Tolls for road improvments might be a neccisisty at times. But, after awhile they become anti-business and restrictive to our freedoms?
Here in Chicagoland we have enough tolls in my opinion and the roads are not that much better. U can avoid most at cost of time and safety, but as a proffessional driver the toll's might be worth the expense at times?
Drivers rejecting road tolls
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: Friday, 16. January 2009
There can hardly be any doubt that in the future drivers will pay more tolls, and probably eventually pay for their driving by the mile or kilometer.
However, there will be setbacks along the way, as the city of Manchester in the UK has just demonstrated. Proposals for a city congestion zone similar to London's were part of a national plan to get cities to buy into the idea. However, last month Manchester overwhelmingly rejected that city's congestion zone.
The UK government had temporarily abandoned plans for a national road congestion scheme and instead opted to try to persuade some major urban areas around Britain to buy in. However, despite sweeteners in the form of major public transport funding (over 2.8 bn pounds sterling or US $4 bn ), the proposal was rejected in all 10 boroughs.
The scheme could have created the country's largest congestion zone with drivers paying up to 5 pounds per day (about US $7) to use roads in the zone. In return, Manchester area commuters would have received upgraded bus, street car and rail services.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, many Sydney, Australia drivers are shunning the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which has just gone to cashless tolling. Drivers are opting to take the long way round rather than pay the AU$4 toll to cross the 1 km bridge toll zone. Harbour Bridge numbers are down about 2000 cars per day compared to last year, according to reports.
The cost of the bridge was been paid off years ago through tolling, says the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
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Tom Chicagoland,
james,
who is a professional driver
