Harris County Commissioners to vote to raise toll fees

[musicman]

ch 13 news just reported that Harris County will vote tomorrow to raise toll road fees and if passed, will be enacted in the next 60 to 90 days. The story mentioned that the westpark tollway round trip could go from $6 to $12. I"m sure we'll all hear more about this.

Edited June 19, 2007 by musicman

[Houstonian in Iraq]

ch 13 news just reported that Harris County will vote tomorrow to raise toll road fees and if passed, will be enacted in the next 60 to 90 days. The story mentioned that the westpark tollway round trip could go from $6 to $12. I"m sure we'll all hear more about this.

That sucks. I never drive on Westpark so it doesn't affect me.

What about the other roads? If I paid I would really be ticked off.

Is it greed? Or is it an actual just reason for the hike?

[musicman]

That sucks. I never drive on Westpark so it doesn't affect me.

What about the other roads? If I paid I would really be ticked off.

Is it greed? Or is it an actual just reason for the hike?

fees will be raised on all of them. i think they specifically mentioned westpark because it was going up quite a bit at peak times. i think the minimum increase will be at least $.25

[Houstonian in Iraq]

Anyone want to buy a slightly used spare military ID so thay can ride for free?

Kidding I could never do that

[CDeb]

At a higher price, less people will use the toll roads, meaning traffic will actually move on them, providing a time savings for the price that people pay to use them.

[KatieDidIt]

Whew. Hubby is already paying about 130 a month on tolls already, Beltwaying around to the West side of town. Another reason I'm glad to move back to H-Town.

This is going to kill I-45. A 100 increase for most commuters will force them to use un- tolled roads therefore revenue will be LOST.

Yeah, its greed.

[musicman]

Whew. Hubby is already paying about 130 a month on tolls already, Beltwaying around to the West side of town. Another reason I'm glad to move back to H-Town.

This is going to kill I-45. A 100 increase for most commuters will force them to use un- tolled roads therefore revenue will be LOST.

Yeah, its greed.

the 100% increase on the westpark is supposedly isolated because of traffic numbers like CDeb mentioned. they said the minimum would be $.25/tollbooth

Edited June 19, 2007 by musicman

[TheNiche]

Is it greed? Or is it an actual just reason for the hike?

Depends where the money goes. If the commissioners' salaries don't change and they aren't getting kickbacks from whereever the money is spent, then no. It isn't greed. Frankly, if all they do is use the money to build more toll roads and increase capacity, that'd be ideal.

[RedScare]

So, a nice air conditioned 30 mile commute from Sugar Land will cost $15 roundtrip (including FB toll) in tolls and $12 in gas, plus $8 in parking fees downtown, for a total of $35...over the course of a month (22 work days) that comes to a sweet $770.

Man, you really gotta love those leather seats in your Suburban to pay that.

[TheNiche]

So, a nice air conditioned 30 mile commute from Sugar Land will cost $15 roundtrip (including FB toll) in tolls and $12 in gas, plus $8 in parking fees downtown, for a total of $35...over the course of a month (22 work days) that comes to a sweet $770.

Man, you really gotta love those leather seats in your Suburban to pay that.

...ether that or you REALLY gotta love those leather seats NOT to pay it, and just take the feeder.

[westguy76]

So, a nice air conditioned 30 mile commute from Sugar Land will cost $15 roundtrip (including FB toll) in tolls and $12 in gas, plus $8 in parking fees downtown, for a total of $35...over the course of a month (22 work days) that comes to a sweet $770.

Man, you really gotta love those leather seats in your Suburban to pay that.

And you need to get your gasoline leak fixed if you are getting that kind of gas mileage.

[MidtownCoog]

Anyone with a brain already takes the HOV or a Park and Ride bus downtown from the burbs.

The daily drivers are the exception.

[ssullivan]

I don't have a lot of sympathy for daily commuters who chose to live way out in the suburbs and work downtown (or anywhere else in the center of the city). It was your choice to live 25-30 miles from where you work, and nobody promised you gas would be cheap, that there would be no traffic, and that tolls would never go up. There are tradeoffs for everything, and while I realize that housing in the suburbs is cheaper and schools are often better, the tradeoff is a longer, more expensive commute. You can't have it both ways, unless you're willing to do something like carpool and get in the HOV lane, or take a Metro Park and Ride. Of course, for the people in Ft. Bend County, Metro isn't much help since most of that area has repeatedly opted to not be part of Metro's service area.

[Chris]

Yeah, I just heard about it on 13 Eyewitness News at 11 also. I think it is rediculous. Was it a rumor that part of SH 249 was being converted to a tollway?

[musicman]

Yeah, I just heard about it on 13 Eyewitness News at 11 also. I think it is rediculous. Was it a rumor that part of SH 249 was being converted to a tollway?

i had heard something that they were thinking about it to help pay for it to be extended. rumor though.

[VelvetJ]

Just heard it has unanimously passed.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong. The Westpark Tollway, QUICKLY became congested as some predicted. The answer to relieving traffic on the tollways is to continuously increase the toll fees until the desired congestion level is reached? Then repeat this action if it happens again?

[musicman]

Just heard it has unanimously passed.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong. The Westpark Tollway, QUICKLY became congested as some predicted. The answer to relieving traffic on the tollways is to continuously increase the toll fees until the desired congestion level is reached? Then repeat this action if it happens again?

one temporary, albeit long problem, is the construction on i-10 which caused some commuters to use the westpark tollway instead. the i-10 construction is why it was finished so quickly in the first place. as i-10 opens, more relief should be provided as people move back to i-10 which will have hov and toll managed lanes. FYI, evidently the gulf freeway is next for toll managed lanes according to a report i heard 2 days ago.

