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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tolls

With news of potential tolls being charged on new or renovated bridges, I’m at a little bit of a loss on the subject. I’m not quite sure what I think of tolls. On one hand, why should all of the taxpayers pay for a bridge to a place where only a portion of the population is willingly residing? Should I have to pay for a bridge to a place like Gig Harbor if I never venture there? Also, what about the 520 and I-90 bridges? Why does everyone have to foot the tab on a multi-billion dollar project when employees can move to the other side of the lake and avoid the commute over the water? I guess it’s all a part of public infrastructure, but I do believe that the true users of the project should pay a little more, especially for the more expensive projects like floating bridges. Still, I’m not so convinced even with my own reasoning. What do you think? Should everyone in the state pay a huge fee for something that only commuters between Seattle and Bellevue would use? Maybe this is the perfect argument for more public transportation. Maybe the huge fee should be paid equally between residents if it were to actually solve the mass transit issue and reduce single passenger cars. And why isn’t there more movement towards a rail line over Lake Washington? Have you ever tried to drive on the 520 Bridge during rush hour? That is one of the most miserable experiences known to man. That misery alone should be enough to persuade our political leaders to work towards a more common sense solution to traffic and gridlock. With budget surpluses and expanding commercial productivity, there should and must be more done to move Washington to a more traffic and environmentally friendly place. Frustrating? I know.

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