CA "free"way to no longer be free...
 

Apparently the car pool lane (which was built using taxpayer money) on the 110 "free"way will magically turn into a toll lane starting the year after next according to a new proposal. Heard this on the news tonight - I'll see if I can dredge up a link to a textual version to post here.

I love this state - tax the crap out of the subjects... I mean "citizens" (har har) and then make them pay to use what's built with their own money. And naturally there's the gas tax to pay for the upkeep too - even on the part of the suckers that don't pay the toll and therefore don't use the extra lane.

When will the insanity end?

How long before you move? Haven't you changed jobs?

It's more complicated than that.

The short answer is, "as soon as I can" but I'm kept here by the fact that (1) I'm (still) unemployed and (2) my wife loves her job here. In fairness to her, I can't just say "we're leaving" if I've got nothing better to move us to. Especially if it means giving up the one income we have currently.

Yes, I'm getting back into flying and hopefully I can eventually land an aviation gig which would get me out of this hell-hole on a regular basis. But one step at a time - and steps are VERY slow these days. Like every other field, there's very little movement or opportunity in aviation right now. You need resources and opportunities in order to shake things up and make new things happen in your life. Like most people, I have neither right now... But I'm working on it. I'm holding out hope that eventually I'll escape this pit before it totally collapses.

Hey, the tollway bonds in Illinois were paid off in 1985. They were supposed to become freeways after that.

Guess what? They're still tollways! Guess what else? Last time I checked, 2/3rds of the Tollway Authority's budget went to....funding the existence of the Tollway Authority! Only 1/3 of the budget goes to fixing the tollways themselves!

Part of the problem is that the Tollway Authority is now an entrenched bureaucracy, and it is a dumping ground for the not-so-successful relatives of powerful politicians. It is NEVER going away.

In Oklahoma the toll road from Oklahoma City to Tulsa was built in the 50s. It was supposed to be free once it was paid for. It still has the toll. The good news is that the toll roads are some of the best around. We have a PikePass system that was one of the 1st in the nation and became operational January 1, 1991. I can get on or off the turnpike just like and other interstate. The midway plaza on most turnpikes can be taken at 75 to 80 MPH. The speed limit is 75 and almost everyone is running 80 to 85.

The latest from the sacramento lib-tards:
1) A new $15 "fee" on car registration. Doesn't matter that it's really an illegal tax, or that we already have one of the highest registration costs in the country.

2) a new $20 "fee" tacked onto property tax. Now most would realize that isn't a fee, it's a tax increase. But the libs won't admit that.
3) increase tabacco taxes again for the 5th time, but call it a fee. Idiots. what's next, more taxes on beer, soda pop, candy, fast food? they are coming.
4) some of em are even talknig about putting an additional "fee" on gasoline. as if we weren't already paying enough taxes. california has the highest tax rate in the country, yet these dems sit around and do nothing all day long except try to figure out ways to tax us even more.

See, in order to pass a tax icrease in this state they need a 2/3 majority which they won't get because the more conservative politicians won't go along with it.
But to pass a fee only takes a a simple majority, which they have. Freaking liars, every one. I hate the jackasses.

BTW, these morons get a large car allowance, for a personal car to use in their home district. Yep, we're paying them big money to have a car to drive when THEY ARE AT HOME!

This has actually been in the works for a while.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12546087

This won't reduce congestion. At all.

Didn't some people not too long ago use TAR AND FEATHERS to protest the kings unfair taxes?

The Denver-Boulder Turnpike became free as soon as it was paid for.

CA? CA is effing Bankrupt!

you forgot the proposal to smog motorcycles.

One trip through or around Chicago will leave a permanent impression that Chris hit the nail on the head. The roads are bombed-out, and they're spending the money building toll booths. :mad:

The march towards Progressive Nirvana continues unabated.

If they had any brains whatsoever, they would charge a toll for non carpool lanes and that seems as though it would encourage carpooling. But then again it's California and everybody likes to be an individual out there.

Take your whining to the PARF...

I have no problem paying the toll in OK. The tpike is faster and smoother(mostly). We have pikepasses in about all of our vehicles and drive it quite a bit.