Comments on: Congestion Pricing's World Tour

By: Kamal

Kamal — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:12:01 +0000

Edward – you seem to want a ‘nanny state’ where the state gives us ‘free’ roads. They tried this experiment with housing back in the USSR, where everyone got housing for ‘free’. Which system gave better housing, the Soviet system or the American system?

The type of ‘free’ I like is the ‘free market’, where if you use something, you pay for it. If I do decide I’m in a hurry and need to drive, I want to be able to get there, not be stuck in traffic – which your lovely system of road finance dooms me to.

I also prefer to decide how to spend my money myself, rather than getting it taxed away to deliver overused and substandard roads to those who are addicted to driving. If you want to drive more than I do, pay for it from your own pocket, not from mine!!

By: Edward

Edward — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:31:39 +0000

In response to the following: “if a democratic government implements congestion pricing, that means THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO WANT to use tolls to reduce driving.”

Tolls are unpopular and not desired by the people. It would by a tyrannical government that would try to exercise this level of control of its citizens, not a democratic one.

By: How We Drive, the Blog of Tom Vanderbilt’s Traffic » Blog Archive » Coming Soon to a City Near You?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:39:26 +0000

[...] the Tri-State Transportation Campaign is this handy round-up of congestion pricing initiatives on the horizon in any number of places across the [...]

By: Thomas Marchwinski

Thomas Marchwinski — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:39:01 +0000

Posts #1 and #2 reflect the so called “free market” view, but they fail to recongnize that the roads are not free, and that public transit was largely in private sector hands, until the “Free” roads built by that bogeyman government got involved. So it was government that disrupted the free market, so charging for roads is a free market solution, its called charge what the market will bear and pay for your total costs. Why should someone without a car continue to pay local taxes for police, insurance, maintenance, all not covered by the gas tax. Edwawrd is the free-loader getting by without paying, but of course its only a free market system if he gets to go for free. This is why its so difficult to get congestion pricing into place.

By: Charles Siegel

Charles Siegel — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:02:29 +0000

Edward: When people decide whether to drive on a given trip, they only think about the costs and benefits to themselves, not about the costs to the public. Congestion pricing makes them pay part of the cost to the public – the cost of congestion. They would have to pay much more to pay the full cost to the public – including the cost of air pollution, the cost of war for oil, and the cost of global warming.

You say “people do not want the government to tell them where and when they can drive and enforcing it with exorbitant tolls,” but if a democratic government implements congestion pricing, that means THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO WANT to use tolls to reduce driving.

By: Moser

Moser — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:50:36 +0000

Why do they even have cars in Malta?

By: Edward

Edward — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:34:13 +0000

People are already paying the gas tax, in some states tolls – ‘congestion pricing’ – are suddenly being proposed on roads that are currently toll-free. This would be a form of double taxation, if it happens. This is a form of tyranny which must be stopped.

By: Edward

Edward — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:32:08 +0000

Advocates of ‘Congestion Pricing’ claim that too many people driving their cars is the problem and the government should charge high tolls to stop them. Sir, people do not want the government to tell them where and when they can drive and enforcing it with exorbitant tolls.