Toll roads in SA?//// Yes or No ///Poll!!
 

Do you think toll roads are a good idea for the North side of SA?

I think they are a good idea, to relieve traffic congestion. No one is forcing anyone to take them. They will have just as many free lanes as they have now, you will just have to stop at all the lights like you do now. You can make the choice to sit in traffic like now, or take the toll. That is one argument I never understood from toll road bashers. No one is forcing anyone to take them, take an alternate route if you don't want to pay the toll. Again, there will be just as many free lanes as there are now, the outer lanes on 281 (access lanes) will be free, will be just as fast as stopping at all the lights now. Just my humble opinion.

It really sucks that theyre taking away the lanes that me, my parents and grandparents already financed to build with taxpayer money though - unless those were built with bonds. Does somebody what to find out?

They aren't taking those away. The access road will have three lanes for you to drive on, just as it is now with the lights. The toll roads will just be an added choice.

I dont like them. IF i was to ever go back to SA, i would never take them. I think its a sad day when the city gets them...

:(

A big factor of why my parents moved from San Antonio was bc of the toll roads....It is very true that the construction of free express lanes on 281 had already been financed...and then the money was diverted to other programs. I think this is the big sticking point with people...and if you notice, the reason why people have been up in arms moreso over the 281 tolls, than the rest of the tolls. I understand that our goverment is full of a bunch of idiots that can't keep they're promises and misuse money (on both sides of the aisle) ..... its just too bad the TAXPAYERS have to foot the bill TWICE if they want to be able to get around our cities freely and unhindered by stoplights.

What a concession, three lanes full of stop lights........... the only thing these toll roads do is make money for transnational companies. Is it any coincidence that they are all on the north side of town, the fastest growing area of san antonio. NO! These companies dont give a damn about making our lives easier, theyre in it for the money. And of course the Texas government is glad to hand them over to these transnational corporation because frankly...were broke. Our government believes this is a solution to our fiscal problems, but if thats what theyre attempting to fix, they need to pick a bigger weapon.:twoguns:

whew, that was my rant. its not directed at you Jaga.

Gee, I wish there were an alternative to driving :(

I spend money on a lot more dumb things than toll roads so i have no problem spending a couple of dollars a day for driving on a road.

If the people who dislike the idea of toll roads were to move into the wonderful, beautiful, classic neighborhoods inside 410, they wouldn't need to worry about toll roads.

They are the ones who increase traffic. They ought to be the ones to pay for it.

Chad.

So it's been priced at $0.17 per mile for the 11 mile stretch of 281. If a person drives all 11 miles on the toll road thats $1.87 one way and $3.74 both ways, one week (5 days) going both ways is $18.70 and a year (52 weeks) is, ouch, $972.40. The price to construct the toll roads is $450 million. So it'll take roughly 462773 people driving both ways going to and from work on the toll roads all the way, everyday for a year, to pay it off. That's not too bad.

Again, YOU have the option as to whether to take the toll or free roads. No one is twisting any ones arm to take the toll. If you take the 3 free lanes, it will be no different than it is right now. So I fail to see how this is harming anyone's pocket book, unless they choose to take the toll. I bet a lot of people on the north side are going to be extremely GRATEFUL for them.

:previous:

That is a huge assumption. How do you know the poeple that live out there will be greatful to pay for what a non congested road, please that is a joke. The toll roads will have just as much traffic in no time and then what happens, oh lets build some more roads that way people can pay for those as well.

The principal is this, the only solution that the city, county, state has is that they will build you a road but you have to pay to use it, thats it, end of discussion. I feel its a huge money making plot pointed at who, the drivers who will have to pay even more in the end. Anyone who thinks that after its all paid for, that it will be free to everyone, they are strongly mistaken.

Even if i had money to spend on a toll road i still would not pay and plus i really would not want to live that far from downtown anyhow...

That's if they ever get a chance to drive on them, that group of anti-toll people are going to make life for people on the northside a living hell with all the protests and legal action they plan on taking part in to further delay construction. I wish people would stop moving to the far north and west sides and move inside 410 so SA can put in better mass transit programs and look more like the big city that it should be!

:previous:

I agree...

San Antonio's highway infrastructure is good enough that they don't need them at the moment.

the thing that these pro tollers have never understood is that they see the toll road as an option. they think that you can choose to take it or not. and that its better then regular roads. Here in Austin the tolls were created not as alternatives to other free roads. they are being built in place of free roads. so the only choice you have is to take the very expencive toll roads. also studies have proved that toll raods are more dangerous then free roads. they are not mantained as well either. last year when we had the ice storm in austin the free roads were all clean and driveable while the toll roads we jsut closed off. where is the toll money going to? and to the guy that was calulating the time it would take to pay off the toll. Toll roads will never be paid off, cause of the mantiance cost. and another point sure the toll road might be fast for now but it will fill up and that will be just another excuse to build more toll roads instead of the free roads we pay the taxes for.

haha, you think they're expensive? anywhere else in the real world, austin's toll roads would be considered a steal.

It would take five or six posts to address everything wrong with your screed. But I'll keep it short: gas taxes don't remotely pay the costs of suburban motorists' infrastructure needs (never have; pay less as we go forward). You weren't paying the full costs of your 'free'ways before, in other words - not even close.

Not to mention that there were so many misspellings and contradictory statements that my eyes simply glazed over.