Lamont’s toll flip

Gov. Ned Lamont is taking a lot of heat for his policy reversal on the issue of tolls, and with good reason.

During his campaign for governor, the Democrat took what was a politically expedient position at the time. Lamont told voters that if elected he would support assessing tolls only on large trucks traversing our highways. It was a you-can-have-your-cakeand-eat-it-to approach. Lamont could argue about the need for tolling to raise money for meeting Connecticut’s transportation needs, while saying you, the voter, wouldn’t have to pay. Rhode Island provided the example with its trucks-only approach to tolling, a move that is confronting a legal challenge from the trucking industry.

On Saturday, however, Lamont announced he would consider electronic tolling of all vehicles, not just trucks. He cited the recommendations of the transportation study group he appointed after the election. It urged him to abandon his truck-only approach. That provided convenient cover for the policy change.

The governor says he now recognizes that a toll assessed on trucks would be enough to maintain the transportation system, but it would not provide the financial resources to repair and upgrade it. He’s right. There is a reason the states surrounding Connecticut impose tolls.

While it is always troubling to see a candidate say one thing when campaigning and do another when elected, Lamont has arrived at the right decision. In this editorial space we have long argued that while no one relishes the idea of having to pay tolls, tolling is the best means of raising the money necessary to improve Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure and tapping out-of-state drivers to help pay for it. The governor knows having a modern transportation system is critical to Connecticut’s economic future.

A state constitutional amendment approved by voters in November should assure that revenues raised by tolling and the gas tax will be placed in a lockbox for transportation-related uses only.

Having flipped on the issue, Lamont’s challenge will be selling a tolling plan to the legislature. What kind of discounts can be offered to Connecticut drivers without endangering access to federal funds? Where will the gantries to electronically assess tolls be placed? Will motorists get a discount for driving offpeak hours?

This debate is only just beginning.