11/24/2008 11:35:14 PM

Great post Rian. It's like we've got a regular column to read.

I've been thinking about the Turnpike Authority's toll hike a lot. There were back to back front page Boston Globe articles last week that somehow didn't get linked by any of the editorials and letters that followed. The first was a good piece about the Big Dig and congestion in metro Boston. I was glad to see that it followed up some quotes about how commutes have become longer for some with a brief mention of the new trips that the improvements to the downtown bottleneck have generated. I wish the author had developed this aspect of the story a little more.

The next day the toll hike vote was front and center. Noticeably absent from any of the story or subsequent discussion was the lack of tolling for i-93, either north or south of the city. We all know (well, anyone who has commuted on I-93) that here lies the worst of the congestion. I am amazed that so little talk of tolling this road has surfaced from this thorny debate. Unlike the direct link that the harbor tunnels have to East Boston, I-93 captures much more of the regional traffic that is responsible for tying up the commute at peak hours.

I wonder if it is just not politically feasible to ask drivers to pay a fee to use a road that has laid a $15 billion dollar burden on the state. I wrote a letter to the globe and the authors, curious about details of this free highway. I think depressing the central artery was a good plan. But if it's going to continue to be free to access, I don't think any of these problems, congestion, revenue generation, or equitable access will go away.

I agree that it might not be fair to raise gas taxes on everyone when the problem is clearly that we need to pay for the Big Dig. It also seems very regressive to isolate East Boston. But what about tolling the road that has so benefited from the Big Dig and which carries by far the most vehicles on a daily basis. Perhaps if this were added to the mix, the impact could be eased on East Boston.

Eric Senecal

9/16/2009 3:15:14 AM

It's an interesting proposal. I think residents of MA who live outside of Boston would object to a raise in the statewide gas tax to fund some tunnels they're unlikely to ever use. But I can understand how a huge hike in the tunnel fees seems unfair to local residents who have few alternate options to get around town. BTW, I love the depth of field effect on the photo for this article. It makes the street scene look like a little miniature model. Cool!

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