Wasn't that hard to avoid the tollways. I worked off Hollister and 290 so I only had to take 290 down straight there. I could go around 1960/6 instead of the beltway. Even the few times I had to go around the beltway, there were ways to get around that didn't have to use the toll. GPS devices are a wonderful thing in showing you how to navigate through areas that you thought would be strangled if you didn't use the toll.

So you lived less than 10 miles from work and your company's place of business was off the same feeder. No wonder you didn't use the Beltway.

Try going from Richmond/Rosenberg to a place of business on the Beltway feeder road without using the Beltway, you're looking at a lot of time using the feeder road for 12 miles. Even at 3am - 4am it would considerable time due to the stoplights.

 

[K1052]

your picture is taken when you go through the tolls even with the transponder.

The toll road that goes around Denver got rid of their toll booths a couple of years ago. and replaced the booths with cameras and you get a bill int he mail with your pic

None of which is really all that new. There are all sorts of camera systems covering roads (speed cams, red light cams, traffic cams, police, private security, etc). A short range single purpose toll transponder seems like an irrational place to draw the line if you're really concerned about privacy.

 

[HumblePie]

So you lived less than 10 miles from work and your company's place of business was off the same feeder. No wonder you didn't use the Beltway.

Try going from Richmond/Rosenberg to a place of business on the Beltway feeder road without using the Beltway, you're looking at a lot of time using the feeder road for 12 miles. Even at 3am - 4am it would considerable time due to the stoplights.

Meh, I still went around to the various sports parks all over the place during rush hour. I didn't just stay on that side of town all the time. Even did a couple of impromptu trips to Galveston during rush hour as I decided on the way to work it was a "beach" day instead of a work day Still wouldn't use the toll roads to get where I wanted and still managed to get where I wanted without spending hours upon hours in traffic most of the time. Although there were sometimes the occasional problem of a traffic accident. But never once did I find it more compelling traffic wise to use the tollways in houston.

 

[cabri]

have you seen how expensive tires are now?

$30 for el-cheapo to $400 or higher.
If taxed by a state; how to collect out of state sales.
If Federal, how much do you think will be skimmed off just like the Federal Gas tax now?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Meh, I still went around to the various sports parks all over the place during rush hour. I didn't just stay on that side of town all the time. Even did a couple of impromptu trips to Galveston during rush hour as I decided on the way to work it was a "beach" day instead of a work day Still wouldn't use the toll roads to get where I wanted and still managed to get where I wanted without spending hours upon hours in traffic most of the time. Although there were sometimes the occasional problem of a traffic accident. But never once did I find it more compelling traffic wise to use the tollways in houston.

Of course you didn't use the toll road as it would have been out of your way and much further than getting on I-45 which goes to Galveston. If I want to go to Galveston I avoid Houston all together and head in via 36 to Freeport and follow the coast road to there.

 

[ch33zw1z]

$30 for el-cheapo to $400 or higher.
If taxed by a state; how to collect out of state sales.
If Federal, how much do you think will be skimmed off just like the Federal Gas tax now?

Tires in MA and CT are about $100 installed and balanced, per wheel, at the cheapest.

If you find cheaper than that, it's probably remanufactured, installed by some newbie, and not balanced.

 

[HumblePie]

Of course you didn't use the toll road as it would have been out of your way and much further than getting on I-45 which goes to Galveston. If I want to go to Galveston I avoid Houston all together and head in via 36 to Freeport and follow the coast road to there.

Uhh, coming from Cypress area, there isn't a direct way to take I-45 to Galveston. There are many possible venues I can take to get there and some would be to use a toll road and some would not be.

Also, the various sports parks are sometimes off the tollroads.

I guess if I was coming from Conroe or Spring I guess the tollroad option may be a much better time saver. Don't know, never had to come from there during rush out. The only directions I've driven from outside Houston in during rush hour time frames were from NW, W, SW, and E sides of the city. I've had to go various directions in and around Houston during rush hour as well.

For example I've driven from after work during rush hour to Microcenter many a times when I was there. Hollister and 290 to I-45 and West, the quickest way is around the beltway. But I always went without actually getting on the tollroad just fine and never had a problem with arriving any later than those who would take that route at the same time I did. Case in point, after work a few of us rushed over to MC when they first had put out their deal for the I7 SB cpus. A few of us all left work at the same time to head over there. I was the only one that didn't take the tollroad and got there at the same time they all did.

As I said, never found a need to use the tollroads the entire time I lived in Houston for the 4 years I was there even when I was having to head to a destination during heavy rush hour traffic where a tollroad would take me to. If you don't believe me oh well.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Uhh, coming from Cypress area, there isn't a direct way to take I-45 to Galveston. There are many possible venues I can take to get there and some would be to use a toll road and some would not be.

Also, the various sports parks are sometimes off the tollroads.

I guess if I was coming from Conroe or Spring I guess the tollroad option may be a much better time saver. Don't know, never had to come from there during rush out. The only directions I've driven from outside Houston in during rush hour time frames were from NW, W, SW, and E sides of the city. I've had to go various directions in and around Houston during rush hour as well.

