Transportation improvements should not take a toll
Jul 26, 2005
Clearly, area politicians and South Valley residents must reject the idea of using toll roads to finance much-needed road improvements.
A bill making its way through the state legislature would make it easier for transportation agencies like the Valley Transportation Authority to contract with private companies to create toll roads.
VTA officials are saying that private financing will be needed to link Interstate 5 with Highway 101, and for improvements to 101 and Highway 25 and Highway 156, according to a recent article by reporter Matt King.
That's disturbing, given that a large portion of our tax dollars that is supposed to be used for road improvements ends up being spent on other projects, like stemming the tide of state red ink because legislators don't know how to live within a budget.
We pay gasoline taxes for road improvement, we tax ourselves with proposals like Measures A, and a significant portion of our federal tax dollars are supposed to go to road improvement projects.
But, somehow, California politicians and bureaucrats can't get the job done, even with these multiple sources of revenue, and now want to quadruple tax us for roads by adding tolls.
Enough!
This tax will unfairly impact the poor, who often must live far away from Silicon Valley jobs in order to afford a decent home.
Now, in addition to wear and tear on their cars, high fuel bills, and the stress of a a long commute, officials want to add the extra burden of road tolls.
It's unconscionable.
In Orange and Riverside counties, new toll roads have fees that range from $1.50 to $7.75. Can you imagine the burden twice-daily tolls like those will be for folks of average means, let alone those truly struggling to make ends meet?
Maintaining a safe and adequate road system is one of the basic jobs of government.
We provide our officials plenty of money to do the job, if they would set priorities, make tough decisions to cut perks, fat, commissions, and other forms of waste rife in the state government.
Write your state legislators and tell them you oppose SB 561.
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