Tolls may be the answer

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 9:51 a.m. MDT
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For years, people in the eastern United States have built and maintained their roads with a pure user fee: highway tolls.

Now, Utah is considering a similar tactic, a move Utah Department of Transportation officials say could speed construction of needed highways and provide a previously untapped revenue source. Faced with significant population growth and growing demands of existing roads, UDOT is wisely considering all possibilities.

Another consideration is public-private partnerships for road construction. Private partners could plan, finance, design, build, maintain and operate toll roads. This, too, is an intriguing prospect, although great care would have to be exercised to ensure that the private partner would be in it for the long haul, so to speak.

Toll roads and toll lanes are attractive alternatives to traditional transportation funding mechanisms — motor fuel taxes. No one should expect that form of taxation to go away any time soon. In Utah's case, tolls would supplement fuel tax revenues.

In truth, road tolls and lanes also are a form of taxation, but they are better defined as a user fee. In the case of high-occupancy toll lanes, HOT lanes for short, unaccompanied drivers would pay for the convenience of using designated carpool lanes. Those drivers would better utilize lanes that are not well used. Existing carpool lanes carry about 650 to 800 cars during peak hours while general purpose lanes carry about 2,000 cars during the same time period, according to UDOT statistics. Obviously, too few Utahns carpool. Perhaps they do not understand the purpose of high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

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The advent of toll lanes may foster a greater understanding of the high-occupancy vehicle lane concept. These lanes would still be available to carpoolers, who would not be required to pay tolls for their use.

Credit UDOT for coming up with some innovative concepts for Utah's future transportation needs. The Legislature's willingness to think outside the box on these issues also is refreshing. Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, speaking at a recent meeting of the Utah Legislature's Transportation Interim Committee, summed it up this way: "The one thing worse than paying a toll is not being able to move at all.

"Realistically, we have to look at every option possible. Brace yourself."

Brace yourself, indeed.

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