With the dawn of 2007 and the election of several new Orange County
Supervisors comes another well thought out OCTA decision…to raise toll
rates on the 91 to astronomical proportions. $9.25 will get you a ticket
on the Reading Railroad….actually a ride from Orange County during rush
hour to Riverside..on the Toll Road. You can forget about going to Boardwalk
or Park Place – who knows what that will someday cost?
So let’s retro real quick to get the picture. There is this guy named Robert
Poole from the Reason Foundation….who believes that in order to control
highway spending and expansion we all need something called “Congestion
Pricing”. This not so wonderful idea was the light bulb several years ago
for the Board of Supervisors to consider charging everyone….from the minute
they start their cars in the morning till the time they get home at night. All
rates based on number of cities traveled, what roads and highways, how long
you were caught in traffic, how much fuel you spent in this endeavor. Now
in a nihilistic consciousness…it makes perfect sense. Charge for what you use.
So, for example if you wanted to travel from Anaheim to Laguna Niguel and
back…..your electronic dog lease…..would charge you for every city limits
passed, every major OCTA artery used and every Freeway entered or used.
They then could pass on the various fees for your trips…onto the
various authorities, County, State and Federal. Sounds good on
paper doesn’t it? Until that is…you consider “the who” will administer and
the “how much” this gigantic government boondoggle will charge you for this
bureaucratic privilege.
Remember Measure “M”? That was the recent initiative we just voted for to
continue taxing the people of Orange County for another 30 years…in order to
make sure our pot holes and road improvements might continue unabated. Well,
you can bet your “sweet bippy” that Measure “M” money will soon be used to
consider “more raises” to the Toll Road Structure and additional fees for certain
“problem streets”. So, let’s quickly return again to yesteryear when “the County”
bought out the Private Toll Road 91…..because it was failing financially. We paid
the initial Toll Road Developers big money and told the people of Orange County
….”everything is now fine!”. Those were the days when the toll from Orange County
to Riverside cost $2.25. Then how about the other major boondoggle to save the 73
Toll Road, and now those fees have gone from .90 cents….to $3.50. Sounds like
“The County” doesn’t know how to run a railroad either!
So, let’s get back to basics. What is Highway Robbery? When do we finally, write
a letter to our County Staffers and Electeds?….saying “We are mad as hell…and
we are not going to take it anymore!” When do we call the Governor and say:
Take over all these Toll Roads (Nationalize them if necessary!) ….the people can’t
afford to drive on them. The fact of the matter is….that if you lived in Riverside and
had to drive every day to the Wal-mart in Anaheim……it would cost you approximately
$600 bucks a month to go to work. And how much do you make a month at $7.50
an hour again? $1200 bucks for those without easy access to a computer or adding
machine. But hey, for those high rollers working at the County…..who cares about
a measly $600 bucks a month for tolls. As Hyman Roth of Godfather fame
might have said: “Small Potatoes!”
A better idea is to sell enough freeways to toll road operators to pay off the state & county debts. Then we’d have a users “pay” system where folks who don’t want to drive to Riverside or other places, don’t have to pay for the road.
Ron. Is this the “good news” you are eager to share as we start the New Year?
Don’t panic! If we can believe our state Legislature let me share some text from (former) Assemblyman Lou Correa’s (2002)AB 1010 that was approved by the legislature and signed by the governor in Sept of 2002. This Bill relates to the $207,500,000 acquisition of the 91 Expressway by OCTA.
Quoting from the Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 2d.
“The Orange County Transportation Authority shall have the authority to impose tolls for use of the State Highway Route 91 facilities as authorized by the franchise agreement. After the Bonds issued pursuant to subdivision (f) are paid in their entirety or on December 31, 2030, whichever occurs earlier, the Orange County Transportation Authority shall have no further authority to impose or collect a toll for use of the segment of State Highway Route 91 between Interstate Highway Route 15 and State Highway Route 55.”
PS: Last Sept I contacted a manager of the OCTA who informed me that the maximum eastbound peak toll will be $14.50 in the year 2025.
The bottom line. Regardless of the text of AB 1010 I seriously doubt that the tolls will go away once the Bonds are paid off.
Ron. With your Trojan’s victory over Michigan yesterday I am surprised to see you so somber. Did you get your Masters degree at Oklahoma?
Your Cutting Edge colleague.
Nationalize the highways?
The OC toll roads are roads of choice, no one is required to take them.
This is free-market at its best.
OCTA makes a profit on its investment and the car drivers pay for their choice of commute.
I agree with anon poster #1 sale off the freeways and payoff as much debt as possible.
Yet another reason why I am looking forward to leaving Orange County.
Funny thing is, I thought we already had a “pay” system. If you drive, you use gas. When you buy gas, you pay a tax. The more you drive and the bigger your vehicle (both of which use more gas), the more tax you pay. Seemed extraordinarily simple, fair, and efficient. No extra costs for restricting access, collecting tolls, or additional administration.
We do not need more complex (read: expensive) solutions. It costs money to restrict access and collect tolls. We already have an efficient and simple solution to collecting usage-based fees in the existing gas tax.
Driving around the western states, I was struck by how California (with more people and money per mile of road) seems to do such a poor job keeping up our roads compared to our neighbors. Since as a state it seems that California collects far more taxes – how can this be? Somehow I doubt the root problem is a shortage of user fees and new taxes.
The economics of the toll roads have always seemed screwy. Concessions and bailouts, followed by new bonds, new taxes, and new “user fees” … I am sure someone benefits (if not taxpayers).
Do you really think that any newly enacted “user fee” will be “paid in their entirety”?
My father has an old story about a toll bridge in Nebraska. Ten years worth of toll fees were meant to pay for the private construction cost of the bridge, at which time the bridge would become publicly owned. Yet somehow it seemed the bridge was always losing money. Every few years the outfit operating the bridge would go bankrupt, and would be bought out – though the new company seemed to have the same owners. Apparently this scam went on for better than forty years.
While this particular scam might be unfamiliar to most Californians, I would bet it is well known in some circles.
$ 9.25 ?
That’s all?
E 470 out in the Denver Colorado area cost $ 11.75. One way!
And it’s really just a road to nowhere, circling the city just like A720 in Edinburgh Scotland.
Goodbye Preston.
On your way out, could you add up all the tax money you paid and tell us what roads you paid for?
What is that? millions of other people paid for your free(way) ride, you say.
Must be nice to have many others pay your way, like welfare, huh?