The Official KiwiFarms Toll Hate Thread

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Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden

Have You Seen This Osama?
True & Honest Fan
kiwifarms.net
Joined
May 8, 2022
i am making a thread for the people

In the US, 38 out of 50 states have toll roads, bridges, or express lanes. Most states have transitioned to electronic toll payment systems, using transponders like E-ZPass, SunPass, and TxTag. While some states don't have toll roads, many popular routes, especially on the East Coast and in California, use tolls.
 
Some tolls can save you hours and others are pretty insanely expensive. The skyway tolls in chicago is like $7.50 and getting into New York City all pathways are tolled pretty much. I 95 through new Jersey and up all the way into Maine is tolled but if you take alternate routes it is hours added onto driving. Certain city bypasses are avoidable if you are on a cross country trip like e470 around Denver. But overall you should expect some tolls in travel unless you are taking a very scenic route.
 
Just gonna throw it out there. Oklahoma has tolls everywhere, but all of their roads feel like you're re-entering earth's atmosphere. Fuck that entire state.
 
Why can't they fold tolls and speeding tickets into one thing. Like have cameras that clock your speed and charge you 5 cents for every mph you do over 80, then mail you the bill. No shame or guilt, just paying an honest fee for a service. No need to build extra lanes on the road. Maybe tack on an extra 10 cents if you're obviously drunk.
 
A few years back I was traveling on a business trip to PA and accidentally went through the EZ-Pass gate on the PA turnpike (weather was bad and I didn't know the route well).

They sent me a bill a few weeks later for $150 despite traveling a whopping eight miles on the turnpike.
 
In Australia it’s been all electronic transponders/camera matching for almost 20 years but America is usually pretty slow to implement new technologies.

Toll roads here are bullshit because it’s just a neoliberal wealth extraction for the upper class to pilfer from society. They are all sold off to mates on the cheap. However, they objectively have two useful functions: 1. they ensure that even during periods of congestion a faster path is available. 2. The roads might not otherwise reduce traffic due to Braess's paradox.
 
When our state's Tollway system was created the goal was to build highways by borrowing money, with tolls intended to repay those bonds. Some politicians even promised that the roads would become toll-free after 15 years. The plan to eventually eliminate tolls didn't materialize due to various factors, including: 1) Continuous maintenance and upgrades funded by tolls. 2) The cost of building and expanding tollways has increased significantly over time. 3) The real value of the initial bonds has been eroded by inflation, making it harder to repay them with current toll revenues.
So despite the initial intention the Tollway here is now a user-fee system, meaning it relies entirely on tolls collected from drivers for its operations and maintenance with no assistance from state or local authorities and the rates keep going up. Unfortunately, many of us rely on the highways to get to work.
 
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There's few toll roads where I live that you can avoid, it's a really small region too so you can easily take backroads to avoid them. But when I traveled through other parts, I remember there being so many that I was shocked, all just for shitty roads that didn't look any better.
 
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