Roughly 30% of Connecticut traffic on both I-84 and I-95 is from out of state.
Many of those vehicles don't stop anywhere in Connecticut and thus don't spend one thin dime here.
Issuing an annual Connecticut EZ-Pass for let's say $100 would protect our citizens from paying too much, and we could even give a 110% credit for that purchase on our Connecticut Income Tax.
The out of state revenue at $10 per-vehicle (border to border) would generate in excess of $500 Million a year; and that's without figuring in what we could generate on the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway.
Early toll booths are a thing of the past.
This must have created terrible traffic back-ups.
The early EZ-Pass toll booth is now stale.
Believe it or not, this is a toll booth!
This is similar to a proposal I've supported for years...and is an excellent starting point for a serious exploration of implementing a toll scheme.
ReplyDeleteTrans-state commercial traffic has long been a bone in my throat; we have to find a way to get compensated for the wear on our roads, and cut down on the obscene traffic.
Isn't this illegal? I thought NYC tried something like this - taxing non-NY commuters going into the city - a few years. I am pretty sure this is not allowed.
ReplyDeleteCranky Yankee
What's illegal?
ReplyDeleteAnyone can buy the one year pass; and anyone paying CT income tax can take it off.
>>and cut down on the obscene traffic.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it would reduce traffic by much; but at least we'd finally be shaking down some out of state people for a change.
They don't have any problem doing it to us, that's for sure.
I had a prehistoric EZ-Pass about 33 years ago; the Parkway Toll Plate. Remember back in those days you could avoid paying the 15 cents if you bought one of those little metal plates every year for 10 bucks and attached it to your grill with bailing wire because there wasn't room for it anywhere else? Those were the days.
ReplyDelete