The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Let’s hear from the people on tolls
The one issue in Connecticut right now that has the potential to affect nearly every state resident is tolls. It gets to the heart of quality of life with congested (at times, parking lot) highways, aging bridges, slow or insufficient train service and — hovering over all — who pays to fix things?
Gov. Ned Lamont is furiously pitching tolls at select bridges as part of the remedy. Senate Democrats are balking at the specter of the fourletter word (toll, toll, toll reverberates like an annoying gnat). And the Republican legislators outright reject any toll and instead came out with an alternative plan of borrowing on Thursday. Some say tolls are dead. For now.
The politicians have been all over this for months. Activists have demonstrated, repeatedly, for and against tolls.
But where is the voice of the “common” people, those who would presumably pay for tolls or other plans?
This week I asked a select group of readers who have contacted me in the past about other columns (not all favorably, I might add) to weigh in on tolls. Not everyone chose to respond, but those who did made some interesting points. And surprises.
Based on this wholly unscientific sampling, some wouldn’t mind paying tolls if it means getting outofstate drivers to pay, too, and contribute to the upkeep of the highways they use.
“I think tolls are a terrific idea, not only to raise revenue, but also to reduce the hidden subsidy on car travel which, among many other factors, dissuades people from using public transport,” wrote Michael Hodish of Bethel. “My grand vision for the future would be that car travel is made much more costly, and money from tolls (and obviously other sources would be needed too) would maintain and upgrade not only the roads, but also all transport infrastructure. This prioritization has had desirable effects in many cities around the world.”
“I think that broadly, the plan is fantastic, just as it was a decade ago. I wish someone would have the nerve to implement it, not kill it, and not cherry pick it,” he said.
Patricia Garcia, who lives half way across the state in
New Haven, is of likemind.
“I think it’s a nobrainer. There are few ways they can increase revenue, other than that,” she wrote. “And I do agree that outofstaters should be helping to pay for our roads and bridges. With 195 being the most traveled interstate in the Northeast, it makes sense.
“In the summer, on any given Sunday, you really don’t want to be on 95 South, as the traffic is 90 percent New Yorkers, returning from a weekend or vacation on the shoreline, or from Boston, etc. In fact, I would be in favor of tolling outofstate cars for more than the bridges.”
Let’s hear from someone who depends on the highways every day for work and would be directly affected by tolls.
“We need the tolls to fix our roads,” wrote Bill Carbone of Madison.
“Connecticut is the absolute worst part of anyone’s trip. I am in sales and drive 600700 miles a week between CT, NYC, and upstate New York. Everyday like clockwork the Parkway ( built by FDR’S WPA) is a parking lot from Stamford to Milford around 3 to 7 p.m. Interstate 95 crawls from Stamford to New Haven and again at exit 54 in Branford.
“All of the states around us have electronic tolls,” Bill said. “New Jersey added three lanes in each direction to the turnpike from Newark Airport to Exit 5. Baltimore and Northern Virginia added EZPass lanes to move traffic around congested areas; not a bad idea. It works.”
Randy Weaver of Stratford thinks people who travel to work through tolls should get a discount beyond the instate break. “Seeing that the tolls are electronic and will not cause traffic or even accidents as in the past, I think it’s a good idea. The semi truck traffic through the state causes damage to the roads and we should have tolls coming into the state for all outofstate traffic.”
Brian Sharlach of Redding lives not far from the New York border yet nonetheless favors tolls.
“I would prefer a fairer plan where all users pay for using toll roads regardless of whether they are passing a particular bridge or intersection. I assume this would require check points at all entrances and exits or at many locations along the highways,” he wrote, adding that he credits my colleague, Hearst columnist Dan Haar, with the idea of fairness in the system instead of specific bridges or intersections.
“I frequently drive through parts of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts and pay tolls on certain roads in those states and certainly feel their residents should help to support our transportation infrastructure,” Brian said. “I think all CT residents agree highway and mass transportation repairs and improvements are desperately needed. I believe tolls would be the fairest way to pay for this as both residents and nonresidents who benefit from these improvements would be paying.”
This being Connecticut with a diversity of opinion, not everyone wants tolls or trusts that toll revenue would be used only for transportation.
“I am totally against tolls,” Carin Lanefski of Stamford wrote emphatically. “The Democrats who have a strong hold in CT have spent money like drunken sailors for years.
“You just think of the people that work in the StamfordGreenwich area but they live, for example, in Shelton. Look at the money they would be shelling out. I wonder also what is the cost to install these electric tolls? It is expensive enough to live in Fairfield County.”
Joe Carbone of Southbury is a skeptic. “First, the issue of tolls. Once they are introduced they can easily be expanded and rates changed. They will never go away. People will go around them increasing traffic on side roads.
“The one toll option I’d consider is $1 tolls for cars at the borders NY (I95 and I84), Mass. (I95, I91 and I395) and RI (I95). Maybe CT routes 7, 8, 44, etc., at the borders. Then cut spending.”
A sampling of his ideas to cut spending include: Cut mowing to sight lines for safety. Cut tree trimming to only dead/diseased trees. Drop ferry to NY. Set up an integrated interchange plan to connect rail and bus lines with parking lots with reliable feeder minibuses.
Thomas Witt of Middletown said he would be OK with tolls if he knew all the money would go to upgrading transportation. “In the past we have had things such as the Special Transportation Fund where every penny was to go to infrastructure repair. But as soon as the state realized there would be a budget shortfall, the fund was raided to make up the difference,” he wrote. “I don’t care how strong a ‘lock box’ is put on the money designated for transportation. If there is a budget shortfall the Governor and state assembly will find some way to grab it so they can balance the budget.”
Patricia J. Kohl of Wallingford doesn’t trust the limitedtocertainbridges tolls plan. “Just as the Governor promised he would only toll trucks and then changed his mind to include everybody, this plan will change if implemented. I believe it will be expanded to other areas, and I do not believe the tolls will go away once a particular project is completed. This proposal is just a footinthedoor trick.”
I’ve enjoyed this debate with those who have a stake in transportation — that’s all of us. Living near the New York border, I haven’t been a fan of tolls. But that EZPass glued on my car’s front window reminds me I’m paying every time I drive in a nearby state. The reciprocity of outofstate drivers paying their share on our highways holds some water.
Connecticut is at an impasse again. Lamont’s new 2030 plan isn’t gaining traction with Democratic leaders, and Republicans’ alternative dips into the state’s reserves.
Transportation is too important to the economy, safety and quality of life to become enmeshed in politics. The general populace — us “ordinary” people — should be asked what we’re willing to pay for.
“The difficulty of getting around Connecticut’s metropolitan areas, especially at rush hour, is doing us no favors in terms of of our communities for commuters, which in turn effects property values, property taxes, and income taxes,” said Mike Hodish of Bethel. “The large picture of transportation must be boldly addressed, as in the plan, to have a hope of making Connecticut a desirable place to live and work. Does that cost money? Of course. With a wise plan, we should be happy to pay it.”
Jacqueline Smith’s column appears Fridays in Hearst Connecticut Media daily newspapers. She is the editorial page editor of The NewsTimes in Danbury and The Norwalk Hour. If you would like to be included in a future virtual commenting group, email jsmith@hearstmediact.com.