Have mercy, I love me some toll roads! Seriously, why stay stuck in traffic when you can pay a few bucks and FLY. With speed limits of 80 MPH, I can be where I need to be in no time flat.

Now word comes down the State is considering buy-backs of some leading toll roads and removing the pay-to-drive setup, thus opening the roads for everyone. My first thought was "FLY FOR FREE! WOO-HOO!"

Almost immediately, my thoughts took on a more selfish nature.

Is it snobby of me to WANT to keep the tolls? Right now, the tolls keep the roads free from the kind of folks most people wish would stay the hell off the roads. Big honking trucks are not the problem on toll roads. Someone in an old P-O-S compact from the eighties or a Hippie micro-van are largely absent as well. And the roads are far less congested in general, it's so enjoyable. Safer, too.

I'll pay for a faster, more enjoyable riding experience. You betcha.

Still, I'm torn. I like free and open roads for everyone. That's only fair. The American way.

So is free enterprise. For whatever reason, the company behind some of the toll roads has filed for bankruptcy. That's not good. Did they get in over their heads? Was the toll too low or the deal not profitable enough for the company? I dunno, but one thing is for sure: those roads must be open. If the company can't afford to operate them, we the people need 'em back.

 

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