All Freeways W/Tollways

[Guest Plastic]

Texas's government had this plan tomake all of Texas's highways with tollways in the middle. I think this would have been a good idea.

Voters however misunderstood I think. Although there will be a tollway in the middle the freeways would still have freelanes. Just like the under construction Katy Freeway. There will be 2 tolllanes in each direction but there is always gonna be the freeway option. THere's not taking away the freelanes which some people fear they are.

So I think they should have made all freeways with tolllanes. You guys with me on that one.

[CE_ugh]

Texas's government had this plan tomake all of Texas's highways with tollways in the middle. I think this would have been a good idea.

Voters however misunderstood I think. Although there will be a tollway in the middle the freeways would still have freelanes. Just like the under construction Katy Freeway. There will be 2 tolllanes in each direction but there is always gonna be the freeway option. THere's not taking away the freelanes which some people fear they are.

So I think they should have made all freeways with tolllanes. You guys with me on that one.

Once again plastic youve hit the nail on the point.

[mpbro]

I read something in the Economist or WSJ some time back. I think this was in Singapore. Anyway, all freeways are tollways, and all use "EZ Tag" equivalents. The interesting thing is: the toll changes continuously throughout the day. More expensive at peak hours, cheaper at other times. The idea is to get people to drive at less popular times, effectively smoothing out traffic "peaks" at rush hour.

Edited October 26, 2006 by mpbro

[musicman]

So I think they should have made all freeways with tolllanes. You guys with me on that one.

freeways were built before we had toll roads here. It really depends on the right of way available. I believe 288 median was deisgned for a toll way (or at least a thruway) but has never materialized.

[desirous]

A highway should be either tolled or free, but not both. "Managed lanes" are a colossal waste of space. Four managed lanes take up to 8-10 regular lanes' worth of room. If you work far away, move closer and drive less. If you work downtown or uptown, take transit. As a city scales up, the traffic problem is incredible: miles driven per person increases exponentially, not linearly. Severe congestion lowers the quality of life for residents.

People have a mental short circuit in their cost-benefit calculations, where inconvenience is not properly counted. Therefore, they are liable to sit and gripe about worsening traffic (as long as the road are free) without doing anything to better the situation. Living in Rosenberg and working in Baytown is obviously the Southwest Freeway's fault, according to them.

Houston has the benefit of symmetrical growth. There are good suburbs on every side of town. Budge!

Edited October 26, 2006 by desirous

[Trae]

I still don't understand why interstates in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago make you pay to use them. Aren't interstates suppose to be free??

[Justin]

I still don't understand why interstates in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago make you pay to use them. Aren't interstates suppose to be free??

As I understand it, the Feds granted them exceptions.

[Guest Plastic]

freeways were built before we had toll roads here. It really depends on the right of way available. I believe 288 median was deisgned for a toll way (or at least a thruway) but has never materialized.

288 is a highway. All the other freeways in Houston are urban freeways from DOwntown to 1960-HWY6. 288 is on the country design. If you go out on the open highway outsid eof the city that's how the highways look. SOmehow the area along 288 wasn't urban enough. 288 is barren but even the part inside the loop has something.