Residents support rail, concerned about tolls
While they still want Metro service in their community, many Reston and Herndon residents remain very concerned about the potential impact of higher toll rates on the Dulles Toll Road.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority plans to use toll revenues to pay for about 55 percent of the 23-mile rail line through Tysons Corner, Reston and Herndon to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County. . .
. . . At the second in a series of public information meetings scheduled around the county, residents expressed their concern about financing so much of the project cost using tolls. Depending on a number of factors, a trip on the Dulles Toll Road could reach $4.50 as soon as next year. It currently costs $2.50 (sic).
“People are angry,” said Tammie Petrine, co-chair of the Reston 2020 Committee of the Reston Citizens Association. “We think there are more unintended consequences from this plan than you can shake a stick at.”
In addition to being concerned about their own ability to continue using the toll road, a key east-west route for Reston and Herndon residents, attendees at the meeting said they are concerned about additional traffic from drivers diverting through their communities to avoid the tolls. . .
. . . An analysis from the airports authority’s tolling consultants shows a drop of about 18 million trips on the toll road in 2013 if the tolls were to go to $4.50 next year. . . .
Click here for the rest of this Fairfax Times article.
People are “angry” about the perspective tolls. People are urged to express their anger at the scheduled meetings. Politicians are oh-so empathetic with the people’s concerns.
ReplyDeleteQuestion; who with any authority is actually committed to looking at methods to “buy down the tolls” and when will we hear the results of that effort? Or are all parties including the MWAA just ‘going through the motions’ and waiting for the people to quit complaining due to frustration?
Your point is extremely well taken, Anon.
ReplyDeleteThere is little incentive for area politicians to find an alternative funding source if one is already in place.
There is even LESS incentive for anyone else to step up if a funding source is already in place. Why should they (local, state, federal) make our problem their's if we've already found a "solution" that works?