How Do We Fix Our Overcrowded Transportation System in San Diego? Taxes or Tolling?

Hi Marlene, With the aging infrastructure, we need to have sources of funding and bills approved to get the bonds needed underway. It would seem to that citizens around the state would be in favor in getting these stated sooner rather than later. Municiple bonds have always been very secure and it would be a great way too ensure these needed upgrades. At a rate of 5%, they would prove to be very popular.

Bill, your comments just make so much sense. if we had legislators with vision instead of hindsight, we might already be there. With term limits once again up for negotiation, they will even deeper entrenched. Maybe a mass recall would be in order, :-) Thank you for enhancing the Post.!

Hi Bill, Thanks for writting. I travel the section of I 15 daily and see from a layman perspective that the design is very poorly thought out. I trust on road design you are also a lay person. Why is it that as lay people on rad design that we  can see the problem and the designer can't? It begs the question about the way the funds were allocated and whose purse was being fattened. Totally amazing. If I 15 were a toll road, this would not be the case. I would personally rather pay the toll than the pay for the waste of fuel of sitting and creeping along and also for the time it takes to get anywhere. 

Thanks for enhancing this post and kn ow your comments get to the real heart of the issue.  

Hi Bill, I feel the exact same way. I had been speaking hypothetically about I-15 being a toll road. You are right of course, out tax dollars already paid for those roads and they should be designed and operated efficiently for all users. This a clearly double taxation. Pay get it built and then pay again to use it.

The toll roads I am in favor of are those that are created with Bonds sold to investors with accessible capital and the not where our tax dollars have already been allocated. The biggest obstacle to the proper procurement, design and execution are the environmental groups that attempt to keep frogs,snakes,nats and unspecified visiting birds and other offensive bugs safe while humans have no choice but to pollute the air with spent fuel burned at very low efficiency standards sitting massed up on highways and byways while the birds fly over and crap on the windshield. Don't get me started on this one, it could be weeks before I re-surface,lol

I am not in favor of converting out present roads that we already paid for into toll roads.

 

This all started when I suggested that I would rather pay a toll than to sit on a crowded freeway. Funny how all this gets interpreted as somehow advocating toll roads. The alternative of course would be to advocate for the allocations to build the infrastructure that we paid for. I fear we will pay many times again and still not get the roads and bridges that would relieve the overcrowding.

So NO, I am not an advocate for toll roads over the public roads that are just not getting built. Its an impasse though and in the meantime, we waste our time and energy resources trying to fit 3 million people on roads built for 1 million.

There are answers but as long as the voters keep putting the same people in office with the same tax and spend mindset, nothing changes.

One example I can recall was route 125. It had the potential of relieving the stress on 1-15. When the designers proposed the road and the canyon that runs along the east side of TierraSanta was to be part of the route, the environmentalists and tree huggers successfully fought off the expansion as endangering the so called "preserve". If they can't get the land, they can't the build the roads. So their answer is to charge more tax and supply less roads. And if you live in areas that don't share THEIR profile of expected political views, then there should also be less money to maintain what's here. Soon those voters will come a crawlin......, seems to be their mantra.

Hi Bill, Thanks for commenting and it is no real problem. I explained clearly where I am on it and most understand that. I like differing points of view as it helps each of use be more clear about our positions. It is a good thing and and a healthy thing. Besides, the public seems to just roll along mostly oblivious to the process and then only complains after the fact. When I see 1000's of cars backed up ate the Rancho Bernardo exits daily, it is exasperating. Especially because it is so unnecessary.