Higher Fuel Efficiency=lower Fuel Use, Lower Fuel Taxes. Welcome To Toll Roads.

[Jeff Bowlsby]

Toll roads are common everywhere in Europe and becoming more abundant here in California. Be prepared for more toll roads in the future. This could be a double win for the Elio and all vehicles that use the HOV lanes if the gubment reduces fuel taxes at the pump and keeps the HOV lanes available at no/low cost to motorcycles, carpoolers.

See proposed legislation in CA.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Welcome to Seattle!!
SR 520 Bridge Toll Rates


Tolls are collected in both directions of the bridge. The toll equipment for both directions is set up on the east highrise structure.

SR 520 toll rates for two-axle vehicles (includes motorcycles)
as of July 1, 2015:
Motorcycles typically have two axles and pay the same toll as larger two axle vehicles. Vehicles with more than two axles will pay a higher pro-rated toll rate (pdf 133 kb).




5 a.m. to 6 a.m.

$1.80

$3.45

6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

$3.10

$4.70

7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

$3.90

$5.55

9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

$3.10

$4.70

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

$2.45

$4.15

2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

$3.10

$4.70

3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

$3.90

$5.55

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

$3.10

$4.70

7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

$2.45

$4.15

9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

$1.80

$3.45

11 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

$0

$0


Please note:
the highlight (bold underlined by me)
Doesn't matter motorcycle or car crossing this bridge
Also, not shown, for those who can afford it, there is a new "high-speed lane" about $10.00/ crossing.

 

[Grumpy Cat]

Except people hate toll roads:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-dai...ns-feel-about-obama-blue-bell-and-toll-roads/

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/republicans-against-toll-roads/?_r=0

http://reason.org/news/show/the-dismaying-backlash-against-toll

http://www.stopthetollroad.com/

http://townhall.com/columnists/rach...-and-libertarians-converge-n1554365/page/full

 

[Ekh]

the title of this thread is misleading. Fuel efficiency doesn't equate to or result in lower taxes. It results in lower tax revenue. Toll roads and bridges are one particularly nasty way to make up the difference.

As Grumpy Cat says, people hate toll roads. But they also hate taxes, then they bitch when they hit potholes and deal with bridges that collapse. The illogic of this position seems to sail right by the voters ... European roads last far longer than ours do because they treat the rebar properly and use a higher grade of concrete.

Americans are self-centered, stupid, and greedy. Not all of them, and not all the time. But too many, too often.

If you want to see how these traits REALLY kill us, go read the book Rust. You will be shocked at the cost of corrosion, and how much it can be delayed by spending 20% more now, and avoiding spending 3 times as much in 20 years. For instance, galvanizing bridges before painting them extends their wear by a factor of 3, and reduces paint costs, because paint likes to stick to galvanizing. Ohio, singularly stupid in many ways, now has 1,000 galvanized bridges. For once, not so dumb. But other states have not followed suit.

 

[Rickb]

Toll roads seem to be a reasonably fair way to charge the people that use the roads/bridges for their construction and more importantly a source of revenue for their maintenance costs. Don't throw anything at me as I could be wrong.

 

[Ekh]

Toll roads seem to be a reasonably fair way to charge the people that use the roads/bridges for their construction and more importantly a source of revenue for their maintenance costs. Don't throw anything at me as I could be wrong.

Well, jacking the fees around to sock it to the heaviest traffic period users, as in the Seattle example, doesn't seem to fair to me. And $3.00 plus to cross a bridge seems kind of steep. But then I remember when the Tappan Zee was a quarter, and the Mass Pike cost $1.90 from one end to the other.

 

[champsman]

the title of this thread is misleading. Fuel efficiency doesn't equate to or result in lower taxes. It results in lower tax revenue. Toll roads and bridges are one particularly nasty way to make up the difference.

As Grumpy Cat says, people hate toll roads. But they also hate taxes, then they bitch when they hit potholes and deal with bridges that collapse. The illogic of this position seems to sail right by the voters ... European roads last far longer than ours do because they treat the rebar properly and use a higher grade of concrete.

Americans are self-centered, stupid, and greedy. Not all of them, and not all the time. But too many, too often.

If you want to see how these traits REALLY kill us, go read the book Rust. You will be shocked at the cost of corrosion, and how much it can be delayed by spending 20% more now, and avoiding spending 3 times as much in 20 years. For instance, galvanizing bridges before painting them extends their wear by a factor of 3, and reduces paint costs, because paint likes to stick to galvanizing. Ohio, singularly stupid in many ways, now has 1,000 galvanized bridges. For once, not so dumb. But other states have not followed suit.

In Europe the contractor has to GARENTEE the road for the life of the material (concrete= 40 to 50 years). Which raises the install a little bit more, but also makes for a better and longer lasting road at a cheaper per year cost.
Here we use way to much asphalt as its useful life is only 5 years, where concrete useful life is 40+ years.

 

[Jambe]

"However, for new or rehabilitation projects, pavement designers typically expect 20 years of life from asphalt pavements before extensive rehabilitation is needed."

 

[Rickb]

Well, jacking the fees around to sock it to the heaviest traffic period users, as in the Seattle example, doesn't seem to fair to me. And $3.00 plus to cross a bridge seems kind of steep. But then I remember when the Tappan Zee was a quarter, and the Mass Pike cost $1.90 from one end to the other.

I'm not a fan of price jacking! in the sense users pay jecked up pricesThe cost of maintenance on a bridge is no doubt staggering and I have no idea what's fair to users. I am happy to live in an area with no toll roads/and or bridges. I did pay bridge tolls while snow birding in Florida.

 

[Sethodine]

My Electric car doesn't pay any gas taxes at all. Washington State's solution? An extra $85 fee when I go to get my tabs renewed each year.

yay.