Tolling existing interstates represents a veiled supply-chain tax that makes businesses less competitive and drives up the cost of living wherever they are located, the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (ATFI) said in a recent letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal.
“Sure, we can all agree that, ‘If you drive, you should pay.’ However, how you pay matters, and given the inefficiencies and consequences of tolls, they shouldn’t even be taken seriously as an option to improve our interstates,” ATFI wrote in its letter published April 15.
ATFI submitted its letter in response to a recent op-ed by the Reason Foundation that called “customer friendly” tolling the answer to the nation’s interstate problems. ATFI’s letter was published along with many others opposing tolling as a means of funding infrastructure. NATSO is a founding member of ATFI.
In its letter, ATFI said tolls aren’t an option for most roads, as private operators are primarily only interested in high-traffic interstates in urban areas where they can turn a profit.
State highways and major secondary roads will be used more as drivers avoid toll roads. This means that local municipalities will be stuck footing the bill for additional wear and tear on secondary roads. Increased traffic volume on these roads also will lead to more congestion and accidents.
To read ATFI’s Letter to the Editor click here.
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