Democracy can usually be understood as the exercise of the people’s power through elections, reasoned debate, and the majority implementation of policy. Which is why it’s delightful to see some minority hellraising get the job done instead once in a while.
In the Twin Cities in Minnesota, they recently adopted a new toll lane paralleling Interstate 394 heading west from downtown Minneapolis to the suburbs. The lane was converted from an HOV lane to a so-called High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lane. By scaling tolls based on overall traffic levels, the HOT lane guarantees at least one lane of free-flowing traffic that anyone with a transponder (and the $1.50 monthly rental fee) can access for between $0.25 and $8.00.
Problem is, the old HOV lane only restricted access from 6-9am and from 3-6pm to accommodate rush hour. The HOT lane operates 24-7, reducing overall capacity for those folks unwilling to pay $0.25/trip plus $1.50/month to use a lane that they used to use for free.
So Rep. Jeff Johnson, R-Plymouth, responded. He wrote a letter to the major metro daily, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and encouraged people to call or email Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau (state transportation commissioner) with their complaints. That was Sunday. Today, the paper’s headline reads: “I-394 toll rules ease today.”
1 comment:
Wired just published a story on the rise of road pricing. Do pay-for roads mean more transit options or just more pavement?
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