The Curmudgeonly Professor

Toll Road Camera Spots Dangerous Doggie Driver

In a followup to my post on rising toll road fees the other day, and in the interest of making certain that The Curmudgeonly Professor provides its readers with the best and most up-to-date information an all matters of great concern and interest, I am passing along this important and timely article sent to me by my daughter from Round Rock, TX. Her husband, my son-in-law, actually is a general counsel for one of the Texas toll road authorities, so I assume the validity of the information is not in doubt. If Dennis Kucinich can witness UFOs, and if dogs can drive on toll roads, think of the unlimited possibilities for what we can learn next. Actually, the Austin Probe, the web site for the doggie article, appears to be a treasure trove of valuable new information so you may want to bookmark it.

I am grateful to my readers for valued information to add to this blog and welcome all useful and constructive comments and inputs!

Toll Roads Are Getting Costlier to Drive

When I studied public finance, I learned that there are two methods of evaluating the cost of public goods and services: (1) the ability to pay, and (2) the amount of benefits received. For a century, most people outside of the metropolitan areas and places where toll roads have long existed have assumed and expected that driving on highways is "free." People paid for most of their non-fee based public services in a lump sum with their state, federal, and local taxes. But when the costs of public services outstrip the availability of public taxes to pay for them, other alternative sources of funding must be sought. For roads, the obvious means of financing is through tolls. While the public may feel betrayed in being required to pay tolls, they may face a more catastrophic form of reality if they must choose between tolls and deteriorating and inadequate existing roads and the inability of governments to provide necessary new roads and highways.

In its article Drivers to see increase in tolls: strapped states look to roads to raise cash, USA Today (January 28 2008) warns that financially lean times are going to necessitate major toll hikes for the nation's toll roads, bridges, and tunnels. The article points out that Congress has not raised the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, leaving governments little choice but to ask users of roads, bridges, and tunnels to pay the costs of upkeep. The idea that we already pay enough taxes and that costs of roads and other transportation facilities should be financed out of these taxes often makes toll road financing a contentious issue. Sooner rather than later, the nation's motorists might as well face up to the idea that if you want to drive, you have to pay. If you don't want to pay, stay home.