I have not been paying attention to the contentious "TOLL ROAD" battles going on in Austin at all. When I lived in Dallas I practically lived on the tollway. It was always fun to see just how fast we could go through the toll plaza with our Toll Tag and still get the green light. (Hey, Dallas is boring...you have to do something for fun.)
Reading Austinist, I stumbled upon the TxTag website. It's complete with the toll roads in Austin that are all set to open. It's then that I realized why I don't give a shit about this debate. These roads are all ones I'd never travel. Who the F* goes to Round Rock anyway? For what? Why would you do that? If you moved your ass out there and we have to build roads out to your country McMansion then, sorry, you gotta pay to get back into the city...because you're a dumbass.
I say, toll away! As long as I can get from Clarksville to downtown and back without a toll road then I'm all for it. Suckas!
mine too
Yes--but we also need a toll on Bee Caves to tax all the Westlakers in their giant SUVs. We actually paid for half of the price to widen a road in Westlake. We need to charge them to get into downtown for their over-priced jobs. We could levy a charge based on ego size--that way that shit-head offensive coordinator at UT would have to pay heavily.
LOL! that first paragraph is the funniest thing i've read all year.
personally i love our dallas area tollways. anything that gets me off the regular highways with all the proles, well, i'm good with it.
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at April 20, 2006 8:39 AM
O now you've incurred the rath of the anti-toll road wacko's. Next time it wont just be a cell phone....
And yes they are all wacko's.
at April 20, 2006 9:42 AM
That movement has been taken over by the Alex Jones crowd, but Costello likes the attention too much to give it up.
Alex Jones is the epitome of nuts.
at April 20, 2006 11:05 AM
Hey, be careful there. They're even gonna toll us Leanderthals. And I was trying to saveup for a new engine for that '85 suburban up on blocks in the back yard.
I wish they'd toll all the roads leading into Austin, while anyone leaving gets a free pass.
there ARE some of us who live in the city have to venture to Round Rock on business occasionally. Personally, I don't mind paying a toll but I think Austin Metro kind of got the shaft when it comes to the freeway system... or lack thereof.
The biggest problem the nutters have (and are unable to cogently communicate) is that Krusee wants to put tolls on existing roads and ROW. Extra capacity no one has a problem with, but once the roads are paid for will tolls dial down to maintenence only? No. So, it's a permanent feature.
Thanks for the pro-toll comments. I wish there were more liberals/progressives who would stand up against the right-wing anti-toll people and defend the plan. Pollution is bad! Traffic is bad! Make people pay if they're part of the problem. As for this existing roads vs new roads debate: I say tax them both. Just because a road is already built doesn't mean it's your God-given right to be able to drive along it free of charge whenever you feel like it.
You're my favorite.