Edited June 19, 2007 by musicman

[VelvetJ]

one temporary, albeit long problem, is the construction on i-10 which caused some commuters to use the westpark tollway instead. the i-10 construction is why it was finished so quickly in the first place. as i-10 opens, more relief should be provided as people move back to i-10 which will have hov and toll managed lanes. FYI, evidently the gulf freeway is next for toll managed lanes according to a report i heard 2 days ago.

Thanks for addressing the Westpark situation.

Now what about other portions of the tollway system? Are my previous questions on target with regard to how tollway congestion is relieved?

[musicman]

Thanks for addressing the Westpark situation.

Now what about other portions of the tollway system? Are my previous questions on target with regard to how tollway congestion is relieved?

they plan to expand most freeways into at least partial tolls. 290 45n, etc. the story just said that the gulf freeway was the next to be addressed.

tollway relief is usually brought by increasing fares, which lessens the number of users. with the recent state proposal to change eminent domain rights, toll roads all over the state were worried because they felt it would limit their growth by defining what "public use" of property really is. i'll bet most lobbied the governor so he would veto it as he did.

Edited June 19, 2007 by musicman

[EatSleepMOD]

i had heard something that they were thinking about it to help pay for it to be extended. rumor though.

I just moved back to the southeast side from Tomball. In 2006,

TXDOT and HCTRA had meetings in Tomball with citizens on various dates

about the obvious expansion of SH 249, as well as

making parts of it a toll road.

http://www.txdot.gov/news/candidate_toll_projects.pdf

http://www.txdot.gov/news/candidate_toll_projects.pdf

[pestofan]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/4902488.html

County Commissioner Steve ("Marie Antoinette") Radack said those who cannot afford the rush hour fees should use alternate roads.

"Let them go down Richmond Road," he said.

Edited June 19, 2007 by pestofan

[VelvetJ]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/4902488.html

County Commissioner Steve ("Marie Antoinette") Radack said those who cannot afford the rush hour fees should use alternate roads.

"Let them go down Richmond Road," he said.

So who should be allowed to use the toll roads? Only the wealthy?

Increase the toll fee to increase revenue to build more toll roads which will bring in more revenue?

[MidtownCoog]

I can see it now:

"When visting Houston, be sure to avoid the "poor roads". Not poor in quality per se, just filled to capacity with poor dumb bastards who can't afford the toll."

Everybody follow the dancing ball and sing along, now:

"Oh ye'll take the poor road and I'll take the rich road, An' I'll be to work before ye', ... "

Edited June 19, 2007 by MidtownCoog

[TheNiche]

So who should be allowed to use the toll roads? Only the wealthy?

No, just anyone willing to pay for the road they use.

Increase the toll fee to increase revenue to build more toll roads which will bring in more revenue?

That's exactly right. We should keep increasing prices and building more toll roads and added capacity until there is insufficient revenue (at any toll rate) to cover further expansion.

[N Judah]

Yep...Fulshear's going upscale. I knew it.

[westguy]

one temporary, albeit long problem, is the construction on i-10 which caused some commuters to use the westpark tollway instead. the i-10 construction is why it was finished so quickly in the first place. as i-10 opens, more relief should be provided as people move back to i-10 which will have hov and toll managed lanes. FYI, evidently the gulf freeway is next for toll managed lanes according to a report i heard 2 days ago.

The traffic increase should've been more gradual, but congestion jumped markedly after August 2005. Therefore it would make sense for FBCTRA to raise their rates, since they are the ones feeding the mess. Maybe people are trying to avoid construction mess on I-10, but press releases like this do not give me much hope.

That's exactly right. We should keep increasing prices and building more toll roads and added capacity until there is insufficient revenue (at any toll rate) to cover further expansion.

That's just a dumb idea.

Edited June 19, 2007 by westguy

[TheNiche]

That's just a dumb idea.

Care to explain why? I'm not proposing that we stop using any state or federal monies that come our way for free-access transportation projects either, btw.

[Pumapayam]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/4902488.html

County Commissioner Steve ("Marie Antoinette") Radack said those who cannot afford the rush hour fees should use alternate roads.

"Let them go down Richmond Road," he said.

I will if he is standing in the middle of the street.

Who votes for these things, and how much are THEY being compensated!

tollway relief is usually brought by increasing fares, which lessens the number of users. with the recent state proposal to change eminent domain rights, toll roads all over the state were worried because they felt it would limit their growth by defining what "public use" of property really is. i'll bet most lobbied the governor so he would veto it as he did.

They will just go back to Richmond Ave. The same number of people have to go from point A to point B.

What bastards we have in office.

[Subdude]

People are angry (from the Chronicle)

As Westpark tolls rise, so do tempers

Drivers up in arms after officials double the fee at peak hours to ease congestion

By BILL MURPHY

Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Harris County Commissioners Court's decision Tuesday to fight congestion on the three-year-old Westpark Tollway by forcing some drivers off the road with higher rush-hour fees drew the ire of cash-strapped commuters.

And a dismissive response from Commissioner Steve Radack

[musicman]

People are angry (from the Chronicle)

just about every talk show this morning had this as the topic too. it would be interesting to see what rationale they used for doubling the cost vs. raising it less.