State's Toll Rates Need Revamp
Dear Editor,
There seems to be no end of news and comment about how to handle tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike. One proposed solution was to reduce or eliminate all tolls west of Route 128, and increase tolls east of 128 to help pay for the Big Dig. Income from tolls apparently does not presently pay the cost of the highway, so the solution proposed by the government at that time was to eliminate more tolls. Does this make sense? No!
Tolls should be regarded as a fee for a service, not as a tax. The toll should have a relation to the miles traveled and the expenses incurred by the state. If the tolls are eliminated or greatly reduced, as some are at present, and if the basic costs are through state taxes, there are tens of thousands of tax payers who never use the highway who are paying for it. Many others, who do not have cars or do not drive, are also paying for it. Does this make sense? No.
The cost of Fast Lane transponders should not be a profit center for the state, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority obviously came to this realization by making all transponders free. It should be minimized for the benefit of the driver, thus encouraging use, which in turn would reduce the labor cost of maintaining the toll stations. In a recent study where transponders were furnished free of charge, Fast Lane use expanded noticeably, thus reducing toll takers labor and providing a net gain to the state.
Recent toll changes do not make sense. The toll from Auburn to Springfield is now $1.50. The same $1.50 will take a car from Auburn to the New York State line, a cost which was formerly about $6.75. So we lost about $5.25 for each car traveling from Auburn to New York State. Does that make sense? No! Tolls for limited access highways are well worth the time and money saved by the driver. Try to imagine the money and time, including the traffic lights if the toll road was not available!
The newest idea is to increase the gasoline tax by 19 cents, bringing the total to 42 ½ cents per gallon, the highest of all our contiguous states. This would diminish if not bankrupt the state gas stations near the Massachusetts border, where drivers could easily stock up on gas in the adjoining state, sometimes only a few blocks away. The only merit in this plan would be to greatly increase sales of gasoline in the adjoining states. But it would substantially diminish sales in Massachusetts. Does this make sense? No!
What’s wrong with running the toll road fees like a business? We should stop gerrymandering tolls to favor certain areas of the state to increase or reduce usage, to gain votes for the politicians. Politics should keep out of it! A toll road is a tremendous time and cost saver in itself, and its use will prevail as long as it is fair to all.
Cushing C. Bozenhard
Bozenhard Company Inc., Shrewsbury
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments