Why no Toll Roads in DC???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because Congress

This. Same reason there's no commuter tax.

Because it would be DC trying to tax the Federal government for having Federal employees work there, which makes zero sense considering the Federal payment and massive subsidization of WMATA.

Sure, tax the Federal government for Federal employees that work in DC. But why should DC still keep these other Federal benefits?

DC resident pay more per capita into the federal treasury than just about any state in the union. It is OUR money too.

We are a "maker" jurisdiction, unlike most red states, which are "taker" states.

Maybe THEY should be taking less since they don't believe in the federal government?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so there are tolls on the bridges and roads to MD and VA, too.

Better to encourage residents of DC to stay IN DC.

We have the museums, the music, the art, the dining, the parks, the events all right here in DC. Beats dealing with the Beltway or the shithole stripmall land of surrounding VA and MD.

When you say “we have the museums” I hope you mean the American people? DC government certainly didn’t pay a dime for any of it.

"Didn't pay a dime?" DC taxpayers pay more in federal taxes per capita than just about anyone else in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Virginia uses tolls all the time and somehow it magically works.

Washington DC will not succeed with “gateway” tolls, which logistically woukd be impossible on the Maryland border. A downtown congestion fee is more likely. However, with downtown office occupancy well below pre-COVID levels and a soft commercial real estate market, even with legal authority DC would be naive and foolish to institute measures that would cause employers to reduce their presence in the District.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not toll the Suitland Parkway?

Because the federal government owns it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Virginia uses tolls all the time and somehow it magically works.

Virginia is authorized to toll certain interstates by the feds. DC too can charge tolls to increase the number of lanes like Virginia did with 495. They can also charge single occupant vehicles on HOV roads like Virginia did with 66.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Virginia uses tolls all the time and somehow it magically works.

Washington DC will not succeed with “gateway” tolls, which logistically woukd be impossible on the Maryland border. A downtown congestion fee is more likely. However, with downtown office occupancy well below pre-COVID levels and a soft commercial real estate market, even with legal authority DC would be naive and foolish to institute measures that would cause employers to reduce their presence in the District.

DC will not have a cordon zone. The USDOT has never approved one even though a program to authorize them does exist. Also any cordon zone needs approval from the state where it’s located and Congress would never allow DC to have one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Virginia uses tolls all the time and somehow it magically works.

Virginia is authorized to toll certain interstates by the feds. DC too can charge tolls to increase the number of lanes like Virginia did with 495. They can also charge single occupant vehicles on HOV roads like Virginia did with 66.

No, it can't.

[Anonymous]

Virginia has privately-owned tolled express lanes situated within publicly-owned free highways. This is what you see on I-95, I-395, I-495, and soon on I-66 outside of the Beltway. Toll revenues go the private express lanes — not to the entire road.

The dynamic tolling along I-66 inside the Beltway is much more of a congestion mitigation measure than revenue generator. I assume VDOT was allowed to do this because the road was previously HOV only during rush hour periods, and the tolls only go into effect during rush hour periods for vehicles that don’t meet the HOV requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Nope

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the Maryland or Virginia senators will not block this in Congress? <crickets>

And even if DC were ever to do it, they wouldn't do 295 because of wards 7 & 8. They'd do the 14th Street Bridge & the TR bridge.

Not in a million years. The feds wouldn't allow it. The DC business community is probably smart enough to oppose it, too. DC is extremely reliant upon VA businesses and VA residents. Throwing up a barrier like that would only hurt DC.

Nope

Lol. Okay.

[Anonymous]

We need to toll the Suitland Parkway, 395 tunnel, DC 295 and the 14th street bridge

[Anonymous]

Because L'enfant laid it all out before cars. Honestly.

[Anonymous]

DC adding tolls or congestion charges or whatever should be welcomed by VA and MD. It would be a death knell for business in the city and accelerate the decline.