The Real Reason New Tolls Are Popping Up Everywhere

What’s behind this rise of tolled roads, and are they just making driving more expensive, or can they make it better?

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[thraxman]

Over $45 million per mile is ridiculous. Thats good ol boy contracts that pad a lot of pockets.

[KyleHohn]

Crazy idea: build walkable housing near jobs 😮

[hondafit]

Relax zoning laws, let home owners open up stores and businesses on their property. Until that happens, no amount of transit can fix the problem because we have consciously separated all our needs through strict zoning laws.

[emh.]

One proposal ive heard that sounds cool to me is a tax fee that scales by weight per axle- this way heavier luxury vehicles like F150s and Cybertrucks that cause more damage to the road (and pedestrians) have to pay more than someone commuting in a lighter and safer sedan.

[jrho]

The only way to fix traffic is to offer alternative & reliable modes of transportation: Trains, buses, subways. The Federal government needs to nationalize our rail system to allow passengers trains to be more reliable. I would love to take a train across the states, but there isn't a convenient way to do it other than driving a car.

[jerrik-]

"and to make sure people have an affordable alternative"
Yeah, still waiting for that...

[monterreymxisfun]

That's another way that return-to-office translates to a substantial pay cut.

[Baker]

The amount of wear and tear a vehicle causes to road is dependent on the weight of the vehicle, and the distance driven.
No gas tax, no toll roads
Let the annual vehicle registration be priced based on the class/weight of the vehicle, and the distance driven in the past year (by the odometer)

[temprd]

It only feels expensive to drive now because people are now paying the actual cost. Car owners have been highly subsidized for 70 years, and no one really thought about long term maintenance.

[veronicaclephas]

This is getting out of hand, soon they'll have a tipping option too 😂

[anthonydpearson]

9:20 the problem with Vehicle Miles Travelled fees is that they're regressive - that is, they usually punish poor people who can't afford to live closer to town, which means they have to pay more to go to work, which keeps them stuck in a cycle of staying poor. A better solution would be a vehicle weight tax - the heavier your vehicle, the more expensive it is.

[everythingpony]

"affordable for everyone" bruh, sone people cant pay for gas let alone a new fee for just existing again

[sailingbrewer]

I hate how they took carpool lanes and turned them into toll lanes and charge during hours that used to be open to all.

[clowkey]

Surely this comes along with substantial investments in public transportation infrastructure right?

Right?

[lukethompson]

#3 needs to be fixed. Why are construction costs rising faster than inflation? Who’s lining their pockets??

[Cryptz]

just make public transportation better

[rogerbartlet]

The proposals for many of highways built in the 1960's were they pay for construction costs through toll collection for a fixed period of time. Once paid for, the road would be under the states highway system and maintained with (primarily) gasoline taxes. The plan back-fired, noticeably in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Turnpike was scheduled to have it's bond paid by ~1985. The state continued collecting tolls and still does. Electronic "EZ-Pay" systems made collections almost transparent to motorists. States found these were cheap and easy to set up and another revenue stream was created. Fuel taxes stayed the same, or even increased.

[MM-femz]

Congestion pricing is horrible for citizens
Vmt wow thats serious 1984 coming true. Everywhere you go tracked, government contol nightmare

[tpolarbeart]

How about making politicians stop pocketing money

[chrisredlack]

elaborate toll roads are more expensive to build. Just raise the damn gas tax. Sick of the Bravo Sierra!