For example I've driven from after work during rush hour to Microcenter many a times when I was there. Hollister and 290 to I-45 and West, the quickest way is around the beltway. But I always went without actually getting on the tollroad just fine and never had a problem with arriving any later than those who would take that route at the same time I did. Case in point, after work a few of us rushed over to MC when they first had put out their deal for the I7 SB cpus. A few of us all left work at the same time to head over there. I was the only one that didn't take the tollroad and got there at the same time they all did.

As I said, never found a need to use the tollroads the entire time I lived in Houston for the 4 years I was there even when I was having to head to a destination during heavy rush hour traffic where a tollroad would take me to. If you don't believe me oh well.

It's so easy, 290 south to I-10 east to south I-45

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gal...8b28c8077c64c7!2m2!1d-95.6971686!2d29.9691116

Now let's try from where I live, unless you want to waste a lot of time at stop lights the toll road is the only way to go.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ros...9fdcef44832aaa!2m2!1d-95.5722297!2d29.8221298

 

[Subyman]

They will never will get rid of registration because it's just profit for Gov. I have to get a new sticker for my plate every year in IL, which costs like $101 this year I believe. That will continue with electric vehicles.

But what is going to be difficult with electrics is the fuel tax. Already the fuel tax is too low, and Politician being Politician are loath to raise it because they don't want re-election having more risk placed on it due to having 'raised taxes' - and no one likes paying more for gas.

So what are the Pols going to do when technology advances far enough where providing affordable quality electric transpo that fits the needs (real and imagined) of the average US vehicle buyer?

Chuck

But we don't even have electric cars yet except Tesla and a few Nissan Leafs. This is simply a ploy to extract even more from us for shit we've already paid for (constructing the interstates) and already pay maintenance on through gas and registration taxes. When electric cars become a large part of the make up of the car demographic then begin implementing taxes. This has nothing to do with electric cars right now, it has to do with getting more money from us.

 

[Subyman]

$30 for el-cheapo to $400 or higher.
If taxed by a state; how to collect out of state sales.
If Federal, how much do you think will be skimmed off just like the Federal Gas tax now?

$30 for a lawn mower tire.

 

[OutHouse]

$30 for el-cheapo to $400 or higher.

30 bucks? maybe for a wheelbarrow

http://www.homedepot.com/s/wheel%20barrow%20tire?NCNI-5

 

[Jhhnn]

This piece i pretty well written: http://www.philkerpen.com/?q=node/149

Toll roads are not the way to go.

Do away with fed fuel tax and let states maintain their own roads.

Problem solved.

I think that would be an undue burden on lightly populated states & poorer states.

If we think about it at all, huge discontinuities could occur. The interstates across the Dakotas, Nebraska, & Kansas don't serve the people who live there as much as they serve the rest of us. They may not be heavily traveled enough for tolls to support maintenance, particularly when alternate routes are available. How about a nice toll war to drive the infrastructure into the ground?

It's the usual libertopian states rights race to the bottom.

 

[Zorba]

Fuck no. There's no way we should raise gas taxes disporportionately on the suburban commuters and rural folks when a sizable portion (~20%) of those gas tax funds get spent on urban mass transit, city bike paths, and such. There should be ZERO spent on those things.

You have any idea how many cars are removed from the roads in cities with major mass transient? Why are you okay spending the money endlessly expanding the highways, but not okay with spending money to increase the capacity of those roads without expanding them?

Could you imagine downtown Chicago or NYC without the trains/buses? Or have you never left your county?

 

[chucky2]

But we don't even have electric cars yet except Tesla and a few Nissan Leafs. This is simply a ploy to extract even more from us for shit we've already paid for (constructing the interstates) and already pay maintenance on through gas and registration taxes. When electric cars become a large part of the make up of the car demographic then begin implementing taxes. This has nothing to do with electric cars right now, it has to do with getting more money from us.

The point is, if we're going to come out with a good solution, we can make it a short term solution, or, just tackle the long term solution now. The simple fact is, the highway system is underfunded. Fuel receipts are not taking care of what they should. It's also filled with lots of kickbacks. Unfortunately, because these projects are overseen by Politician, we'll always have kickbacks. We can fix the underfunded problem but likely never the corruption problem. So fix it short term by raising the fuel tax, or, fix it with the short term and then a a long term solution later that covers everything on the road? Take your pick...

 

[shira]

Another attack by obummer and his minions on the middle class. Of course on TV the idiot in chief will claim to be fighting for the little guy against the evil 1%'ers. The rich don't care about tolls on roads, it's completely meaningless to them. It's the middle class, people that want to drive to see family for thanksgiving or something that are going to get soaked. As usual.

Well lets see: You already think that taxes are too high, so raising revenue through taxes increases to fix/maintain the interstate system is a non-starter. And now you're decrying tolls (which are essentially user fees).

So please let us all know what funding mechanism that does NOT increase the burden on the poor and middle class meets with your approval.