For whom the toll bells

We who live in the Western United States don't care much for toll roads or tolls of any kind. They are fairly common in the east and parts of the Midwest but the ethos in California which, deal with it, dominates the west is that tolls are somehow un-American. There are tolls on bridges, primarily in the Bay Area but no others. The issue came up recently in San Francisco when a proposal was made to finance improvements to the US Highway 101 approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.

There were predictable objections to the idea, the crux of them being that we already pay for roads via gas tax, a toll would amount to double taxation. My own feelings on the matter are decidedly mixed, however, if forced to choose, I would choose having toll roads over not having them.

With toll roads the authority that owns them (generally some quasi-governmental body although not necessarily) could collect sufficient money to operate them and to maintain them in good condition. The toll payers would absolutely insist on it.

Americans, and particularly Westerners, have abundantly shown that they will pay just about any price to travel in their automobiles. Just look what happens every time the price of gas goes up sharply. There is a spate of media attention including quotes from a few people complaining about the increase. Then nothing, business goes on as usual. Gas price hikes are justified in the public mind because they are perceived as the workings of a free market.

This perception, I believe, would also attach to toll roads, in fact it might be good if they are perceived as being operated by the private sector assuming guarantees of access for all. Set out to increase the gas tax and be prepared for war. Increase the cost of a toll road and be seen as an efficient free market.

Yes, it's a bit of a sham, but still an idea worthy of our consideration. The toll bridges in the Bay Area are much better maintained than the rest of the transportation system and that should be attributed to the stream of funds they have dedicated solely to them. The weakness they have is that they are still subject to political pressures.

So why do I have mixed feelings? Because a corollary to the idea that toll roads would be better maintained is the likelihood that other roads would be more poorly maintained. This raises the scepter of dual systems, one for the affluent, the other for the rest of us. But I don't believe this has been the case in those areas where toll roads are fairly common.