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Tolls "in your lifetime most existing roads will have tolls" — Transportation Commissioner Ric Williamson (October 11, 2004) Communities across Texas are discovering that roads they drive every day or roads that they have been waiting to be completed will now become toll roads! Hundreds and hundreds of angry Texans are protesting plans from the State's Capital in Austin to Tomball.
"It's either toll roads,
slow roads or no roads" The Texas Legislature has directed the Transportation
Commission to push for more toll roads to generate revenue for transportation
projects.
As soon as next year existing free state highways in Texas can be
converted into toll roads. The plans for toll roads has exploded since
House
Bill 3588 was signed by Governor Perry a year ago. From the Governor to the
Commission to the Department of Transportation the agenda is to generate
revenue. Tolling existing highways and those under construction will quickly
generate the cash needed to support other project such as the grandiose
Trans-Texas Corridor. [TxDOT's
Toll Road Finance 101
"Governor
Perry and his friends
spent — Transportation Commissioner Ric Williamson (March 25, 2003) [citation] [full text] It's already happening in Houston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Fort Bend County, Tomball, Waco and Austin, to name a few. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. "Highway tolls are yet another form of regressive taxation, designed to push the burden of public costs downward onto the average taxpayer/driver, while the lion's share of the benefits go to the industries demanding state-subsidized mobility and infrastructure." — Michael King, Capitol Chronicle: Blame It on the Kids, Austin Chronicle (February 1, 2002) [link]
"We are seeking expert and public opinion on how much tolls should be. If
tolls are set too high, few drivers will use new toll roads. Based on
national averages, Central Texans should expect to pay about 15 cents per
mile. But exact amounts have yet to be determined."
15-Cents / Mile, National Average?
.
Who is anyone kidding? A Toll is a Tax, especially if it is more than the cost of providing the service you are charged for using. Some will tell you that it's a use fee or that only those who benefit from the road will be paying. Not true. There will be costs well beyond the toll. A toll road will alter traffic patterns. It may cost some their business and negatively impact local economies. It will add to everyone's cost of goods whenever it is used in commerce. It may move trucks into neighborhoods where they can avoid paying tolls. It will create a growing Class System, separating those who can pay from those who cannot.
It's All About Revenue (Profit) TxDOT knows its all about the revenue. The Director of their Finance Division together with the Director of Finance and Administration of the Texas Turnpike Authority Division tell District Engineers and others how to pump up the profits. Remember the free alternative routes we were promised? Check the program slide below, "Limiting the Alternatives (Supply)." The alternatives they're talking about include your free alternative.
Toll roads represent double taxation. Motorists already pay for highways at the gasoline pump, vehicle registration counter, and at auto supply retailers. They should not have to pay for highways again when they exercise their right to travel on them. [proposition 15, house briefing paper] Get The Big Picture You may object to new toll projects in your community or region of the state, but don't address it as a local issue because it's not. This is a statewide push from the top and your local officials have a transportation funding gun pressed against their head. If they say no, they can count on getting the short end of the state funding stick forever. As a result, your local officials can't and won't be effective advocates for their citizens. If you want to change the course of toll projects in your backyard, you need to address the statewide toll frenzy. Only the Legislature can control the Transportation Commission. It's the broad and awesome power that the Legislature gave them, even if in error, that has created the Governor's monster. Only they can fix what they broke.
"I am opposed to converting existing public highways into toll
roads. When did Texas citizens lose control of their government? Why is the Governor, the Legislature, and the Transportation Commission dictating what communities want and need? His is it that elected officials feel they have an obligation to enforce the State's plan over, above, and without regard for the wishes and desires of the citizen?
Why would an elected official tell his or her constituents That's what many have said. Who's in charge? Isn't this still a nation of the people, by the people, for the people? Don't you wonder what "people" they're listening to? There are always other choices. Some are better and worse than others. This solution is wrong. Let's work together to find the right solution. When we don't participate, the government is given effective permission to tell us how to conduct every aspect of our lives. That's not the State nor the United States I want to live in. How about you? Please Get Involved! Visit these websites: More Information:
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This Page Last Updated: Wednesday January 17, 2007