Letter- Who Benefits from HOT Lanes

Oh my, when beaten by logic you resort to insults. What should I expect? Your contridictions have offered nothing that disputes the logic and reason in my arguments.

"...supply will increase to meet the demand..." Once again, accurate theory run amok! Metro has a finite number of railcars(which, BTW, are inadequate even at toady's volume), and they have finite budget to expand their services (which, BTW they cannot manage well enough to make ends meet) so how exactly will they accomodate the flood of volume in your fantasy-land solutions?

"Toll booths do not have to be run by private firms." You should pull your head out of your hybrid tailpipe long enough to read some of the posts in this forum and see that a private firm WILL run the toll booths. Ummm, BTW that IS the discussion here.

"I never said tax breaks." Well, not in those words. But what do you call that little deduction on your tax form under "hybrid tax exemption"? Most GAAP certified accountants would call that a tax break. Once again, a fantasy interpretation.

Care to try again?

quote:

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Originally posted by raymond
[br] Metro has a finite number of railcars(which, BTW, are inadequate even at toady's volume), and they have finite budget to expand their services (which, BTW they cannot manage well enough to make ends meet)

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Finite? Wow, that's a pretty stupid thing to post. Unless you are kidding, but I don't see the humor.

NoSUV, maybe this will help you:

Taken from http://content.wmata.com/board_gm/board_docs/030206_SemiAnnualRptonRailcarPrograms030206.pdf (see slide 4), Metro currently has approximately 952 Railcars spread out over all its lines and railyards.

Taken from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/finite :

fi·nite
–adjective
1. having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.
2. Mathematics. a. (of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.
b. not infinite or infinitesimal.
c. not zero.

3. subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature: man's finite existence on earth.
–noun 4. something that is finite.


Using the above definition, I do believe 952 is finite.

Va. could charge tolls on interstate
By LILLIAN KAFKA
lkafka@potomacnews.com
Tuesday, February 13, 2007


Virginia could be in a stronger position to begin charging tolls on interstates if a measure proposed by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Dale City, continues to move forward in the General Assembly.

Lingamfelter's toll bill has already received approval from the House of Delegates, and on Monday the Senate Transportation Committee also gave it an OK.

"This says to the federal government, 'we are serious about looking at alternatives so when you have a new project, you can also consider tolling,' " Lingamfelter said. "It decreases the burden on the shoulders of hardworking Virginians."

Tolls capture revenue from out of state travelers, and now would be the time to cash in, he said.

The money - up to $250 million annually if 12 tolls were built - would only be spent on projects to relieve congestion on the interstate where the toll is located, said John G. "Chip" Dicks, a former delegate and lobbyist for the Virginia Association of Realtors.

Dicks said last year leaders in the General Assembly asked the association to come up with ideas for transportation solutions and this was one of them.

When Dicks was in elected office in the 1980s, he worked to broker a deal to install tolls on Interstate 95 in Richmond to connect regional highways and build a bridge using revenues from the 25-cent toll, he said.

Dicks said these type of tolls don't require congressional approval and would pay for widening the interstate, improving interchanges and reducing congestion on adjacent feeder roads.

Two Northern Virginia senators were at first wary of the idea for fears that tolls would be placed on the Capital Beltway and Interstate 66.

Charging commuters going to Washington, D.C., or Maryland a daily toll could be "brutal," said Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna.

But those interstates could not be considered under this measure because there are already talks of charging tolls on those roads, said Barbara Reese, chief financial officer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Plans are under way to build High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstates 95, 395 and 495. Another study is under way to determine if congestion tolls would benefit traffic flow on I-66, Reese said.

Lingamfelter's bill would require high-speed toll collection technology, such as Smart Tag and E-ZPass, to prevent additional gridlock on already jammed roads, Lingamfelter said.

He said his proposal sends a clear message to the Federal Highway Administration that Virginia leaders are interested in charging tolls on interstates in order to raise money for congestion relief projects.

The FHA makes the final determination over toll facilities on interstates and has a number of programs that Virginia could apply for if this legislation is passed, Dicks said.

This story can be found at: http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FMJM_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193169931&path=!news

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Funny how they worry about charging tolls on I-66 because it would harm commuters, but have absolutely no problem with charging tolls on I95.

Is Lingamfelter so against his Dale City constituents that he WANTS to see them get charged for commuting? Corey needs to call and talk to his fellow Republican.