Category: Tolling
Texas Lawmakers Clash with State Toll Bureaucracies Over Cap on Toll Fines
Governor Greg Abbott decidedly departed from Perry’s policies and tapped the brakes on toll roads, most notably killing 15 new toll projects last fall. The majority of lawmakers have feverishly responded to constituents’ complaints about the costs to drive toll … Continue reading
Texas Freedom Caucus Stands Tall Against Toll Roads — Big Wins for Anti-toll Candidates in State Primaries
All told, anti-toll candidates had an impressive showing with 15 wins and 6 making it into run-offs, sending a message not only to state leaders but all the way to Washington DC, where the recently released Trump infrastructure proposal is … Continue reading
The Growing War on Cars and Continued Misuse of Gasoline Taxes
Several developments compound the frustration of motorists who can’t seem to cut a break. Many cities across America tilt left, politically, and they’ve declared war on cars and use gasoline taxes collected from motorists in order to erect impediments to … Continue reading
Trump Plan to Lift Ban on Tolling Existing Interstates Met with Stiff Opposition
Tolls have been and will remain wildly unpopular with ordinary citizens imposing a political cost at election time. The crony capitalist Wall Street wing of the Republican Party seems to be winning over the president in lieu of his Main … Continue reading
Virginia I-66 Tolls Out of Control: Commuters Clobbered with $44 One Way in Tolls
Despite managed lanes’ popularity with politicians driven by dollar signs and the ability to outsource this tax decision to unelected bureaucrats and even private, global corporations, tolls are not only becoming increasingly unpopular with the public, they’re financially unsustainable. The … Continue reading
TX Governor: “No More Tolls”
Sen. Bob Hall issued a scathing statement on TxDOT’s proposed toll plan that equates the typical $10/day toll to a $25 per gallon gasoline tax that, over a lifetime, would mushroom into an eye-popping $135,000 in toll taxes. “This is … Continue reading
Tolls That Top $1 a Mile on Newly Opened Toll Lanes in Austin Are Coming Soon to a Commuter Highway Near You
If congestion tolls are starting out at over $1/mile in peak hours, imagine what they’ll be next year or in 10 years. There is no legal requirement to remove tolls from these highways, even when there’s no debt owed. Expect … Continue reading
Will Highways Become Obsolete?
Technology’s rapidly changing landscape will transform the way we travel in the next decade, much less the next half century. Sure as the sun rises, private innovators like Elon Musk will ensure outmoded travel will be obsolete in the near … Continue reading
Trump Pulls the Plug on Private Toll Roads, Centerpiece of Infrastructure Plan
Trump’s reversal on public-private partnerships (P3s) came suddenly to most folks, even inside the beltway, given that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was still pushing tax incentives to attract private investment as the core of the Trump infrastructure plan as of … Continue reading
Precedent Set as Tolls Come off Two Texas Highways
No one should be charged a toll to use a road that’s paid for, otherwise it’s double taxation. The move to remove tolls once a road’s debt is retired is one of several recommendations that came out of the interim … Continue reading
Texas Revolt Over Cibolo Private Toll Road Reveals Bridge to NAFTA Trade
Much of the U.S. portion of the NAFTA Superhighway, consisting of intercontinental infrastructure connecting Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, is already built, quietly financed by successive congressional appropriations over the years and there is no doubt the establishment is anxious … Continue reading
Former Clinton HUD Secretary Calls for More Tolls and Federal Gas Tax Index
Neither public-private partnerships (P3s) nor Interstate tolling must ever be imposed on American roads. The reason Eisenhower’s Interstate highways were an economic boon to America was the ease of connectivity and the natural economic development that occurred alongside them such … Continue reading
