This is hot off the AP wire. Actually, it’s an AP rewrite of a
Seattle Times story.
SEATTLE (AP) — What if all major roads in the Seattle area had
tolls?
A Puget Sound Regional Council report says it could eliminate
traffic congestion.
The council’s “Traffic Choices” report says GPS and mobile phone
technology could be used to track drivers and charge them for
almost every mile they drive.
The report says there are no technological barriers to congestion
pricing, but it raises questions about public policy, fairness and
privacy.
The three-year study involved an experiment in which cars had
devices to track driving. Drivers paid variable tolls and kept
money left over. They took fewer trips and drove fewer miles.
One example from the study for a projected trip between Seattle and
SeaTac: The 13-mile trip would take 22 minutes without tolls and 20
minutes with a toll of $3.56.
3 thoughts on “Tolls Considered for Puget Sound Highways”
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Our tax dollars already pay for the highway systems here. With everything going up in cost, from gas, to groceries, to you name it, why would the state even consider increasing the cost of living again!!??
Let’s see, pay to drive on the ferry or pay to drive across the bridge.
Pay to drive up I-5, then pay to drive I-90.
Gas at $4.00 plus a gallon.
That trip to Spokane is starting to look real expensive.
But they are right, toll roads everywhere WILL reduce congestion because people will no longer be able to afford to drive their cars anywhere.
But mass transit will have to pay as well so now it will be too expensive to drive your car to work and too expensive to take the bus.
Looks like we are ALL in for some culture shifting.
Toll roads are an overdue solution in WA used in other states for decades.
We’ve been slow to recognize toll roads as a answer to many of our transportation funding ills.
Let the people using the toll roads help pay for them but have a price break for low income families and seniors.
In my opinion… Sharon O’Hara