The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a privately owned road, and as such it does not accept tax dollars. It is wholly funded by its users. That suits me just fine. From my house it’s $10 to Pittsburgh, so I pay $40 a year to visit my family. Conversely, if I don’t get to go out there, I pay nothing. If I so desire, I can take Rt. 22 or Rt. 30, both public roads, and take up to 8 hours to get to the same place rather than 4.
For the record, that stretch of 294 is almost done being worked on so it won’t be long before the new Open Tolling is in place and it eases up. The problem is you have the curve just south of Higgins where the lanes on the left are being worked on and a bridge on the right so there is no place to add lanes, it stinks but it’sll be over soon. Just be glad you don’t have to drive it every day! Luckily I have the reverse commute and I time it so I am not on the road when it is busiest.
I hate the morons who can’t seem to understand that the I-Pass only lanes at the exits are…for I-Pass only. Read the fucking signs, dumbshits! There’s like a half dozen of those big, color-coded mother fuckers. And for fucks sake, it says ‘Do not stop’ right in front of you so…Don’t. Fucking. Stop.
Jackasses.
Exactly! And anyone that has driven in the area for more than a few years remembers what the toll stops were like pre-IPass. The scene described in the OP occurred twice every day even without construction.
Fuck that. I’ll pay for 100% of the roads with my taxes when you pay 100% of my public transit fees with yours.
Deal. I’d be quite happy to pay higher taxes for good transit systems. We would all benefit.
However, the analogy isn’t quite right. One often has to wait for a train, so there is ample time to buy a ticket. Also, waiting around to buy a ticket doesn’t waste a lot of gas and increase pollution.
True, but keeping me off the road does. And it helps ease congestion for you.